It was late in the fourth quarter last Saturday when UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson connected with Kyle Phillips for a 45-yard touchdown to put the game away against LSU.
In a moment that outlined not just this game, but the entire LSU program since winning the National Championship in 2019, Phillips easily brushed past two LSU tacklers and left the Tigers looking bullied and quite frankly, weak.
The Ed Orgeron era at LSU is one that will be forever remembered for a multitude of reasons, but mainly because of the 2019 National Championship team. That team was built on principles of toughness, togetherness and a confidence that was unmatched in all of college football history. Just two short seasons later, all those principles have seemingly gone out the window, resulting in a team that has gone 5-6 since the end of the 2019 season.
The UCLA game was yet another stern reminder for LSU fans that the magic of 2019 is in the past and probably will not reappear soon. The 2019 team featured not just talented players, but leaders on both sides of the ball–players who were bought in, played for each other and fought for 60 minutes every week. Against UCLA, the talent was there, but along with numerous mistakes and questionable coaching, it seemed like the grit and fight this team once had was gone.
In his post-game press conference Orgeron was the first one to put the blame on the coaches immediately following the loss.
“We didn’t perform like we’re supposed to do at LSU. It’s my responsibility and I told that to the team,” Orgeron said recapping the loss.
While it’s all well and good to acknowledge the problem and take blame as the head coach, Orgeron has said this same thing after every loss since the start of last season, and nothing seems to have changed.
Last offseason, LSU football almost completely cleaned house with its staff, bringing in a new offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, defensive line coach, offensive line coach and passing game coordinator. These hires were exciting. It seemed like the intent to improve upon last season was there, and it left fans with the feeling that at least things would be different. Judging by the UCLA game, not much changed despite these hires, which raises serious questions directed towards Orgeron. Apart from hiring Joe Brady in 2019, Orgeron has missed on almost every other major hire and that has been no more evident than in 2020 with Bo Pelini. While it’s far too early to tell if these new hires are failures, there were questions raised at the time of the hires over Jake Peetz and Daronte Jones’ resumes.
Since the beginning of last season, the most worrying thing about the program’s decline was that it seemed like Orgeron had lost the locker room. Between the opt-outs, transfers and overall lack of commitment from last year’s team, it was very clear that was an issue last season. However, to most LSU fans it seemed like by the end of the season with big wins against Florida and Ole Miss, the sense of togetherness and “one team one heartbeat” was back and would lead LSU back to winning ways in 2021. The UCLA game showed that was clearly not the case.
LSU was dominated on both sides of the line of scrimmage against UCLA, and it almost seemed like it was being allowed to happen. There seemed to be no response from the players when the game got tough or when they started to get pushed around, and that is a problem that comes directly from the coaches.
It almost seems like Orgeron’s messaging and motivation just isn’t resonating with the team anymore.
Throughout his entire coaching career, Orgeron has been known for his passion and toughness which has made him a great recruiter and motivator over the years. There’s been plenty of examples of that since he’s been at LSU, and that passion is part of how he was able to build the great 2019 team. On the other hand, however, his passion has almost turned more into a way of trying to prove that he himself is a tough guy, rather than motivating his team. From running shirtless through campus to exchanging words with opposing fans pregame, Orgeron has created this tough-guy image for himself, but when the wins stop coming, it can become harder for the public–and more importantly his own players–to take him seriously.
The notion of “One team one heartbeat” is what brought LSU to the promise land in 2019 but appears as if it no longer applies to the program. All the technical flaws and scheme issues are things that can be fixed with time and practice, but issues with the attitude and culture within the program is something that practice can’t fix–and can destroy a program if changes aren’t made.