College Football
Are the Naysayers Listening?
How many times must LSU answer the naysayers? It seems that wins over Georgia, Auburn and Miami and a close loss to Florida in the swamp would have the naysayers proud of LSU’s accomplishments. And yet here we are once again with a road team coming to Baton Rouge and people in the know predicting a loss. LSU head coach head coach Ed Orgeron was expected to be fired weeks ago. He is still on the sidelines. LSU was expected to have a quarterback controversy and yet there is Joe Burrow getting it done. The Tigers were supposed to lose in Auburn and did not. They were supposed to lose to Georgia and did not. Now Mississippi State comes calling and guess what? LSU is suppose to lose again.
Home Record
LSU’s home record since 2005 is second to none and that includes Alabama. No one has won more games at home in the last 13 seasons. The Tigers are undefeated in 2018. The home night record for LSU is just as good. Only Alabama with a .920 win percentage is better. Death Valley has perennially been one of the most difficult places to play as over 100,000 screaming faithful pack the stands. Are the naysayers listening?
Ed Orgeron
Orgeron was considered to be one of the coaches on the shortest leash this season. In fact, there were some who felt the Florida loss was the beginning of the descent leading to his future firing. And then came Georgia. Now the LSU head coach is on the the Paul “Bear” Bryant watch list for national coach of the year. Following the won over Georgia, Orgeron was named the Dodd Trophy honoree as the National Coach of the Week. Since taking over midway through 2016, the Tigers are 21-7 under his leadership with 17 double digit victories,
Last June, The Advocate, a Baton Rouge news outlet, reported that Orgeron was actually one of the worst coaches in Louisiana. It went so far as to point out that only Missouri’s head coach Barry Odom was considered worse in the SEC. This, despite the fact that Orgeron. since leaving Ole Miss, has done nothing but win. His record since Ole Miss is 27-9, a .750 win percentage. Are the naysayers listening?
Pressure, Pressure, Pressure
Last Saturday, the Tigers unleashed their pressure defense. Number 97, Glenn Logan, was a big part of that defense. The defensive end compiled numbers (5 tackles, 3 run stops, 3 pressures, 2 hurries, 1.5 tackles for loss and 1 sack) even JJ Watt would smile about. All told LSU picked up four sacks against Georgia. Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald has a 27.8 completion rate when being pressured.
The pass rush sets up the rest of the defense. Sophomore corner Greedy Williams has held opposing signal callers to an 18.3 passer rating when throwing his direction. Kristian Fulton is another corner benefiting from the pressure up front. He ranks third in the SEC and eighth among Power 5 corners in opponent completion percentage and had his first career pick against Georgia.
Are the naysayers listening?
The Final Whistle
Don’t forget the beating LSU took last season in Starkville, a 37-7 drubbing that Orgeron has not forgotten. Orgeron won’t allow the Tigers to overlook the Bulldogs. With a top five ranking on the line, LSU is prepared to do whatever it takes in primetime to let the naysayers know enough is enough. No one is looking ahead.
“We didn’t even mention next week,” Orgeron said. “All that was mentioned is how bad they whooped us last year. I think that got their attention and it stayed with them all week.”
Are the naysayers listening? When the clock shows 0:00, LSU walks away a convincing winner 34-17.
Photo credit: Tammy Anthony Baker via Flickr
