Orgeron on Alabama: ‘This is the team we have to beat’

LSU coach Ed Orgeron said that while he tries to “block out the noise” leading into his third-ranked Tigers’ Saturday night’s showdown with No. 1 Alabama at Tiger Stadium, he hasn’t tried to downplay the magnitude of the game to his players.

“They know it. They understand it,” Orgeron said Thursday morning on “Golic & Wingo” on ESPN Radio, which was live on location at the original location of Walk-On’s near the LSU campus. “This is a marquee matchup. This is the team we have to beat to go where we want to go.

“I thought we could have played on Monday. The energy on our team has been fantastic all week.”

Orgeron heaped praise on quarterback Joe Burrow.

“He’s a coach’s son,” Orgeron said. “He has a linebacker mentality. He’s still getting better.

“He told me that the first time he felt like it was his team was during the Georgia game … it takes a while.”

Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovialoa may be the best quarterback LSU has ever faced, according to Coach O.

“Just the way he can avoid the rush and throw the football on the run with accuracy,” Orgeron said. “I believe he has an innate ability to see the 11 on the field better than any quarterback we’ve played.”

Filling the hole left by Devin White’s absence for the first half Saturday night will be a team effort.

“Everybody has to step up, and it starts with me,” Orgeron said. “I gotta do better, the assistant coaches gotta do better, the defensive line, the offensive line, everybody’s gotta step up for Devin. He’s our team leader. Patrick Queen or Micah Baskerville is going to do in there and do a fantastic job.”

LSU is ranked third in the initial College Football Playoff  rankings released Tuesday night. Orgeron’s message to his players about the lofty status?

“It’s the first rankings,” Orgeron said. “Let’s worry about the last rankings. We have four games to go, we have a big test this weekend, let’s block out the noise. The rankings don’t matter. We played teams at the beginning of the year that were ranked higher than us, and it didn’t help them.”

How does LSU stop a potent Alabama offense?

“We’ve got to throw the punches on defense,” Orgeron said. “Last year, I thought we played their run game very well; they beat us in the passing game. This year, we’re more equipped to handle their passing game. We have to stop the run, put pressure on Tua and eliminate the big plays.”

Having his team mentally focused going into Saturday night isn’t the challenge. It’s maintaining the focus throughout.

“My players are like my kids,” Orgeron said. “I can tell that look. I know that look is going to be in their eyes Saturday night before the game. I want it to be in their eyes Saturday night for 60 minutes.

“There’s going to be some punches thrown here. Alabama’s going to make plays. We’re going to make plays. We’ve got to stay in the fight and throw the last punch, and I believe we will.”

LSU and Alabama kick off just after 7 p.m. Saturday. The game will be televised nationally by CBS.