Sports
Why is Brian Kelly so ‘angry’? Because LSU’s Week 1 woes are now an existential crisis
LAS VEGAS — For most coaches, Week 1 is about shaking off the rust, seeing some young guys get their first game reps and hopefully taking care of business to start 1-0.
For LSU’s Brian Kelly, on the other hand, Week 1 has become an annual existential crisis.
Late Sunday night at Allegiant Stadium, Kelly fielded questions from the media following his third consecutive season-opening neutral-site loss, this one a last-second 27-20 heartbreaker to No. 23 USC. It did not take long for him to let the assembled room know how angry he was with the result.
In fact, his very first words were, “This is the first time since I’ve been here (at LSU) that I’m angry at my football team.” He went on to cite a pair of costly late-game unsportsmanlike penalties by his players and the Tigers’ inability to close out the game.
A few minutes later while answering a follow-up question, Kelly pounded his first on the table, shocking a few sleepy-eyed sportswriters back to peak alertness as his voice rose abruptly.
“We’re sitting here AGAIN, talking about the same things, about not finishing when you have an opponent in a position to put ’em away,” Kelly said. “What we’re doing on the sideline is feeling like the game is over. And I’m so angry about it, that I’ve got to do something about it. I’m not doing a good enough job as a coach. I’ve got to coach them better, because it’s unacceptable for us not to have found a way to win this football game.
“It’s ridiculous.”
To repeat: This was after the first game of the season.
Kelly’s team actually played fairly well Sunday night. This was not the disastrous 2022 Florida State game in New Orleans, Kelly’s LSU debut, when the Tigers committed every special teams snafu imaginable and lost 24-23 on a blocked extra point. Nor was this the ugly 2023 rematch with FSU in Orlando, when the Noles ran away in the second half of a 45-24 rout.
This was a down-to-the-wire barnburner between two teams trying to find themselves after losing their respective Heisman-winning quarterbacks (USC’s Caleb Williams and LSU’s Jayden Daniels). Lincoln Riley’s Trojans showed off a much-improved defense, one that actually wraps up ball carriers and limits explosive plays. Kelly’s defense, itself a trainwreck for most of last season, allowed a not-great 7.5 yards per play but was improved enough for the Tigers to hold a 17-13 lead late into the fourth quarter.
Then the dam broke.
After stopping a USC fourth down in LSU territory with 8:38 left, LSU safety Major Burns committed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that backed up the Tigers to their own 21. Kelly could be seen having a long talk with Burns on the sideline afterward. LSU went three-and-out and punted back to USC. Three plays later, Trojans quarterback Miller Moss threw a beautiful 28-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Kobi Lane to put USC up 20-17 with 5:44 left.
Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who finished 29 of 38 for 304 yards, led his team from its own 20 to the USC 14 but missed a wide-open Aaron Anderson for what would have been at least another first down. The Tigers settled for a game-tying 31-yard field goal with 1:47 left.
You likely know how things ended.
USC looked content to settle for a game-winning field goal try until Moss found receiver Kyron Hudson for a spectacular 20-yard catch down the sideline, which, coupled with a targeting call on LSU’s Jardin Gilbert, took the Trojans down to the LSU 13 with 18 seconds left.
At which point USC tailback Woody Marks took a handoff up the middle for the winning score, and Kelly got that familiar scrunched-up expression on his face that always seems like half-bewilderment, half-resignation.
yearly tweet pic.twitter.com/5qCSxnHTAa
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) September 2, 2024
“It’s clear that when we get up in a game, we do not know how to handle ourselves,” Kelly said afterward. “You’ve got to have that killer instinct in this game. You’ve got to put teams away. We had an opportunity to put this team away, and we got complacent.”
Normally in these moments, the coach reminds us it’s a long season ahead, they’ve got plenty of time to fix their issues, etc., etc. Having heard none of that from Kelly, I feel compelled to personally remind LSU’s coach: Hey man, it’s a long season ahead. You’ve got plenty of time to fix these issues. Don’t freak out too much.
Unfortunately, he already did.
“To be the kind of football team I want, we have to eliminate the foolish mistakes,” he said. “We have to have a mindset of, when we have an opponent down, have that killer instinct. And we have to play off each other much better.”
Did we mention his team has only played one game?
GO DEEPER
College Football Playoff 2024 projections: Miami moves into our 12-team bracket
Kelly made an interesting comment while lamenting that the Tigers did not play complementary football. He said, “We put way too much pressure on our defense to be something that they’re not ready to be. They battled, but we have warts, and they’re not going away overnight.”
