Time to move on to Louisiana Tech
Nothing but praise has been coming LSU’s way since it won at Auburn 22-21 on Cole Tracy’s last-play field goal Saturday afternoon.
LSU, which was ranked No. 25 in the country in the preseason poll, is now up to No. 6. Observers are now talking about LSU as a contender for the Southeastern Conference Western Division title.
Tigers coach Ed Orgeron was extremely pleased with what his team accomplished at Jordan-Hare Stadium with its second-half comeback.
“We showed character, leadership and poise,” said Orgeron, at his weekly media luncheon Monday. “It was a team win. We didn’t play great. We played good.”
Orgeron emphasized that the 24-hour rule had to now be in effect. The players would celebrate the victory for 24 hours before putting their attention on 2-0 Louisiana Tech.
“The biggest challenge this week is that we have to prepare the same for every team,” Orgeron said. “This week is all about LSU. We have to forget about the victory against Auburn and move on to Louisiana Tech.”
The Tigers players must deal with a different type of comments after beating two top-ten teams in a three-week span – Miami and Auburn. These players, who were told a month ago they were nothing but a middle-of-the road team, must now deal with numerous compliments.
“Blocking out the noise starts with me,” Orgeron said. “We control the emotions inside our room. Being a top-ten team didn’t help (Miami and Auburn). All the negative talk has affected us in a good way. Maybe, we played with a chip on our shoulder. I don’t know.
“I know we are an improving team, one with a lot of character. We are not where we want to be. We are going to play some lot better teams down the road. We have to get better every week. This week is a big week for us as far as improvement.”
Prior to the Auburn game, Orgeron said that the offensive line would turn in its best performance of the season. That scenario played out as LSU allowed quarterback Joe Burrow to be sacked just one time. LSU gained enough yards on the ground to keep Auburn’s defense honest.
“The offensive line played outstanding,” Orgeron said. “They gave up one sack against maybe the best defensive line in the country. Having Austin Deculus at right tackle helped us. He had two (false start) penalties, but he did very well outside of that.
“We slid our line a lot. (Offensive line) coach (James) Cregg switched up our protections. We cut their defensive ends. Our quarterback was getting rid of the ball in 2.5 or 2.6 seconds. We did a lot of play-action (passing) with max protection.”
Meanwhile, LSU’s defense bounced back from a stretch in the second and third quarters when it allowed touchdowns on three consecutive series. While LSU was rallying from a 21-10 deficit, the defense held Auburn scoreless on five straight possessions.
“(Defensive coordinator) Dave (Aranda) did a tremendous job,” Orgeron said. “He stayed with the plan. Auburn did a lot of end-over stuff. That is a tough formation to defend. In the fourth quarter, we won third down. Our guys fought through the heat. I thought we were fresh in the fourth quarter.”
Many players left the game for a period of time due to injuries – guard Garrett Brumfield, wide receiver Justin Jefferson, nose tackle Breiden Fehoko, defensive end Glen Logan, outside linebackers Ray Thornton and Michael Divinity, cornerback Kristian Fulton and safety Kary Vincent.
“It was a war out there,” Orgeron said. “We had a lot of bumps and bruises. The list (of injured players) today was longer than usual. Right now, I don’t know of anybody who will out for this week’s game.”
Orgeron did say that right tackle Adrian Magee, who has missed the past two games because of a knee injury, will not play against Louisiana Tech.
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