Ed Orgeron: 'We were coming in this house to win the game'

No one thought Ed Orgeron and the LSU Tigers would put up a fight against the Alabama Crimson Tide. As Orgeron took to Bryant-Denny Stadium for an away game, his Tigers were tabbed 28.5-point underdogs, and it wasn’t hard to understand why.

Before Saturday, the Tigers had gone just .500 since their national title-winning perfect season, explaining Orgeron’s impending departure as head coach. Plus, the last time LSU traveled to Alabama, Orgeron shared choice words about Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide, sparking a revenge narrative for Alabama. This season in particular, LSU’s offense has been underwhelming, its rushing attack has been largely nonexistent (save for its win over Florida) and its rushing defense was even worse.

But Orgeron didn’t mind any of those facts. He completely believed that LSU should have won the game; he even thought that the Tigers were the better team in a 20-14 loss to Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide.

“We were having fun,” Orgeron said in his postgame press conference — despite a loss. “We were not going to let this crowd intimidate us. No way that was going to happen. We were coming into this house to win the game, and so was I. So, I was having fun with it. It’s part of college football.”

In the end, Orgeron may have had his fun — his comment referenced his exit from the field, which saw him gesture “L” for LSU to the Alabama student section on his way out — but LSU still fell short.  LSU trailed Alabama by just six points heading into the fourth quarter, and after a defensive stop and solid drive by quarterback Max Johnson, LSU was within striking distance.

With just under seven minutes remaining, Orgeron had a fourth-and-goal situation from Alabama’s seven-yard line; a field goal would’ve made it a three-point deficit, while a touchdown would’ve put them ahead. If nothing else, Orgeron deserves credit for sticking by his plan. LSU came to win. And although his attempt to go for it on fourth down failed, he showed a concerted effort to win.

“We’re going for it,” Orgeron continued postgame. “When we walked into the stadium, we were going for it. There was no question. We were going for the win — the whole time.”

Quarterback Max Johnson threw an incomplete pass, turning the ball over and all but spoiling LSU’s chances on that fourth-down try. The Tigers would end up with one more chance due to an Alabama fumble, but that attempt came up short as well.

Despite the final result, Orgeron maintained that his decision to go for it on fourth down was the right call.

“I truly thought we were the better team tonight,” Orgeron said postgame in his opening statement. “We just came up a couple plays short. Wish we would’ve had a better plan on offense, especially in the second half. We had opportunities to score and we didn’t. I’ve got to take that responsibility. I just wish that we could’ve put our guys in a better position to win.”