It brought back memories of Kelly’s surprisingly candid comments after the spring transfer portal closed without LSU adding any defensive tackles as many expected. “We’re not in the market of buying players,” Kelly told WAFB-TV, which sounded to some like a preemptive excuse if the Tigers’ defense, which finished 109th in the FBS last season, wasn’t markedly better.
His remarks Sunday night felt as if he was pleasantly surprised said defense held a Lincoln Riley offense, with Moss and ridiculous receivers Zachariah Branch, Hudson and Lane, to “only” three touchdowns, yet that still wasn’t enough.
“I thought our defense took a step forward from last year,” he said. “But we have to help them out as well. We can’t be three-and-out and then put them back on the field.”
This moment occurred in 2024, but it could have just as easily been 2014, or almost any year since. Kelly has won at least 10 games in each of the past seven seasons as head coach (five with the Irish, two with LSU), yet these big-game letdowns feel less like exceptions and more like the norm.
Notre Dame fans mostly made peace with it because the Irish hadn’t enjoyed even that level of success in decades. LSU, on the other hand, has seen its past three coaches win national championships (and it still fired the past two). Tigers fans, which took over Las Vegas only to be let down again, will not exhibit similar patience if this continues.
No fist-pounding or tough words will reassure them.
(Photo: Candice Ward / Getty Images)
Sports
‘Quad God’ Ilia Malinin avenges Olympic disappointment with backflip for third straight world title
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
It seems like Ilia Malinin, the “Quad God,” has done a nice job of moving on from his Olympic heartbreak.
Last month, the 21-year-old Team USA star was the overwhelming favorite to bring home the gold in the men’s free skate. But the unimaginable happened as he fell twice and dropped all the way to eighth place.
However, he has begun to avenge the loss and is now a three-time world champion.
Ilia Malinin from the United States competes during the men free skating at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Malinin shouted and punched the air with relief after finishing a skate that showed he had achieved his desire to “move on” from the Olympics after days of being tormented by his mistakes.
Malinin scored 218.11 in the free skate for a total of 329.40, far ahead of silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan on 306.67. Another Japanese skater, Shun Sato, was third on 288.54.
Malinin was blunt about his Olympic performance when speaking to NBC afterward, saying simply, “I blew it,” and said it was a clear mental hurdle from start to finish.
“I just had so many thoughts and memories flood right before I got into my starting pose, and almost, I think, it maybe overwhelmed me a little bit. I’ve been through a lot in my life, a lot of bad and good experiences,” Malinin told reporters.
Gold medalist Ilia Malinin from the United States waves to spectators after the medal ceremony after the men’s free skating at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
LINDSEY VONN KEEPING RETURN TO SKIING ON TABLE DESPITE INJURIES: ‘I DON’T LIKE TO CLOSE THE DOOR ON ANYTHING’
“So, I just feel like it’s the pressure of especially being that Olympic gold medal hopeful. It was just something I can’t control now. The pressure of the Olympics, it’s really something different, and I think not a lot of people understand that. They only understand that from the inside and going into this competition, especially today, I felt really confident, really good,” he added. “But it really just went by so fast I did not have time to process.”
But with some pressure off, Malinin was able to show who he truly is on the ice.
Gold medalist, Ilia Malinin from the United States waves before the medal ceremony after the men’s free skating at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Malinin becomes the first skater to win three consecutive men’s world titles since fellow American Nathan Chen, who achieved the feat in 2018, 2019 and 2021 after the 2020 event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Sports
Ilia Malinin bounces back from Olympic nightmare to win third straight world figure skating title
PRAGUE — Ilia Malinin is back on the top step of the podium.
Six weeks after a disastrous skate knocked the Olympic gold-medal favorite off the podium, the “quad god” reeled off one huge jump after another, and a backflip for good measure, to retain his world championship title for the third year running.
Malinin shouted and punched the air with relief after finishing a skate that showed he had achieved his desire to “move on” from the Olympics after days tormented by his mistakes.
He praised the crowd’s support, saying: “It was really challenging, really hard but with you guys I was able to make it through.” His aim, he added, had simply been to get through the free skate “in one piece.”
Skating last after leading the short program, just as he did in Milan, Malinin landed five high-scoring quadruple jumps but not his pioneering quad axel, a jump he didn’t attempt at the Olympics.
Malinin scored 218.11 in the free skate for a total 329.40, far ahead of silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan on 306.67. Another Japanese skater, Shun Sato, was third on 288.54.
Ilia Malinin performs a backflip during his free skate at the World Figure Skating Championships on Saturday in Prague.
(Petr David Josek / Associated Press)
Kagiyama beat his personal-best free skate score but still had to make do with a fourth career world championship silver in a career which includes four Olympic silvers and five total worlds medals, but no gold from either event. He still embraced Malinin after his skate and they jumped together in celebration.
