LSU football program shaken after loss to Troy

BATON ROUGE — Most LSU fans recall “The Earthquake Game,” LSU’s 7-6 upset victory over then 4th-ranked Auburn. Tommy Hodson hit Eddie Fuller in the back of the end zone and the reaction of the crowd at Tiger Stadium was so intense that it registered on the university’s seismograph.

The reaction to the Tigers’ 24-21 loss to Troy on Saturday night could be seismic in its own way.

“We were outcoached and outplayed tonight. Bottom line,” said Orgeron.

In one night, LSU saw its 49-game non-conference home win streak, 16-game homecoming win streak, 35-game win streak against Sun Belt conference opponents, all end. It was undoubtedly one of the most shocking and disappointing defeats in program history.

“I didn’t really know about the streaks,” said linebacker Devin White (13 tackles, 1 for loss) after the game. “But as a Tiger, you don’t lose. You don’t want to lose…I know I let a lot of alumni down, and I let the seniors down. I’m just hurt.”

A lot of folks in purple and gold are feeling the hurt as well.

There were those that second guessed the hiring of Orgeron as coach before the ink was even dry on his 5-year/$17.5 million contract. He didn’t find success in three years at Ole Miss, and in the eyes of many was viewed as a great coordinator and recruiter, but a question mark as a head coach. With LSU’s 3-2 start, those questions will only get louder.

Since taking over for as head coach after Les Miles started last season 2-2, Coach O is now 9-4 including just 5-4 at Tiger Stadium. Those results aren’t exactly what fans were expecting.

This season, the Tigers have dominated a bad BYU team, but have not impressed in any of their other four games. At first it was penalties; LSU averaged 10 per game in its first three contests. The last two weeks, the Tigers haven’t been penalized nearly as frequently (seven total), but the mental mistakes remain.

“We’re not playing as a team,” said Coach O. “We’re not doing a good job of coaching all around, starting with me. We played a clean game against BYU, but we haven’t progressed the way we’ve wanted to at this point in the season.”

The Tigers fumbled on their first play, leading to a quick 7-0 deficit, one of four turnovers on the night. LSU was also 0-8 on third downs, repeatedly failing to extend drives. The shaky offensive line allowed a safety for the second straight game, and though they didn’t give up a sack, the Trojans were able to dominate the line of scrimmage for most of the game. Quarterback Danny Etling spent much of the night running for his life and took a number of vicious hits.

“I feel like we came out slow,” said receiver DJ Chark (four receptions, 105 yards). “We weren’t moving the ball the way we should and it caught up to us at the end. The guys fought hard but sometimes you have to execute better and fighting hard isn’t the only battle.”

“We got outphysicaled tonight, which is not Tiger football,” Orgeron added. “We can’t move the ball. We’re missing key plays.”

Defensively, LSU didn’t fare any better. Troy ran the ball 42 times for 206 yards.The Trojans also won the battle for time of possession, holding the ball for nearly 35 minutes.

“It’s not just the line,” said Orgeron. “It’s the linebackers, the safeties…We missed a lot of tackles. We got beat on fundamentals tonight; blocking and tackling.”

Right now, the LSU Tigers don’t have much to hang their hats on. An exodus of NFL talent after last season has left the defense inexperienced and thin. The offensive line is in shambles, and the running game is no longer dominant. The quarterback situation is quickly evolving into a full blown controversy. Orgeron and his team are being tested, but the Tigers remain confident that they can get this thing turned around before the season is lost.

“We’ve got to get together and save this season and fight for our teammates,” added Chark.

Etling seconded those thoughts. “The story of this team is still being written,” he said. “We have a lot of tough games left and a lot of good opponents to go face off against and show what we’ve got.

“Nothing’s over. You’ve gotta keep fighting, keep grinding, keep doing whatever you can do to make a difference and make a change. I think that’s something that’s in this team.”

That remains to be seen. The fact of the matter that over their final seven games, you’d be hard pressed to consider the Tigers a lock to win any of them. The team’s streak of 16 consecutive seasons with eight wins or more is in real jeopardy, and there doesn’t seem to be a quick fix to LSU’s woes.

It’s too soon to call the seat under Orgeron hot, but right now confidence in the Purple and Gold may be as low as it’s been in 15 years.

Going on the road to face a Florida team that is 3-0 in the SEC and hosting LSU for its homecoming will be no easy task. However, it’s a hurdle the Tigers must get over. If not, a fall to 3-3 and 0-2 in the conference would be devastating to a team in search of both an identity and consistency.