LSU keeps winning and improving despite previous expectations

BATON ROUGE – After their most complete performance thus far, a 45-16 routing of the University of Mississippi in the “Magnolia Bowl,” the LSU Tigers advanced their record to 5-0 this season.

More than a third of the way through the 2018 campaign, the Tigers continue to defy expectations. The same LSU Tigers that were predicted to finish fifth in the Southeastern Conference’s Western Division sit tied for first atop the conference rankings and have the most impressive resume of any team in the Top 25.

“It feels like we’ve been doing what we’ve been coached to do and really meshing as a team,” said tight end Foster Moreau. “I’m proud of the way we’ve blocked out noise all season. We weren’t supposed to win three games [in conference play] right? I’m proud of the guys. I’m proud of our resiliency. I’m proud of our work habits, our work ethic. I think we’re doing a great job.”

Still, LSU has yet to play its best game. The idea that they still have room to grow is exciting for Tigers fans and grounding for Coach Ed Orgeron and his team.

“Nowhere near, nowhere near,” Orgeron said about how close the Tigers are to reaching their potential. “We haven’t played a complete game yet. We have to remain hungry. We have to play our best to beat anybody.”

One of the most encouraging signs to come out of Saturday night’s victory was the play of the offense. Orgeron and offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger have dealt with injuries to the offensive line and the burden of years of percieved and actual underachievement on that side of the ball.

The Tigers racked up a season-high 573 yards of total offense with a gameplan that spread the touches to eight different ball carriers and nine different recievers. The Tigers were balanced, rushing the ball for 281 yards and passing for 292 more. It was a huge step forward, even against a Rebel defense that has allowed more than 38 points per game.

“We wanted to give some different guys some chances to play,” said Orgeron. “We wanted to look at some different things and I’m pleased that we did.”

“I thought (Steve) did a tremendous job. He’s finding out what our personnel is, what we can do and how we can do it. And what Joe (Burrow) can do.”

“We’ve got a lot of talent on this team,” said Nick Brossett, who rushed for 72 yards and a score. “We just try to use all of it. Everybody got their chance tonight, everybody stepped up to the challenge. It was a good night for us, and we’ve just got to keep improving each and every week.”

People may look back at this game as Burrow’s coming out party. He certainly came out firing against the Rebels’ defense. As LSU built a 28-6 halftime lead, Burrow was 12-of-16 passing for 194 yards and two touchdowns; more than his game totals against Miami, Southeastern, and Louisiana Tech. He finished the night with 292 yards and three TD passes, and for good measure he ran the ball nine times for 96 yards, including a 35 yard scoring run late in the fourth quarter.

“Joe’s tough,” Orgeron added. “I don’t think (Mississippi) was expecting him to run the read-option. We gotta be careful because we don’t want him to get hurt.”

For the first time this season Burrow completed more than 50 percent of his passes in consecutive games, and he raised his season completion percentage from 48.5 percent to 53 percent in the process.

“Joe can do it all,” Brossette said. “He was a leader out there. He had a big game and that’s what we needed. I’m glad he’s my quarterback.”

“”I think Joe can make the throws…I know he can,” said Orgeron. “I know he can make the decisions. I know he can scramble.”

Make no mistake, LSU has starpower. Devin White is one of the nation’s best defensive players, as are teammates Greedy Williams and Grant Delpit. But these Tigers aren’t built around the wattage of one player’s shine. The Tigers are a team, a group that Orgeron characterizes as “egoless.”

“We’re playing as a team,” Orgeron said proudly. “We have grit. We’re hungry. We have tremendous leadership. We’re not fancy. We have dominant players here and there, but we’re playing as a football team.”

“It’s not an individual deal. It’s not about ‘look at what I did.’ It’s more about what the team did, and when we have success as a team everybody has success.”

“One thing Coach O talks about a lot is us being one team, one heartbeat,” said Delpit. “I think that it’s different this year and that’s why we’ve been doing so well.”

With the preliminaries now over, LSU will begin to build towards the heart of its schedule. Next up is a trip to Gainesville to face the Florida Gators. The Gators have been a surprise as well, getting off to a 4-1 start and have moved into the Top 25 after picking up a big road win against Mississippi State.

“I think we still have a lot to prove,” Delpit added. “We still got Georgia, Alabama, we gotta go to Florida. It’s going to be a tough game. We have a lot more to prove.”

Devin White emphasized that LSU has to keep its focus narrow and not get caught up what lies down the road. “Right now we’re currently, 5-0 and we play Florida next week and that’s the only team that we’re worried about,” he said. “We’re going to go down there, we’re going to handle our business and come back with a win and then we’ll keep moving forward. But until then, it’s all about Florida.”

If the Tigers continue to improve, the talk surrounding college football will be all about LSU. Who would have believed that just five weeks ago?