In a showcase of top-level skating, there was no podium spot for France’s Adam Siao Him Fa, who had been in second after the short program but dropped to fifth overall after a fall. Estonia’s Aleksandr Selevko also fell dropped from third to sixth.
Malinin had no rematch with Mikhail Shaidorov, the skater from Kazakhstan who won the Olympic gold, because he opted against competing again this season.
That’s relatively common in figure skating for gold medal winners who face a rush of media and commercial opportunities after a grueling four-year Olympic buildup.
Malinin becomes the first skater to win three consecutive men’s world titles since fellow American Nathan Chen, who achieved the feat in 2018, 2019 and 2021 after the 2020 event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The last competition of the championships is the free dance portion of the ice dance event later Saturday. France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron are in the lead after Friday’s rhythm dance.
Sports
Tiger Woods released from jail after DUI arrest; eyes appear bloodshot in booking photo
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Tiger Woods was released from jail Friday night after he was arrested earlier in the day on a DUI charge following a car crash in Florida.
In a mugshot released hours after his arrest, Woods’ eyes appeared bloodshot, as he donned a blue polo inside the Martin County Jail in Florida.
Woods was seen leaving the jail in the passenger seat of a black SUV after his release on bail late Friday, according to The Associated Press.
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek confirmed in a news conference that Woods was traveling at “a high rate of speed” when his vehicle collided with another car, resulting in his vehicle rolling over onto the driver’s side.
Tiger Woods was booked into Martin County, Florida, jail on March 27, 2026. (AP)
Authorities said Woods “exemplified signs of impairment.” He blew “triple-zeroes” for alcohol but refused a urine test.
“DUI investigators came to the scene here, and Mr. Woods did exemplify signs of impairment. They did several tests on him. Of course, he did explain the injuries and the surgeries that he had. We did take that into account, but they did do some in-depth roadside tests,” Budensiek added.
“We really weren’t suspicious of alcohol being involved in this case, and that proved to be true at the jail. … But when it came time for us to ask for a urinalysis test, he refused. And, so, he’s been charged with DUI, with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.”
Woods was spotted on the phone after the crash, wearing navy blue shorts.
Woods was charged with DUI, property damage and refusal to submit to a test, all misdemeanor charges. No one was injured, authorities said. Woods was alone in the car and crawled out of the passenger door after the crash.
Tiger Woods was driven from the Martin County Jail after being arrested for driving under the influence following a car crash on March 27, 2026, in Stuart, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
VANESSA, KAI TRUMP TAKE IN TIGER WOODS’ RETURN TO GOLF AT TGL FINALS
“This could’ve been a lot worse,” Budensiek noted.
President Donald Trump commented on the arrest of his “very close friend.”
“I feel so badly. He’s got some difficulty,” Trump said. “There was an accident, and that’s all I know. Very close friend of mine. He’s an amazing person, an amazing man, but some difficulty.”
Woods has not commented on the arrest.
Tiger Woods was arrested on a DUI charge after getting into a car crash on Friday. (Associated Press)
Woods currently is dating Trump’s ex-daughter-in-law, Vanessa, whose daughter, Kai, is set to play college golf in Miami next week.
This is Woods’ second DUI arrest within the last decade. In 2017, he was taken into custody, also in Jupiter Island, after taking prescription drugs and being asleep behind the wheel of a running car at 3 a.m.
In 2021, he got into a wreck that resulted in serious leg injuries that kept him off the golf course for the entire year.
Golfer Tiger Woods stands by his overturned vehicle in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Jason Oteri/AP)
Woods made his return to competitive golf earlier this week in the TGL championship after rupturing his Achilles just before last year’s Masters (this year’s tournament is in less than two weeks). Woods has not appeared on the links since the 2024 PGA Championship, in which he missed the cut.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter
-
Detroit, MI1 week agoDrummer Brian Pastoria, longtime Detroit music advocate, dies at 68
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago‘Youth’ Twitter review: Ken Karunaas impresses audiences; Suraj Venjaramoodu adds charm; music wins praise | – The Times of India
-
Sports1 week agoIOC addresses execution of 19-year-old Iranian wrestler Saleh Mohammadi
-
New Mexico6 days agoClovis shooting leaves one dead, four injured
-
Business1 week agoDisney’s new CEO says his focus is on storytelling and creativity
-
Tennessee5 days agoTennessee Police Investigating Alleged Assault Involving ‘Reacher’ Star Alan Ritchson
-
Technology6 days agoYouTube job scam text: How to spot it fast
-
Texas1 week agoHow to buy Houston vs. Texas A&M 2026 March Madness tickets