LSU's Brian Kelly Wanted DB Major Burns Not To Score With Late Interception: 'You're Going To Kill Me'

COLUMBIA, Mo. - LSU coach Brian Kelly saw his team fall behind 22-7 in the second quarter at Missouri after a 55-49 loss at Ole Miss last week.

So, with a 42-39 lead and the ball with under a minute to play, Kelly just wanted to get back to Baton Rouge and not see his defense more.

And he yelled for safety Major Burns to take a knee after Burns intercepted Missouri quarterback Brady Cook with under 40 seconds to go deep in Missouri territory. Burns, though, couldn't resist. He returned the pick the 17 yards for a touchdown, and LSU took a 49-39 lead with :34 left.

LSU coach Brian Kelly wanted to end the game right there when safety Major Burns picked off a Missouri pass late in the game Saturday in Columbia, Mo. LSU won 49-39. (Getty Images)

Had Burns taken a knee. LSU could've run out the clock in two plays to end it. Instead, Missouri drove 31 yards in four plays before Luke Bauer missed a 54-yard field goal. Then LSU took a knee to finally run out the clock. The Tigers improved to 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the SEC. Missouri (5-1, 1-1 SEC) had been 5-0 for the first time since 2013.

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"He shouldn't score," Kelly interrupted when a reporter asked about the scenario. "He shouldn't score. He knows he's not supposed to score there. We actually work on that drill. But I don't know if you guys know this or not, but Major tends to be a little emotional at times."

It was LSU's second interception of Cook, who entered the game with the SEC record for most consecutive passes without an interception at 348. He threw 12 more to get the record to 360 before LSU linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. intercepted a pass in the second quarter. That helped turn the game around for LSU. The Tigers drove 45 yards in six plays with it for a touchdown to cut Missouri's lead to 22-17.

"I told him, 'Listen, I get it,'" Kelly said. "But the game's over if you take a knee, and we don't have to watch them go down the field again."

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LSU's defense allowed 527 yards after the school record 706 last week to Ole Miss, so Kelly didn't want to watch more offense from an opponent.

Kelly said he told Burns, "You're going to kill me, if you keep doing things like this."

But Perkins understood Burns' mindset.

"Yeah, we told him downtown," he said, meaning to get down and not score. "But, I mean, I probably would've run that one in myself, too."