LSU’s special teams unit had a night to forget in Sunday’s 24–23 season-opening loss to Florida State. A botched protection on what would have been the game-trying extra point nixed any chance at Brian Kelly stealing away a victory in his debut coaching appearance for the Tigers.
However, two other costly mistakes in the punt return game also greatly impacted LSU’s shot to win.
Sophomore wide receiver Malik Nabers muffed two punts in Saturday’s loss, including one within the final three minutes of the fourth quarter. The Tigers were able to push through the errors by mounting a 99-yard drive to score as time expired, but the Seminoles blocked the extra point to prevent overtime.