A month into 2017, his buyout was a topic of reasonable conversation.
‘What is the job of a head coach?’ Ed Orgeron continues to improve
LSU’s coach was maligned in his first full year on the job. In his second one, he’s pushed a lot of smart buttons.
Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
In 2018, Orgeron looks like a way better choice to lead the Tigers. Whether they keep making noise in the SEC West or not, he’s done an impressive job to give them a shot.
Orgeron was not an exciting hire at the end of 2016. And he made clear mistakes that limited LSU’s potential in 2017.
LSU flirted with Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher and Houston’s Tom Herman when the coaching carousel was in full spin two years ago.
Instead, Alleva gave the permanent job to a 55-year-old onetime failed head coach with a temper at Ole Miss whose most compelling resume items were that he’d done pretty well as a two-time interim boss at USC and then LSU.
Orgeron made some splashy moves. He moved to retain former Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, whom Miles had hired, and eventually made him the country’s highest-paid assistant. That worked out. After hoping to hire Lane Kiffin as OC, Orgeron added Pitt coordinator Matt Canada. That didn’t.
LSU’s offense rarely worked, and the Tigers weren’t ready to play Mississippi State or Troy.
LSU appeared to be in trouble, with a brutal 2018 schedule. But Orgeron’s made a series of smooth moves to get LSU to 6-1 and a No. 5 ranking.
After parting with Canada, Orgeron promoted longtime LSU tight ends coach Steve Ensminger to offensive coordinator. This was Orgeron trying to learn from his own error; he’d made Ensminger his OC after Miles’ firing in 2016, then hired Canada over him for 2017.
The jury’s still out on that one, as LSU’s offense has put up worse overall numbers, but against a tougher early schedule. Orgeron deserves big credit for things that have prevented LSU from totally falling off a cliff:
- Picking up Ohio State transfer QB Joe Burrow, whose numbers scream “meh” at you, but who’s still opened up LSU’s offense to the great benefit of others.
- Figuring out how to keep LSU’s heads above water at a host of positions, despite being No. 122 in the country (and last in the SEC) in returning production.
LSU lost a lot, beyond the most famous guys: quarterback Danny Etling, running back Derrius Guice, and edge rusher Arden Key. The Tigers could’ve easily regressed in quality, to say nothing of their schedule. But they’ve inched up from 19th in S&P+ last year to 14th through seven weeks of 2018.
LSU might not be much better than last year. But the results so far have been, because Orgeron’s staff has managed games well.
They beat Auburn in Week 3 on a buzzer-beating field goal. The winning drive drained the last 5:38 off the clock, with LSU mixing the run and pass to move the ball and drain the clock. It didn’t hurt that LSU receivers drew two pass interference penalties on the series.
Their Week 7 romp against Georgia was closer than the 20-point margin suggested. LSU was decisively the better team, but Orgeron helped turn the game by going for it on fourth downs four times. LSU converted all of them:
- Goal to go from the 1, leading directly to a TD on a Burrow sneak
- 1 yard to go from the LSU 38, leading to a field goal
- 1 yard to go from the UGA 36, leading to a field goal
- 1 yard to go from the UGA 14, leading to a field goal
The last of those probably would’ve resulted in the same points if LSU had just kicked a field goal, but still: Orgeron took a smart risk in several situations where a lot of coaches wouldn’t, and LSU profited something like 13 points on those decisions. It was part of a broader story of the LSU coaching staff doing a better job than Georgia’s staff.
This endorsement from tight end Foster Moreau makes good sense:
“What is the job of a head coach? You gotta think about that. We have incredibly high-paid, incredibly tactile coordinators who do an incredible job, create incredible game plans, and have us always ready to play. So, what room does that kind of leave for the head coach? He’s gotta make sure every Saturday that we are ready — mentally, physically, emotionally ready to play. And he’s done that every Saturday that I’ve been around him. Every time.”
People hear Orgeron’s Cajun accent, Moreau said, and assume he’s just a “rah-rah” guy.
“But the lengths that he goes to make sure that we are ready to play on Saturday, it’s astounding. You wouldn’t believe how hard this coaching staff work if I told you,” he said.
(Orgeron also has to recruit, of course. LSU’s 2019 class is currently ranked seventh, a jump back to where it was in Orgeron’s first class, before a down cycle in 2018.)
Compare all this to the way Orgeron handled the job at Ole Miss all those years ago.
Much was made of the contrast between the Ole Miss bully and the USC interim nice guy, but that wasn’t a one-time thing. O has proved he learns and adapts, even from year to year at the same job.
LSU’s given Orgeron the resources to build a good staff.
Having Aranda as his defensive coordinator gives Orgeron lots of margin for error. But at no point in 2018 has LSU not come to a game ready to be competitive, despite a schedule that would knock out a lot of teams.
It’s hard to argue Orgeron isn’t doing exactly what he’s supposed to do.
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