Another goofy trip to Orlando
Published 7:00 pm Friday, December 29, 2017
<p class="p1">ORLANDO, Fla. — What is it about LSU and Notre Dame?</p><p class="p1">Every time the schools try to get together for a little holiday cheer, the Irish always seem to stumble awkwardly upon an LSU family squabble.</p><p class="p1">Doesn’t matter if it’s Opryland or Disney World, that would be Notre Dame standing uneasily off in the corner, perhaps mumbling, “Maybe, uh, we should just come back later.”</p><p class="p1">So far down here the Tigers haven’t broken any of the good family china.</p><p class="p1">Not yet anyway.</p><p class="p1">But, of course, they just got here. And there’s drama again.</p><p class="p1">They’ll no doubt put on a happy face and drag the kids to the Magic Kingdom.</p><p class="p1"><em>“You kids quit whining right now and have some fun. We paid a lot of money for this trip and I’ll be danged if you’re going to ruin it for everybody.”</em></p><p class="p1">Meanwhile, the parents are fighting.</p><p class="p1">They tried to cover it up with tight smiles for this one last magical trip. They’d let everybody know they were going separate ways when they got home. But it bubbled to the top just before the Tigers’ arrival here. </p><p class="p1">The long-rumored split between head coach Ed Orgeron and his trophy-wife offensive coordinator Matt Canada, appears imminent.</p><p class="p1">The story broke Wednesday. </p><p class="p1">It certainly wasn’t earth-shattering news.</p><p class="p1">It had been whispered, especially right after the Texas A&M game when Orgeron, unsolicited, speculated that Canada might be looking for a head coaching job.</p><p class="p1">It was hard to tell if Orgeron was wishing him well or kicking him out the door.</p><p class="p1">He even suggested that tight ends coach Steve Ensminger, who handled the chores on an interim basis last year when Orgeron took over for Les Miles, would make a fine replacement. It was not clear whether he meant permanently or for whatever bowl LSU landed in.</p><p class="p1">If, in fact, Canada ever looked elsewhere, nothing materialized. With seemingly half the jobs in America open, his name never really came up publicly for any of them.</p><p class="p1">Yet he’s still leaving?</p><p class="p1">Draw your own conclusions.</p><p class="p1">Three years ago –— at the Music City Bowl in Nashville with Notre Dame again looking on — it was then-popular defensive coordinator John Chavis agreeing just before game time to leave the Tigers for Texas A&M.</p><p class="p1">It was a different situation. Miles was all but hanging onto Chavis’ trousers’ leg, begging him to stay.</p><p class="p1">Chavis’ problem was with Athletic Director Joe Alleva, not with Miles.</p><p class="p1">But the behind-the-scenes bickering almost rendered Notre Dame’s 31-28 victory on a buzzer-beating field goal inconsequential.</p><p class="p1">For that matter, when LSU played Notre Dame in the 2007 Sugar Bowl, it turned out to be the final game as offensive coordinator for Jimbo Fisher, who was about as popular at the post as anybody the Tigers ever had.</p><p class="p1">Fisher landed on his feet. But the Irish must be thinking they’re homewreckers.</p><p class="p1">This one apparently is stranger still.</p><p class="p1">At best, it’s a mutual parting of the ways between the two contrasting philosophies and/or personalities of Orgeron and Canada.</p><p class="p1">It casts some shade on what was supposed to be the new business model for LSU football — a popular, pure-Cajun head coach who came (relatively) cheap enough to invest in a pair rock start coordinators who’d be free -— and well compensated — to work their magic.</p><p class="p1">Orgeron would set aside head coaching ego and leave them alone -— that was the insinuation, which was music to the ears of LSU fans who accused Miles of meddling too much in the offense all those years.</p><p class="p1">Nice try.</p><p class="p1">Sounded good on paper.</p><p class="p1">It may still work. Just not, apparently, with Canada.</p><p class="p1">“I’m the head coach,” Orgeron said after Wednesday practice. “And we’re going to do what I want to do.”</p><p class="p1">So much for staying out of the offense.</p><p class="p1">Orgeron and defensive coordinator Dave Aranda still seem as happy as newlyweds.</p><p class="p1">The Orgeron-Canada pairing was rocky from the start — most notably the Troy upset disaster when Orgeron later admitted he stepped in and took most of the bells and whistles away from the offense to simplify things.</p><p class="p1">They apparently came to a truce the following week after Alleva sat down with both of them to clear the air.</p><p class="p1">Whatever differences there were as LSU went 6-1 after that pow wow, they stayed in the background. But apparently they were there.</p><p class="p1">It was going to be nearly impossible for Canada’s offense to live up the hype, particularly at a place that was starved for some fireworks from this century.</p><p class="p1">If his offense didn’t quite revolutionize the game in his first year at LSU, at least it was interesting to watch. Different, anyway.</p><p class="p1">The jet sweeps, the constant motion and multiple shifts … it was encouraging.</p><p class="p1">He was handcuffed by a young and unstable offensive line, which all the formations and shifting in the world can’t cover up.</p><p class="p1">But even up front they made progress as the year went on. He even turned Danny Etling into a semi-running threat at quarterback.</p><p class="p1">It seemed like a square peg in a round hole, but it came in handy.</p><p class="p1">But if Canada and Orgeron don’t mesh, then they don’t mesh. Time to move on.</p><p class="p1">Maybe it’s dueling personalities. Orgeron, for all his charm, can be Cajun-stubborn. And, despite his success and reputation, Canada’s coaching résumé has a lot of one-night stands on it.</p><p class="p1">The lone question is why they went through the charade of all is well between the end of the regular season and the trip here? Canada was actively recruiting during December, often with Orgeron in tow.</p><p class="p1">Money, most likely. LSU would owe Canada $3 million if he’s just dismissed. Some reports say LSU has been negotiating with him.</p><p class="p1">Still, it’s not a good look for the bowl trip to have this come to a head now.</p><p class="p1">Forget Disney World. Notre Dame must think LSU is Screwiest Place on Earth.</p>
