Ed Orgeron regrets 2019 locker room diatribe against Alabama got out

On Saturday night, LSU head coach Ed Orgeron will head to Tuscaloosa with a 4-4 team just two years removed from a shootout win over Alabama on the way to a national championship. The occasion will be more somber this time around, as Orgeron is out of a job in Baton Rouge at the conclusion of this season.

Orgeron may want to forget the viral locker room speech he gave to his team that night in 2019 but rest assured the Alabama faithful have not. 

“We gonna beat their a– in recruiting,” Orgeron said with passion following the 46-41 win two years ago. “We’re gonna beat their a– every time they see us. You understand that? Roll Tide what? F— you!”

Orgeron has since apologized for the commentary, saying he uttered those now-famous words in private and did not wish for them to leave the locker room. They were live-streamed by a member of the LSU team. 

“I meant no disrespect to anybody at Alabama,” Orgeron said via AI.com. “I just wish that wouldn’t have gotten out. That was not supposed to get out. It wasn’t intended to.”

This is the second time Orgeron has commented publicly on the situation.

“It was no means to hurt anybody or nothing like that,” he said a few days after the 2019 victory.

The odds are not in the Tigers’ favor

LSU is a 28.5-point underdog on Saturday, so the odds do not look great for Orgeron in his final visit to Tuscaloosa, at least in his current capacity. 

Alabama has easily handled the high-powered, pass-heavy offenses they have faced this year. Their only struggles came against teams with decent run games. Unfortunately for LSU, they are one of those pass-heavy offenses that struggles to run the ball. 

The Tigers are currently 13th in the SEC in rushing yards per game with 112.1. The only team behind them is Mississippi State, who runs the Air Raid offenses. Granted, LSU has started to improve the run, but it does not match the levels of the teams that gave the Crimson Tide trouble like Texas A&M and Florida. 

A depleted LSU secondary, made worse by the recent injury to converted cornerback Cordale Flott, will have their hands full with an electric Alabama receiving corps. The Crimson Tide are second in the SEC in average yards per catch with 9.4, and they have caught 27 touchdowns. LSU is second in the conference with 21.

The game kicks off at 6:00 p.m. CT on ESPN. Alabama has won nine of the last 10 matchups, and the road team has won four of the last five.