Orgeron expects Thornton, Moss to play vs. Louisiana Tech
Orgeron expects Thornton, Moss to play vs. Louisiana Tech
Thaddeus Moss has yet to suit up for a game in Tiger Stadium, but that could very well change beginning on Saturday.
LSU coach Ed Orgeron believes Moss will play against Louisiana Tech. Moss has been at practice for the past two weeks, but did not play at Auburn. Moss was working with the tight ends on Monday and was in full-contact drills on Tuesday, and is in line to see action this weekend.
“He looked like he’ll be able to play,” Orgeron said on Wednesday’s SEC Coaches Teleconference. “We need some tight ends. I think he’s going to play. How much he can do remains on the rest of the week. It’s up to (offensive coordinator) Steve (Ensminger), but I look forward to him playing some on Saturday.”
Also expected to play is Ray Thornton, who was injured on the opening kickoff in the Tigers’ 22-21 victory at Jordan-Hare Stadium last weekend.
Andre Anthony started at B-linebacker against Auburn, but Thornton has returned to practice to start this week.
“He got hit pretty good, but he should be OK for the game on Saturday,” Orgeron said of Thornton.
Turning to the spread
LSU spent the offseason transitioning to a spread offense, and through three games, the process continues.
Under Ensminger, the team’s first-year offensive coordinator, the Tigers rank No. 112 in the country in total offense. In the win over Auburn, LSU recorded 370 total yards, a stat that the team has improved in each of the first through games of the season.
“I’m glad we are continuing (to install the playbook),” Orgeron said. “We’re finding out what guys can do. We want to be a spread offense. It’s going to take a while to make that transition. We’ve been such a pro-style offense your whole life, to go to a spread, but you’ve got to let go. We’re seeing that, spreading the ball out more and becoming more of a spread offense.”
Staying grounded
LSU vaulted to No 6 in the AP Poll following its second victory over a top-10 opponent. Naturally, the energy around campus has changed.
It’s not “Focus Friday” yet, but Orgeron has worked feverishly with the rest of his staff to ensure his team does not overlook Louisiana Tech coming to Tiger Stadium on Saturday. He first brought this up to the players on Saturday following the win at Auburn.
“We talked about after the game, blocking out the noise, whether it’s good, bad or indifferent,” the coach said. “We control the environment in our room. We talk about that a lot. They’re getting a lot of pats on the back, but we put that to bed on Monday. We have a 24-hour rule, so it’s onto Louisiana Tech, and that’ll be the challenge this week.”
That focus and the installment of the 24-hour rule stems from Orgeron’s time at Southern Cal with Pete Carroll, where they captured a pair of national championships. It emerged as a topic of discussion dating back to fall camp.
Then, the team’s analysts brought up attention to details to finish games. That’s been a theme for LSU into its 3-0 start to the 2018 season, most notably against Auburn.
“Grit, toughness, leadership, able to focus on the task at hand,” Orgeron began. “We had a big talk about this in camp, about focusing on winning the game during the game. It helped us especially in the Auburn game.”