LSU hasn’t helped Sumlin’s status

Published 7:00 pm Saturday, November 25, 2017

A&M coach appears on way out

When it comes to the Tigers’ stranglehold on Texas A&M, LSU head coach Ed Orgeron for the most part pleads not guilty.

“I can only speak for the two years I’ve been here,” Orgeron said this week. “Our guys get fired up to play them.”

But the LSU streak over the Aggies is six victories in a row, including all five since Texas A&M (and Johnny “Football” Manziel) joined the Southeastern Conference for the 2012 season.

LSU is the lone SEC West Division team that A&M has yet to beat — Manziel took care of Alabama that first year in the conference.

The Aggies (7-4, 4-3 SEC) will get another chance tonight against the No. 19-ranked Tigers (8-3, 5-2).

But there may be more at stake than just a game for the Aggies.

Numerous reports surfaced this week that the Texas A&M power brokers have already made the decision to fire head coach Kevin Sumlin sometime after tonight’s game regardless of outcome.

Sumlin said it was news to him.

“I’m working on winning this week,” he said. “I think this team has been able to focus on what’s important … you can’t worry about what people say. What you can worry about is the response of our team … and how they perform, and that’s where my focus is right now.”

LSU’s dominance in what seems to be a budding end-of-season rivalry game has surely been a factor.

Orgeron’s contribution has come as a defensive line coach in 2015, as interim head coach last year and, now, as full-blown head coach.

Last year’s 54-39 victory helped LSU make the decision to keep Orgeron on full-time, especially when flirtations with Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher and eventual Texas coach Tom Herman went awry.

Two years ago then-LSU coach Les Miles was presumed fired before the Tigers beat the Aggies 19-7 and he was spared. 

For whatever reason the Tigers have the Aggies’ number.

“I think guys really want to do well in this game (every year),” Orgeron said. “Our guys get fired up the play them. It’s a national game, it’s a highlighted game.

“We have a lot of guys from Houston on our team; a lot of guys are from Texas. Houston is a big area for us in recruiting.”

It’s intensified this year with an early signing date for recruits now on Dec. 22.

“These games mean a lot for recruiting,” Orgeron said.

But there’s more for an LSU team that didn’t look to have many prospects with a 3-2 start capped by an embarrassing 24-21 loss to Troy at home on Sept. 30. Since then, the Tigers have won five of six, losing only to No. 1 Alabama.

“Everything we’ve built, everything we’ve done, it’s all on the line in this game,” Orgeron said. “We want to finish strong, we want to finish with nine wins. We want to go to a good bowl. These guys deserve that. Texas A&M is the next step.”