Brian Kelly reflects on Dabo Swinney grade, viral exchange after Week 1 win

Brian Kelly clarified once again what he meant by his reaction to Dabo Swinney following the Week 1 contest between LSU and Clemson. Swinney graded the game between both teams, relating it to a final exam on the first day of class.

Swinney graded LSU at a 65 and Clemson at a 58. Kelly had a solid response by saying he was unsure if Swinney even saw the second half.

So, Kelly reflected on the exchange in the media. The LSU coach claimed he didn’t hear about Swinney’s comments initially, just that he was asked about them and he gave his honest thoughts.

“I really didn’t have a reaction,” Kelly said on The Paul Finebaum Show. “I answered a question from the press conference about it, and so I had already moved on. But in fairness to the member of the media that asked the question, I felt that I should answer it, and my answer was, I didn’t think he saw the second half, if he graded us that low, and that’s really it. I wasn’t taking a shot at that. 

Brian Kelly reflects on media sparring with Dabo Swinney

“I’ve got a ton of respect for him, but, you know, sometimes you have to put it in context, right? I mean, it wasn’t like, ‘Hey, let me talk about Dabo here, because I heard what he said.’ I had no idea what he said, but it was brought up. And so I thought that it was my responsibility at a press conference to answer the question, and I answered it honestly. And I guess it gets portrayed the way people want to portray it.”

If any teams aced their openers in week one, No. 9 LSU was among them with their 17-10 win over No. 4 Clemson. That already was the case considering any opening win would’ve been good for the Tigers, having not had one this decade since 2019. However, in a top-ten matchup on the road, LSU impressed in the one-score win, coming back from some first-half struggles to tie and take the lead in the second half by also shutting put the Tigers from there on.

On offense, QB Garrett Nussmeier, being 28-38 for 232 yards and a touchdown, and RB Caden Durham, with 17 carries for 74 yards and a touchdown, starred. Then, defensively, LSU improved overall in a way that was a big storyline, for them alone and nationally, of week one.

So, Kelly and the Tigers are now 2-0 following a win over Louisiana Tech and will have a matchup with Florida coming to town this weekend. You have to wonder what kind of grade Kelly will give Billy Napier?