LSU Football: Ed Orgeron is trying to do what’s best for the Tigers
By Zach Ragan
LSU football head coach Ed Orgeron coached with reckless abandon on Saturday night against the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Orgeron made it clear that he went to Tuscaloosa to win. He was aggressive and made some calls — like the fake punt — that he didn’t necessarily make early in the season.
It’s easy to surmise that Orgeron is coaching with nothing to lose right now — which is accurate because Orgeron literally has nothing to lose.
But just because Orgeron is coaching with nothing to lose, doesn’t mean he’s being careless.
In fact, he’s still being careful to make sure he does what’s best for the Tigers in the long run.
Ed Orgeron is trying to do what’s best for LSU football
The main reason LSU didn’t beat Alabama on Saturday night was because the offense didn’t play to its full potential.
Sophomore quarterback Max Johnson didn’t play very well. He was 16-of-32 for 160 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. His quarterback rating was 35.9.
It would’ve been easy for Orgeron to turn to true freshman quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to provide a spark for the offense — especially with Johnson taking a beating from Alabama’s pass rush (Johnson was sacked five times). Nussmeier is probably more talented than Johnson and it’s possible he would’ve been more effective against Alabama.
Orgeron, however, made it clear after the game that he didn’t want to burn Nussmeier’s redshirt for just a couple of snaps (because if he wasn’t effective, Johnson would’ve likey been inserted back into the game).
"Orgeron: “The thing I talked to Garrett was, if I’m going to play him, it’s going to be for significant snaps. I just didn’t want to play him for two or three snaps tonight. It’s got to be significant. Listen, I do believe he’s going to end up redshirting. It’s not sure yet, but I’d hate for him to burn a redshirt year for two or three plays.”"
There’s no doubt that Orgeron cares about the long-term outlook of LSU’s football program — even though he won’t be the one leading the program after this season.
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Coach O may not be the answer for the Tigers anymore. But his love for LSU is evident. And that’s something that should be celebrated.