It was a storybook ending to the Ed Orgeron era. A game-winning touchdown pass, senior leader Damone Clark icing the game with two sacks, Tiger Stadium descending into utter madness at the final whistle. But on a night where one era came to a magical end, another one is getting ready to start.
Not long after the final whistle blew in Tiger Stadium, Oklahoma State pulled off a massive win over arch rival Oklahoma, led by top LSU target Lincoln Riley. This led many to believe that the deal with Riley was all but sealed, but Riley was adamant after the game that those rumors were not true.
“Let me stop you right there, I’m not going to be the next coach at LSU,” Riley said shortly after his team’s close loss to Oklahoma State.
This comment surprised a lot of people, even more so when Riley had reportedly agreed to be the next head coach not at LSU, but at USC hours after those remarks. This news came as a shock to many—rumors swirled before Saturday that a deal between Riley and LSU was all but done.
With this shocking development, the coaching search will take yet another turn in what has been a wild process from the start. With Riley is out of the picture, it is very much up in the air where LSU will go from here. Fan-favorite candidate Bill Napier was also taken out of the picture today after officially agreeing to be the head coach at Florida. There has been reported interest from LSU towards Kentucky Head Coach Mark Stoops and Alabama Offensive Coordinator Bill O’Brien, but neither of these options seem to be at the top of anyone’s lists. Whoever the new coach ends up being however, this LSU team proved against Texas A&M that he will have plenty to work with.
A team that had been hit with every type of adversity possible, showed that it had the ability to fight and keep pushing, and it finally paid off in the win. When Texas A&M took a 24-20 lead late in the fourth quarter, it felt like yet another game where LSU had a clear chance, but was not able to finish. Instead, LSU went on a nine-play, 85-yard drive capped off by a 28-yard touchdown pass from Max Johnson to Jaray Jenkins that sent Tiger Stadium into a frenzy.
“Max [Johnson] threw the ball up and I had to make a play,” Jenkins said when reliving the game-winning touchdown. “He trusted in me, I believed in it and I had to come up with the catch.”
Jenkins had without a doubt the best game of his LSU career, catching eight passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Max Johnson had an impressive night as well, going 22-38 with 306 yards and three touchdowns. The offense looked better than it had in a while in this game, showing signs of what the future may bring under the right leadership.
The pieces on offense are there, and whoever the new coach is will have an abundance of talent to work with. The trend in college football lately has been to look towards offensive minded coaches, and that will be a key aspect to watch in the LSU coaching search. Riley would have fit this description perfectly, but with him now out, the door is open for LSU to make an outside-the-box hire that would bring offensive excitement.
The LSU defense once again played a great game, holding Texas A&M under 300 yards of total offense and just 54 rushing yards. Senior leader Damone Clark led the way on defense tallying 10 tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks including the two that sealed the game for LSU. After the game, Clark talked about what Orgeron meant to him and what it was like being a part of his final game.
“It’s kind of emotional to watch him leave,” Clark said when talking about Orgeron. “He was a great coach. He was all about the players. To see him leave, even though I’m also leaving, it’s still kind of emotional.”
It was even more evident on the defensive side of the ball just how talented this LSU team is at its best. Another one of the big questions going into the coaching search has been what assistants will be retained, and after the last few games, Defensive Coordinator Daronte Jones will likely be considered. LSU’s defense has been lights out since the bye week, and that can be attributed to the scheme change by Jones. Jones switched to a base 3-4 from a 4-3 and it paid dividends, showing how talented of a coach he is when given the freedom to run his defense.
“It’s something I wish we would’ve did earlier,” were Orgeron’s comments on the scheme change.
After the game, Orgeron officially announced that this game was the end for him. Offensive Line Coach Brad Davis will take beach coaching duties in the bowl game, leading many to believe LSU has found who the new coach will be.
Despite it being his final game with LSU, Orgeron did not want to make the occasion about him. He stressed all week about this game being for the players and continued to make that point after the game.
“I told them how proud I am of them. They fought and something good is always going to happen when you fight like that.”
