Ed Orgeron reveals why LSU attempted fake punt against Alabama

If nothing else, LSU head coach Ed Orgeron deserves credit for sticking by his plan.

“We were not going to let this crowd intimidate us,” he said after LSU’s 20-14 loss to Alabama. “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.”

And that they did. LSU played to win, even when the odds were stacked against them as 28.5-point underdogs. No one even expected the game to be close, either: 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.

Early in the first quarter, after LSU’s drive came up four yards short of a first down, the Tigers lined up to punt on fourth-and-4. But behind the scenes, Orgeron had elected for a fake punt, which LSU worked to perfection — a jump pass gave the Tigers a much-needed first down, plus some momentum in the early minutes of the game.

Orgeron explained after the game why the Tigers decided to roll with the fake — not just because they were playing to win, but because they had planned on running it all week if this situation arose.

“We tried that fake punt against Auburn and we came up a little short. It didn’t work,” Orgeron said. “We knew that we were going to run the fake punt on fourth-and-5 around the 50. That would give us a certain defense where we felt we could get it, and we called timeout to make sure that everything was clear on what we were doing, and we ran it and give credit to coach [Greg McMahon]. He put it in. Good call.”

That first-down conversion extended LSU’s drive, and gave Orgeron a huge momentum boost heading down the field. LSU crossed midfield and eventually scored a touchdown on that eight-play, four-minute drive, breaking the game’s seal and jumping out to an early 7-0 lead.

Orgeron stands by fourth-down try

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.

“We’re going for it,” Orgeron said postgame.

LSU did just that, and Johnson threw an incomplete pass, turning the ball over and all but spoiling LSU’s chances. Even after the loss, Orgeron stood by his late-game decision during his press conference.

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

The Tigers would end up with one more chance due to an Alabama fumble, but that attempt came up short as well. Tyrion Davis-Price rushed for one-yard on that last-ditch effort, and Johnson three consecutive incomplete passes, squandering LSU’s final opportunity. In the end, Johnson finished 16-of-32 with 160 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and one costly interception, and despite the final result, Orgeron maintained that his decision to go for it on fourth down was the right call.