And he'd found a diamond in the rough in New Orleans Saints assistant Joe Brady to come on as passing game coordinator, finally installing the kind of new-age, up-tempo, spread offense Orgeron said he wanted all along. We got Joe Burrow. We got Joe Brady. There's a lot of things that fell into place. But as quickly as everything came together and Orgeron hoisted a championship trophy, it all began to unravel behind the scenes.
When Orgeron lost his wunderkind coordinator, Brady, to the NFL's Carolina Panthers , he inexplicably replaced him with a veteran pro-style coordinator in Scott Linehan. When he lost his methodical leader of the defense, Aranda, to Baylor, he wound up hiring the notoriously mercurial Bo Pelini without ever actually conducting an interview.
When Burrow and 13 other players left for the NFL draft, it created a leadership vacuum on the team, which was exacerbated by the COVID pandemic and nationwide protests against police violence. Orgeron, sources said, was ill-equipped to step into that void and lead -- unable to handle difficult conversations and unskilled in the diplomacy needed to pull together a locker room with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.
In late August , for instance, Orgeron wasn't even aware his players were planning to march through LSU's campus as part of nationwide protests for social justice. Orgeron and Woodward later met the players at the president's office.
Orgeron said he had been preparing for a practice that his players never showed up for. But when the chips were down and Orgeron had to do more than just coach the X's and O's, "You had horrible leadership across the board. Players like star receiver Ja'Marr Chase opted out, and others transferred.
LSU lost the season opener to Mississippi State, and needed back-to-back wins at the end of the season just to finish at. Arik Gilbert , a freshman All-American-caliber tight end, left the team because of personal issues, along with another talented freshman, quarterback TJ Finley.
He was caught on camera telling the man, "Bring your ass on in your little sissy blue shirt. The Bruins manhandled the Tigers in a victory, piling up yards of offense, including rushing, while limiting LSU to just 48 yards on the ground.
As the Tigers' on-field struggles continued this season, Orgeron became prone to tantrums, throwing chairs and cursing out players. He lost the respect of the team, sources said. In December, with the Tigers floundering with a record during the coronavirus-delayed season, the administration announced a one-year bowl ban. That was on top of self-imposed sanctions that included the loss of eight scholarships over two years; reduced recruiting visits, evaluations and communication; and a two-year ban from LSU's football facilities for Beckham Jr.
Cregg sued the school in August, alleging it fired him for cause after he admitted to NCAA enforcement staff that he had visited a prospect and provided him with gear during a COVID dead period. More troubling, in the past eight months, Orgeron had twice been accused of improperly handling allegations of sexual misconduct by a player. Both allegations involved former star running back Derrius Guice. In March, a year-old woman testified to a Louisiana Senate select committee that Guice approached her while she was working as a security guard at the New Orleans Superdome in December According to the woman, Guice told her, "I like having sex with older women like you" and "I want your body.
Unlike their performance at Kentucky, the Tigers played hard at Ole Miss. On top of the buyout, he wants to help the Tigers have the best ending possible. Whatever that might be. The path to a bowl game is daunting with Alabama, Arkansas and No.
If the rest of this season follows the same script, LSU will leave us all wondering what just happened. Email him at ahunsucker gannett. Consider a digital subscription for unlimited access. Facebook Twitter Email. If in Tuscaloosa he acted like a man with nothing to lose, Saturday he was a man who understood what was lost.
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Continue reading this story Already have an account? Create a free account to read 3 articles on us. Create an account to read 3 free articles. Create a free account to continue reading. LSU coach Ed Orgeron said the responsibility for his football team's performance during a loss to Auburn on Saturday rests with him.
The loss dropped the Tigers to on the season. LSU went undefeated and won the national championship in Since then, the Tigers are just two games above. The offense has been a particular point of concern with it being suggested that new offensive coordinator Jake Peetz has not been calling plays quickly enough or trying to change the play at the last second. There are just a few things we need to get fixed. He added, "We just need to settle down. Mostly just call the play and let them go and not try to change it; I think that's when we get into most of our problems.
But this season the Tigers are next to last in total rushing yards. Orgeron pointed to a late change in position coach, bringing in Brad Davis from Arkansas in June, and how injuries have prevented the linemen from creating chemistry. That's not me.
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