A post-Alabama hangover is often present in LSU teams in the weeks following a loss to the Crimson Tide, but LSU coach Ed Orgeron is attempting to change that.
In 2014, the Tigers lost to Alabama 20-13 in overtime and then lost to Arkansas 17-0 the week after. In 2015, LSU followed a 30-16 loss to Alabama with a 31-14 loss to Arkansas and a 38-17 loss to Ole Miss.
2016 was different with Orgeron as the interim. There was a notable change in the way the Tigers played against Arkansas the week following a 10-0 loss to Alabama compared to the previous seasons.
LSU came out on top, with a 38-10 win over the Razorbacks in Fayetteville after a dominating performance.
“I remember last year,” Orgeron said in his media luncheon on Monday. “Obviously our goal this year is to take [it] one game at a time. We’re about to bounce back with some confidence. I remember last year our strength coach and the coaching staff was the MVP. Their energy, and the way they brought it all week, we have to bring extra energy this week.”
Orgeron said the team is even hungrier for a win this year. They want to finish out this season strong and put last week’s 24-10 loss to Alabama behind them.
LSU has not won out after losing to Alabama since the 2013 season, and even with that loss, they are taking positive from that and developing it into a game plan.
Senior receiver DJ Chark explained that Orgeron has a 24-hour rule, where the players and staff start focusing on the next game, whether or not the previous one was good or bad.
“The loss hurts the same, but I think the attitude is different when we got in the locker room,” junior center Will Clapp said. “Everybody’s like ‘This isn’t going to change us, we’re going to go out and we’re going to learn from this.’ We’re going to go out and put together a game plan to beat Arkansas.”
Orgeron is at the center of the Tigers’ resurgence last season. Clapp says that Orgeron brings a fire into the locker room that makes sure nobody has the opportunity to dwell on anything.
Orgeron brings an intensity that makes his players believe in it.
“That’s just how he is,” Clapp said. “Honestly it’s the same stuff every time. Win or lose, we’re going to learn from it. We’re going to get back up and this isn’t going to change us. We still have a lot to play for and he’s not going to let anybody tail off. He’s going to hold us to high expectations every time.
The Tigers are hoping for repeat this year to beat Arkansas twice in a row for the first time since the 2012-2013 seasons.
This requires more than just showing up for game time, but being into the practices and preparations all week. The entire team has to bring the energy to keep everybody hype throughout.
“It’s a practice mindset,” sophomore linebacker Devin White said. “I’d say last week was some of the best preparation we had throughout the season. We’ve had great practices, but last week it was on a different level as far as competition wise and people knowing what they have to do and just execute.”
Clapp said that last year the team learned how to drop the Alabama game quickly and get into the weekly routine of Arkansas. Everybody on the team wants to learn and to win and will do whatever it takes.
“For me, I’d like to see the team play as hard as we did against Alabama against a team like Arkansas or Texas A&M,” White said. “I feel like it was just a different level of playing with Alabama. Not saying that we don’t play hard against other teams, it’s just like we took it to a whole nother level.”
If the Tigers come out for the rest of the season with the same type of intensity that they did at Alabama, a 10-3 season is well within their reach.
But Arkansas won’t bow down and give LSU the win as history proves. The Razorbacks are just as eager to beat Tigers as LSU is to get a bounce back win against them.
“This team feels like we’re vulnerable,” Chark said. They’re coming hard, coming to play, coming into Tiger Stadium. This is a big game, historic game, Battle of the Boot. So they’re not going to come in here and take it easy on us. We understand that.”