At 3-0, Orgeron says LSU must improve to compete with SEC heavyweights
BATON ROUGE, La. — Block out the noise. One game at a time. It’s about the team.
LSU coach Ed Orgeron has not hesitated to use any of those cliches en route to his team notching a 3-0 record and vaulting up the AP Poll to No. 6 in the country. It’s coach speak, but it’s also a mentality that Orgeron has engraved in his players’ mind.
The Tigers have upended a pair of top-10 opponents in their first three games, though a 31-0 blanking of FCS foe Southeastern created a stir. LSU rectified the situation with a 22-21 buzzer-beating field compliments of Cole Tracy in The Plains on Saturday, which was Orgeron’s seventh victory over a ranked team in his first 24 games as the Tigers’ head coach. That’s the most in school history.
Despite the influx of cliches, Orgeron’s continued focus on continual improvement stands out. While LSU sits on the precipice of a College Football Playoff spot and is the next SEC team up behind top-ranked Alabama and Georgia, the Tigers’ especially tuned-in head coach understands 3-0 through mid-September is just a starting point to keep pace in the conference.
“We have a ways to go,” Orgeron said during his weekly Monday press conference. “Those guys are some good football teams. I can’t think about them yet. I watched them. They’re excellent teams, good athletes and good coaches. We have a ways to go to get there.”
“I think that we’re an improving team,” he continued. “We have a lot of character, but we’re not where we want to be in a lot of areas. We play tougher teams down the road. We need to get better fast, but we’re improving. We’re very pleased we’re 3-0, but things need to get better to get where we want to go. We need to get better every week and this is a big week for us in improvement.”
LSU will host Georgia in Tiger Stadium on Oct. 13. No. 1 Alabama rolls into town on Nov. 3.
Magee out vs. Louisiana Tech
After being given a two-to-three week timetable to return following the season-opening victory against Miami, right tackle Adrian Magee will not play this Saturday against Louisiana Tech.
Orgeron is confident that Magee could be back before LSU hosts Ole Miss on Sept. 29, but is unsure it that means he’ll be back as the starter.
“He’s not ready for this week,” the coach said. “I don’t think he’s ready, but maybe next week. He’ll come back and have to earn his spot, but it will help.”
Sophomore Austin Deculus started at right tackle at Auburn, his second week in the starting lineup after placing Saahdiq Charles at left tackle against Southeastern.
Deculus replaced Badara Traore on the right side after a week of competition leading into the matchup with Auburn and played well enough to hold onto the job moving forward.
“Austin did fine,” Orgeron said. “He had two penalties, but besides that, he did very well. There are some things he could get better at.”
Elsewhere up front, true freshman Chasen Hines replaced senior Garrett Brumfield at left guard, though Brumfield was able to return before the end of the Auburn contest.
Brumfield is expected to play this Saturday against Tech, but Hines also impressed in his unexpected spot duty.
“I thought Chasen did excellent,” Orgeron said. “He didn’t know he’d play that much, but Garrett went down. I think he’s going to be an excellent player for us.”
Brumfield is likely to play this weekend. Orgeron doesn’t anticipate anyone else to miss the home game and that includes safety Todd Harris.
Harris has not played since suffering a concussion against Miami Week 1, but could see increased action with senior safety John Battle forced to miss the first half against Tech.
“We had a lot (of injuries),” Orgeron smiled. “It was a war, but I don’t know anyone who’s out for the game. There’s a lot of bumps and bruises, but I don’t expect anyone to be out for the game.”
“I think we’re going to get Todd Harris back,” he added later. “It’s going to have to play back there. Grant (Delpit) will play back there and I think we’re going to be fine.”
Best game for Lawrence, Alexander, pass protection
Defensive linemen Rashard Lawrence and Ed Alexander combined for five tackles, including two for loss against Auburn in what Orgeron labeled as their best games of the 2018 season.
LSU’s defensive line was tuned in on slowing down Auburn’s versatile offense, which meant Lawrence, Alexander, Glen Logan and Breiden Fehoko were forced to be role players on defense. Physicality was the key.
“I thought they played tremendous against a good scheme,” Orgeron said. “Lawrence had his best game so far this year, attacking in the backfield. It wasn’t a pass-rush game as much as a stop-the-run, physical game. We had to take on double-teams. Ed Alexander had his best game. Glen Logan played very good. Fehoko played a lot of noise and a lot of end. They played good and they held their own.”
LSU’s defensive front slowed down Auburn’s rushing attack, just as the offensive line overcame pass protection concerns in Week 2 against Southeastern to allow only one sack in this week’s victory.
The line was fortified by Deculus’ move to the right side, but was also aided by offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger calling more four-wide sets, pass plays under 2.5 seconds and quarterback Joe Burrow making smarter, quicker decisions in the game.
“We always want to open things up and we did not do that well versus Southeastern,” Orgeron said. “We went four wides, slid the line down and cut the defensive end. Most of our plays were 2.5 seconds, so we didn’t give them time to get there. (Burrow) made quick, decisive throws. That’s the best way to protect our quarterback and it worked.”
LSU’s win yields a commitment on the recruiting trail
Less than 48 hours removed from the team’s second victory over a top-10 opponent, Orgeron nabbed a commitment.
Jaquelin Roy, a Rivals250 defensive lineman who plays his high school ball on the foot of LSU’s campus at University Lab, committed to the Tigers on Monday morning. The news came just hours after Orgeron and members of his coaching staff conducted a “power hour,” in which they reached out to multiple recruits on Sunday night to get feedback after their 22-21 triumph at Jordan-Hare.
Roy picked LSU over Alabama, Florida, Texas and Texas A&M, among others. He was one of several prospects to give the Tigers’ coaches positive feedback about the direction of the program.
“It was fun on the phone last night,” Orgeron smiled. “We had a power hour. We’re able to call our guys once a week. There was a lot of energy in the room. A lot of guys were excited, especially offensive guys liking what they’re seeing on offense. Guys love what we’re doing on offense. Skill guys like what we’re doing on special teams. We had a big wave of emotion, not only in 2019 but we’re getting started on the 2020 class.
“It feels good to be where we’re at, but we’ve got to fight toward the end. We’re not there yet, but we need to finish.”