Orgeron has a number-cruncher for his special teams

Published 6:00 pm Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Of all the ways LSU might have pulled off its comeback upset of Auburn Saturday, special teams would have ranked pretty far down the list.

It had hardly been a strength of the team early in the season.

But not only did DJ Chark’s 75-yard punt return early in the fourth quarter jump-start the remarkable victory, the Tigers capped it off with — wonder of wonders, at the risk of milking the gag too far — two field goals in final 21⁄2 minutes, one to finally give the Tigers the lead and the last one to seal the deal.

That go-ahead field goal was set up, indirectly at least, after the Tigers downed a punt at the Auburn 3-yard line.

It all started over a cup of coffee.

LSU’s approach to special teams is a little unorthodox. The Tigers don’t have a special teams coordinator, per se.

 “Our special teams ana, anilish … I always struggle with that word,” head coach Ed Orgeron said.

His gravel-voice was trying to say “analyst.”

But he knows exactly what LSU special teams “analyst” Greg McMahon does for the program.

What McMahon can’t do, by NCAA rule, is talk to any of the players about football, since he’s not one of the full-time assistants.

He’s not even listed in the media guide.

That may change. The NCAA will allow a 10th assistant next calendar year, and Orgeron will likely open up that spot for McMahon.  

For now, the longtime New Orleans Saints special teams coordinator works — at a pittance of the salary of an assistant — from 4 a.m. until 10 p.m. most every day, the first one to arrive in the football offices, poring over special teams nuances.

McMahon’s office is the first one Orgeron visits each morning.

“He has a nice little coffee machine,” Orgeron said. “So we drink coffee and talk special teams.”

McMahon basically coaches the coaches, relaying ideas, schemes and instructions to the five different assistants who handle various elements of the special teams during practices.

Orgeron also takes a more hands-on approach with special teams than he does with offense or defense.

“The coaches take pride in it,” Orgeron said. “It’s like their own little unit.”

It got off to a rocky start.

Early on, LSU used three different place kickers, two different punters and were said to be letting Chark keep the punt returner spot warm long enough for Donte Jackson to eventually take it over.

Now Connor Culp has taken over the field goals and extra points, Cameron Gamble does kickoffs, Zach Von Rosenberg handles the booming punts while Josh Growden’s Australian style is better for the pooch variety, and Chark isn’t giving up his return duties anytime soon.

McMahon’s diligence paid off, particularly with a small change LSU made on Chark’s game-changing punt return.

“Very simple technique,” Orgeron said. “But Greg found something on film where we can double-team somebody.”

It was a ploy McMahon brought with him from his NFL days. Defensive backs coach Corey Raymond, in turn, taught it and worked on it with the punt return team.

“We did it and we scored a touchdown,” Orgeron smiled.

Later in the quarter, LSU stalled at the Auburn 36-yard line.

You think details matter?

Wide receiver Russell Gage, one of the gunners on the punt team, promised if he’d switch sides of the alignment, he’d down the punt.

He did — catching it in the air at the 3-yard line. LSU’s defense held, forced a punt, and the Tigers got the ball back at the Auburn 45-yard line for the go-ahead drive.

LSU still needed a field goal — a dicey proposition all season as Culp and Jack Gonsoulin went back and forth to make only 3 of their 7, none from particularly challenging distances.

But Orgeron didn’t hesitate to send Culp out, even on fourth-and-inches, for a 42-yard field goal.

Orgeron felt better because Culp had made one at Florida, though it was hardly a driving kick. Still you could hear a pin drop in Tiger Stadium. But Culp nailed it right down Broadway, with authority, as he did with his second attempt in the final minute.

“He answered the bell,” Orgeron said. “He went through some adversity, like we all do. I felt like the first one, he had it, because he’d been kicking like that all week in practice. You could see his confidence level rise.”