The Reign of O Begins

Back on September 26, 2000, I watched LSU take on Auburn at the home of a fraternity brother. LSU lost 34-17 in a rather unmemorable game. However, two things still stick in my mind to this day. One, someone let their four year old repeatedly run in front of the TV during the game. (RUDE!!)  The other was a comment repeated by someone's wife multiple times during the game, “we paid $1.2 million for this?”

She was referring to the, at the time, very large salary of Mr. Nicolas Lou Saban Jr. Of course Saban has gone on to be arguably the greatest college head coach of all time. And to think LSU got him for the paltry price of $1.2 million!

On the front end of each of these coaching hires everyone is an expert. On the back end, everyone will say 'I told you so'.

In 2008, Clemson promoted 39 year old wide receiver coach Dabo Swinney to head coach. He had never been a head coach or coordinator at any level. Seven years later, Swinney was a few plays away from winning a National Title in the 2015 Championship game versus Alabama.

In 1998, USC hired the well regarded Paul Hackett as their head coach. Hackett had won a Super Bowl with the 49ers as their offensive coordinator in 1984. He also served as the Chiefs' offensive coordinator from 1993-1997, making the playoffs four times. But Hackett was fired from USC after three disappointing years with a record of 19-18.

Finally, I would point you to Jeremy Foley at Florida. The same man that hired Urban Meyer and Billy Donovan also hired Ron Zook and Will Muschamp.

The point being, we don't really know how these coaching hires will go. But I get the feeling a segment of the LSU fan base has already given up any hope that the Orgeron era will be a success. Were there more “qualified” candidates out there? Yes. Were there candidates with better resumes out there? Yes. Was I hoping for a head coach with a sharp offensive mind? Yes!

But I'm happy to give Coach O a chance. He's tasted failure. He knows many folks locally and nationally think he's in over his head. I like that. It makes him hungry. He's going to out work people. He's going to expect the best from his assistants. He's got a chip on his shoulder, a chip that will be taken up by his players.

It's an unorthodox hire for sure. And it just may damn well put LSU back on top.

Alabama Wins...Again

Another Bama game, another disappointing loss. While the game remained 0-0 for three and a half quarters, LSU was never really in a position to put a real scare in the Crimson Tide. This was a valiant effort by the Tigers. But right now Alabama is just better. Alabama is the best program in the country and possibly the greatest college football dynasty of all time.

A few observations:

The positives first, LSU has a national championship caliber defense. Bama came in averaging 44 points a game and was only able to manage to put up 10 on Saturday. Throw in forcing two turnovers and a great goal line stand, and the defense was just fantastic.

• Beckwith will be All-SEC at the LB position. He has been magnificent all season and a great example of why guys can really benefit from coming back for their senior year.
• The kicking game was solid except for the blocked FG. I had a few choice words for Tre White when he fielded a punt inside of LSU's own five yard line.
• Now for the bad, LSU's offensive line got pushed around all night. The line couldn't open holes or hold the space allowing Fournette to get loose. Bama usually only had seven in the box as well. Pass protection was a problem all night with Etling getting sacked five times.
• Speaking of Etling, he struggled terribly. Even when he got time he couldn't take advantage of the opportunities presented. He hurried throws and just looked uncomfortable all night.
• Fournette also missed a few cut back lanes that he could have exploited with Bama's relentless pursuit.
• In watching the replay, LSU had some opportunities on offense. The play calling was designed to try and give our play makers a chance. But the margin of error was small and the Tigers just couldn't capitalize.

Reality Check

Some people complained about play calling and the struggles on offense. I get it. But folks have to realize that Alabama has a front seven with seven NFL players. LSU's offensive line is good but not special. The Tigers got no push up front which really limits what you can do. Danny Etling can be productive, but he's limited. He's not a threat to run which seems to be a requirement for beating Alabama. LSU must completely revamp the offense and start developing QB's. Nothing will change until the Tigers address the problems that have plagued the program for years.

I mentioned earlier just how dominant Alabama has been since Saban's return in 2007. Look at these crazy numbers.

Opponent	Record
LSU (includes 2011 NC Game)	8-3
Mississippi State	8-1
Ole Miss	8-2
Auburn	6-3
Arkansas	10-0
Texas A&M	4-1
SEC East (includes 5 SEC Title Games)	27-3
Non Conference (including Notre Dame, Michigan, Clemson, Ohio State, Penn State, Oklahoma, Utah, WVU, Wisconsin, Colorado, Va Tech, Texas and Michigan State)	11-3

No one has more has more wins over Alabama than LSU over the last 10 years.

The Hogs

We all know about the hangover effect after the Alabama game. The Tigers have has a few bye weeks this season already so they should be in good shape even after the physical Alabama game. Coach O will stay positive and I still think there is a good vibe around the program. Will the players stay focused now that the SEC Title is out of reach? I think so. Arkansas is 11^th in the SEC giving up almost 200 yards per game. They are also 13^th in the league and 108^th in the nation in 3^rd down conversion defense. If LSU's offensive line can regroup for a good showing, the Tigers should put up plenty of points.

LSU 34 – Ark 20

Playoffs Week 10:

No change since the last post, Alabama, Clemson Washington and Michigan.