Brian Kelly Conquers Alabama in Early Validating Moment of His LSU Tenure

A gutsy decision to go for two paid off for the Tigers’ coach, sending Baton Rouge into a frenzied state after a win that will live in program lore.

BATON ROUGE — Scott Woodward’s reaction probably sounded similar to yours and to mine and to the millions watching on national television and to the 100,000 here at Tiger Stadium.

As the LSU offense trotted onto the field for a two-point conversion attempt—one play for all the marbles, a single snap to beat mighty Alabama, a few seconds to take down Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide—most collectively gasped.

“I thought, ‘holy s---!’” says Woodward, the Tigers’ athletic director. “And then I thought, O.K. He’s got ’em on the ropes. Knock ’em out!”

One punch, one swift swing, a left hook, a right cross, a whack atop the head. Describe it however you’d like, LSU downed Alabama, 32–31 in overtime, amid a euphoric gumbo of Cajun delight here Saturday night.

In his first year as coach, Brian Kelly went for the win. He had the stones, the cajones, the boudin balls, one might say. He had the trust in Jayden Daniels, who like Kelly is new to these parts. Here they were, having fought back from a season-opening loss to Florida State, an embarrassing home defeat to Tennessee, a couple of outsiders—a transfer from Arizona State and a coach from Notre Dame—putting Bama on the ropes.

Three yards for glory. Nine feet for it all.

Mason Taylor caught the game-winning two-point conversion.

Scott Clause/USA TODAY Network

Daniels took the snap, darted right and zipped the ball to tight end Mason Taylor in the flats. Taylor, son of former NFL All-Pro Jason Taylor, caught the ball at the one-yard line, cradling it into his belly, and then hung there—it seemed like for an eternity—before finally falling backwards across the goal line as Alabama safety Jordan Battle flew in too late.

It set of a purple-and-gold field rush, a mass of swamp humanity pouring onto the playing surface, ebbing and flowing like the muddy Mississippi.

“Before the game started, had you asked me, ‘I’m going to give you one play to beat Alabama,’ I would have taken that 100 out of 100. At that moment, I thought about that,” Kelly said. “We had a really good play that we hadn’t used and they hadn’t seen.”

And just like that, LSU (7–2, 5–1 SEC)—a team left for dead with a coach many believe didn’t fit here, with a bunch of transfers who weren’t jelling, an inconsistent quarterback and awful special teams—is in the driver’s seat to win the SEC West and advance to the championship game in Atlanta. This was unthinkable just four weeks ago. LSU’s path to reaching the title game at 10–2 is a trip to 5–4 Arkansas next week, a 4–5 UAB team the next and 4–5 Texas A&M in College Station to end the regular season.

It is a stunning tenure-opening run for Kelly, the 61-year-old northerner who many poked and prodded during the offseason. They say he fudged a southern accent and that his dance moves stink. While it rolled right off of Kelly, many around LSU seethed over the offseason criticism—including his righthand man, Brian Polian, the team’s special teams and recruiting coordinator who said of the criticism in March, “Enough was enough!”

And now, months later, Kelly slaps back.

“Took big balls!” says one LSU administrator of the two-point call.

LSU took just two snaps in overtime. Daniels scored on the very first play, scampering 25 yards to answer Alabama’s score. As soon as he crossed the goal line, Kelly made the decision to go for two. But just as Daniels was about to snap the football, the coach raced down the sideline and signaled timeout.

When the timeout huddle broke, out came the offense again.

“I couldn’t watch,” says Beth Rex, LSU’s chief of staff who’s been with Kelly for years. “I knew how important this was for him—beating Alabama.”

“I had never beaten Alabama,” Kelly says.

The play unfurled, the fans unwound and the Tigers took down their former coach. It ended a nightmarish decade here against Saban, the 71-year-old bugaboo who had beaten LSU 10 of the last 11 times they played. He’d won five consecutive games at Tiger Stadium, dating back to 2010—a streak that ended one shy of Bear Bryant’s six-game, career-ending winning stretch at this place.

The Saban demons were excorcised. In the end, it mattered not that Alabama gained more yards (465 to 367) and more first downs (25–21) and sacked Daniels six times. In the clutch, the fleet-footed LSU quarterback shined. He led the team in rushing (95 yards) and passing (182) and scored three times.

Daniels punctuated a classic of a contest with his final dart, a precise pass that provided the final lead change. LSU led 14–9 entering the fourth quarter. There were six lead changes the rest of the way and a tie—the latter off the foot of Bama kicker Will Reichard. His 46-yard field goal with seconds left sent it to overtime.

On a topsy turvy day in college football—three teams ranked in the top six lost—the most electrifying affair unfolded right here on the bayou, when for a second time this year the Tide found themselves on the bad end of a field-storming.

Fans flooded from the stands as Taylor caught the pass and tumbled into the end zone. They hoisted receiver Malik Nabers on their shoulders. They sang, chanted and danced. They boozed (maybe too much). One man in particular was quite over-served, resting on the shoulders of his buddies as they transported him from the field, through the tunnel and out the stadium, into the foggy Louisiana Saturday night.

No one was messing with the goalposts at LSU, not with this man guarding the precious white pillars.

An hour later, after the mayhem ended and the boozing fans left the stadium, Kelly stood under those exact goalposts giving an on-field interview for the local radio network, his gutsy call having delivered a win.

“It may have been the greatest call in the history of Tiger Stadium,” says Paul Boudreaux, a long-time LSU supporter who works with the team.

The call was familiar. In fact, Kelly had called the play previously in a clutch situation, in a game against Florida State in 2014. With Notre Dame down by four on fourth-and-goal with 17 seconds left, quarterback Everett Golson rolled right and found an open receiver for a touchdown. Officials, however, called offensive pass interference against the Irish. They eventually lost the game, 31–27.

“It was the exact same play,” Kelly says smiling, “but I knew we weren’t gonna get called for a pick.”

One man who isn’t surprised that Kelly could draw up such a play is Saban himself. One of Saban’s dearest friends, Lenny Lemoine, a Baton Rouge buisinessman and LSU booster, spent last weekend with the coach to celebrate his birthday. The two talked about the Tigers’ new football coach.

“He told me that he thinks Brian is one of the last great tacticians in the game,” Lemoine said.

Nine games into his LSU tenure, Kelly has beaten Alabama for the first time as a head coach.

Jonathan Mailhes/IMAGO

The confidence flowed from Kelly this week. He knew the Tigers could hang around. He knew Bama was undisciplined (the Tide had nine flags on Saturday). They were exposed against Texas, Arkansas and Texas A&M. They were beaten by Tennessee.

He felt good about his team despite the bumps this year, such as the 24–23 loss to Florida State in New Orleans to open the season and the bashing from Tennessee, 41–13 here at Tiger Stadium on Oct. 8.

“I knew after the Florida State game, we were going to get better and be a better team in November,” Kelly said. “I knew they had fight in them after the Florida State game. I knew there were good days ahead for this group. How they’ve worked… that’s why I went for it. I’m willing to do anything for this group. They’ve shown they’ll make it happen some way. They did it again tonight.”

Kelly did, too. He already delivered life back to a place that won it all in 2019. The Tigers limped to an 11–12 record in ’20 and ’21, triggering a set of events: the costly firing of Ed Orgeron ($17 million) and the high-priced hiring of Kelly (a 10-year, $100 million contract).

To be here so soon, nine games into his tenure, is something even Woodward is surprised by.

“I knew it would work out. I knew he could do it,” the AD says. “But so quickly? Woo.”

Woo indeed.

Dance, sing and talk however you’d like, Brian Kelly. You’ve beaten Alabama.