After Arkansas, Orgeron might now get to drop ‘interim’

Published 6:59 am Monday, November 14, 2016

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — That was pretty considerate of Arkansas.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The Razorbacks were gracious enough Saturday night to park The Boot on a perch conveniently right outside the LSU dressing quarters, where it stood watch over another record-setting LSU offensive stunt.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">You know The Boot, of course. Weighs more than Booger McFarland, but far more top-heavy with no real handles.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The silly thing is a load and a half.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">So, other than phoning in for a bigger air charter, there was an easy path for getting the blasted thing home after the Tigers pounded the Razorbacks 38-10.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">But LSU never seems to take the easy way out.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">A few of the heftier lads insisted on lifting the fool thing up ?— awkward teamwork at its best — and duck-walked the prize all the way to the opposite corner of Razorback Stadium.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">It gave them a tougher time than the Razorbacks did, but they delivered the goods to the LSU pep band and a small pocket of Tiger fans, then waved it around like it was … well, kind of like it was a spare tire for a jumbo jet.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">They had often been accused of not caring enough about it — somebody from Arkansas thought up the idea in a weak moment.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Yet as the final seconds ticked off, most of the LSU bench shifted to the end of the bench closest to the prize and, in fact, jumped the final horn on making a bee-line across the field to get started on the arduous process of lifting it.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Then, having belted out the alma mater, they had to lug it clear back across the field.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Bad planning, perhaps, but they managed and Orgeron even happened by steps before they got it to the dressing room.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">For a moment he seemed inclined to lend a hand … but discretion intervened and he thought better of it.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Just as well. Besides, he may have already done the heavy lifting on keeping this dream job of his permanently.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">If Coach B?B? can get his LSU players excited about lugging something like that around, the sky is the limit for the still interim head coach.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">What’s not to like?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Saturday night — expunging the myth of the post-Alabama hangover with a 38-10 exclamation point — might have been the key game for him.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Sure, the pipe dream of beating Alabama could have clinched it, but you have to be realistic.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Getting through this game was the big one for Coach O. This was where recent seasons tilted off course.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Yet it was obvious from start to finish that there wasn’t going to be the post-Bama funk that has plagued recent Tigers.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Saturday’s curious scoreboards from around the college landscape proved there are no sure things, but the path is now pretty clear for Orgeron, what with beat-up Florida and Texas A&amp;M awaiting on this November gauntlet.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Some of those head-scratchers — most notably Auburn and Texas A&amp;M losses — even left a plausible path to get what was a 2-2 team when Orgeron took over all way to the Sugar Bowl.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Not bad for a team that came here not even bowl-eligible.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Who cares if the Tigers still only seem to throw the ball when they got bored?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">One of the mandates Orgeron had, of course, was to bring Les Miles’ offense into the 21st Century.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Miles would have nodded approvingly Saturday night.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">But that’s OK.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Scoring 38 points with 547 yards of offense means never having to say you’re too conservative.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">And, make no mistake, it is different — many of the same old plays, perhaps, but different (more spread) formations, a different play-calling rhythm.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Mostly, this team has a different “feel” under Orgeron, a new confidence with renewed energy.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">LSU was concerned first with winning the game. You know,</span> <span style="font-style: italic;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">You play to win the game.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">A steady diet of Leonard Fournette and Derrius Guice was the prudent move.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The Tigers weren’t fooled by the 13 yards rushing the Razorbacks held Florida to last week.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">They knew they could get the edge on the Razorbacks’ defense, which came in actually ranked No. 96 in FBS in stopping it, and they did — 390 yards rushing.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">It was proof you don’t have to wing it all over the lot to be exciting.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The Tigers had 12 runs that got more than 10 yards, including the longest in LSU history.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Go with it.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">So despite mixing and matching a patched-up offensive line, in Orgeron’s five games the old defensive line coach has now presided over:</span>

<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-family: ‘Zapf Dingbats’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">l</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">LSU’s most total yards ever in an SEC game, 684 yards against Missouri.</span>

<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-family: ‘Zapf Dingbats’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">l</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Leonard Fournette set the single-game rushing record of 284 yards against Ole Miss.</span>

<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-family: ‘Zapf Dingbats’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">l</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Guice’s 252 yards against the Hogs would have been the single-game record if Fournette hadn’t beaten him to it. So Orgeron presided over the only two 250-plus yard rushing games in LSU history.</span>

<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-family: ‘Zapf Dingbats’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">l</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Guice’s 96-yard run at the end was the longest play from scrimmage in LSU history, a record dating back to 1952. (Todd Politz of the LSU staff, who has a knack for pulling nutty trivia out of his laptop’s spread sheet, estimates that LSU had run 51,450 plays since Sal Nicolo’s 94-yarder way back when).</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">LSU has scored under 38 points only once.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">It’s hard to argue with Orgeron’s chances right now.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The new-car smell of his leadership has had time to wear off by now, and some dreams were dashed against Alabama.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">But the same vigor was there Saturday in a hostile environment with chilly temperatures and down-sized goals.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Not to mention the nagging thought that winning meant having to lug home that back-breaking trophy.</span>