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Mark Schlabach
LSU coach Brian Kelly apologized for snapping at a reporter following Saturday’s 20-10 victory against Florida.
“I’ve texted with [the reporter] and offered my apology to him for the way I handled the questioning,” Kelly said during a news conference Monday. “I think it’s important to understand that you know, my standards relative to how we work with the media on a day-to-day basis, need to be higher, and I take responsibility for that, and I’ll be better in the future.”
After the No. 3 Tigers scored only one touchdown in the game, the reporter asked Kelly about his offense’s struggles.
“Stop. Really?” Kelly said. “Is that the first question? We won the game 20-10. Try another question. What do you want me to tell you? I just laid it out for you. We played the game to win the game.”
When the reporter attempted to ask Kelly about the Tigers’ shortcomings on third down (they went 4-for-14 against Florida) and running the ball, Kelly again went on the defensive.
“You’re looking at this from the wrong perspective,” Kelly said. “LSU won the football game, won the game. I don’t know what you want from me. What do you want? You want us to win 70-0 against Florida to keep you happy?
“Those are ridiculous questions and I’m getting tired of it. That football team just worked their tail off to get an SEC win and you want to know what’s wrong. You know what? You’re spoiled, you’re spoiled.”
LSU ranks last in the SEC with 20 points per game and scored only five touchdowns in the first three games.
“I see it so differently than you guys,” Kelly said Saturday night. “You want to immediately attack it. I love what they did tonight. They found a way to win. And if you guys don’t like that, I really don’t care. I’m so happy for those guys because they’re in there singing because they worked their tails off tonight. That’s the point. I’m not trying to embarrass you, but it was a stupid question.”
The Tigers host FCS program Southeastern Louisiana at Tiger Stadium on Saturday (7:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
