LSU coach Brian Kelly knocked to the ground after collision with own player on sideline
Kelly was toppled late in the first half when two linemen went out of bounds and collided with the Tigers' head coach during a chippy rivalry game with Florida.
LSU head coach Brian Kelly was knocked to the ground on the sideline Saturday after two linemen—one from LSU—crashed out of bounds and into him late in the first half of the Tigers' 20-10 victory over Florida.
The incident occurred after LSU back Caden Durham ran for six yards and went out of bounds in a chippy sequence that followed earlier scuffles between the teams during warmups. Kelly hustled up the sideline to get the attention of an official while not watching his immediate left as Florida edge rusher George Gumbs Jr. and LSU lineman Weston Davis remained engaged in a block.
Davis shoved Gumbs out of bounds and the two, listed at a combined 567 pounds, plowed directly into Kelly, who went to the turf. He quickly returned to his feet and remained on the sideline for the rest of the game. Both Davis and Gumbs were assessed offsetting personal-foul penalties.
LSU finished the drive with a 45-yard field goal to take a 13-10 lead into halftime and held on to win 20-10. Florida quarterback D.J. Lagway completed 33 of 49 passes for 287 yards and one touchdown, but he threw five interceptions in the game.
The Gators dropped to 1-2 as they begin a stretch that includes four consecutive games against ranked opponents; they are scheduled to face No. 5 Miami next week. LSU, ranked No. 3, improved to a perfect record and will host Southeast Louisiana in its next game.
Coaches routinely patrol the sideline to confer with officials and direct play, and sideline collisions occasionally occur when players are forced out of bounds. The game had been marked earlier by heated warmups between the teams, and officials used personal-foul penalties to separate the players after the on-field contact. LSU avoided serious injury to its coach and did not make any immediate injury-related substitutions for Kelly.
Game officials flagged both linemen but allowed play to resume after the minute-long stoppage. There were no further sideline incidents reported during the remainder of the contest, and LSU maintained control of the matchup to preserve the victory.