BATON ROUGE - Brian Kelly on Tuesday praised his team's talent after LSU's 27-20 loss to the University of Southern California in Las Vegas, but says the team needs to play with a consistent sense of urgency for all four quarters if the Tigers are going to recover from the loss moving forward.

"I'm really proud of the effort," Kelly said at his weekly news conference.

The coach praised the work quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, tight end Mason Taylor and wide receiver Kyren Lacy put in during the game. He additionally said he was impressed by running back John Emery Jr.

He also lobbed praise at the renewed defense, something that Kelly has praised in the off-season since hiring two new defensive coaches. He said he saw "really good play, consistent play from defensive tackles." Kelly did take issue with the performance of the team's safety position.

"That's an area we need to see more production from," he said.

Still, Kelly's frustrations from Sunday's post-game press conference—where he slammed his fist down and declared "We're sitting here again talking about the same things!"—shined through on Tuesday. 

WBRZ Sports says the problem could lie in any number of things, but eyes are on the Tigers' offense. He also acknowledged that the defense still has some work to be made, echoing statements made following Sunday's game. 

He said that Lacy should have played all four quarters, adding that it is unacceptable to have their best offensive player not get a single reception in the second half. Earlier in the game, Lacy received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for making a gun-firing gesture after a touchdown.

Lacy's actions were not out of malice, Kelly said, adding that the receiver is working on his "emotional control" as much as his football skills.

But his main point of frustration for his team was an inability to follow through and "finish off games." He also repeated that the team needs to play with a sense of urgency multiple times.

"It's frustrating to me that these guys are working so hard," Kelly said. "We're gonna get there. We're gonna break through."

There is only so much preparation for these big games can do, Kelly said, adding that playing to win is something entirely different.

Moving forward, Kelly said the team is not concerned with qualifying for the newly christened 12-team College Football Playoffs following the loss to USC. 

"We're really focused on what our process is and getting back to that," Kelly said. "Our guys prepare themselves as well as any team I've ever had. But preparation does not get you to win games. What gets you to win games is playing to win. And at times, we did the things you need to do to win. It's just, you have to do them consistently."

When pressed about whether future seasons will see a shift away from top matchups in Week 1 like USC, Kelly said that games like this—win or loss—build a stronger team than an easier opener where the score could easily reach 73-0.

"We're gonna be a better football team because of what happened," Kelly said.

LSU returns to Baton Rouge for its home opener against Nicholls State University on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN.