Ed Orgeron takes responsibility for LSU losses, offensive struggles

Perhaps the writing is on the wall for LSU head coach Ed Orgeron, who took full responsibility for the team’s subpar performance as the Tigers fell to 3-2 with a home loss to Auburn.

Yahoo! Sports’ Pete Thamel said Tuesday that he believes Orgeron is on the hot seat, and he even went so far as to name potential candidates just two seasons after the LSU Tigers finished arguably the greatest season in college football history, going 15-0 and winning the national championship. It’s been a rapid fall from grace for Orgeron, who followed up his historic 2019 campaign with a 5-5 performance in 2020 and now a 3-2 start to 2021 — including a home loss to Auburn and a loss to UCLA.

“Here’s the thing: I’ve got to take the responsibility for that. I’ve got to talk to the team,” Orgeron said of the offense Monday. “I talked to the offense, and I’ll continue to talk to them on the things that we have to get fixed. There are some things that are very fixable. We just need to settle down, mostly just call the play and let it go and not try to change the play. I think that’s where we get most of our problems. I think that it’s not that the guys are not working, it’s not that they’re not trying. I think they’re trying a little too hard. So, we need to simplify what we’re doing on offense, and let our players play.”

Orgeron’s offense through five games has been abysmal, and the LSU head coach understands that the team needs to find a quick fix. The Tigers average 373.8 yards of total offense per game, a number that ranks 84th in the country, lower than LSU’s high-powered offense is accustomed to falling. Perhaps its greatest weakness so far has been the rushing attack, which has been staggeringly poor. LSU is averaging just 70.6 rushing yards per game, which ranks 128th out of 130 Division-I programs; only Mississippi State ranks lower among SEC teams.

On Saturday against Auburn, the story was the same. LSU had trouble moving the ball on offense; though Max Johnson managed to complete 26 of his 46 passing attempts for 325 passing yards and one touchdown, he also threw an interception and fumbled, the latter of which LSU mitigated by recovering. The rushing attack was as bad as its ranking shows, perhaps even worse, as Corey Kiner led LSU rushers with five carries for 22 yards.

“It’s clear that when things don’t go right, obviously I get asked questions and maybe they may sound like I’m trying to point a finger or something like that,” Orgeron continued. “But as you know me, that is not me. I am going to take full responsibility for everything that happens in this program. And that’s just the way that it’s going to be.”

Orgeron’s words and willingness to take full responsibility for LSU’s mishaps may not be enough to salvage his job security — especially with a stretch of five-straight ranked games on the docket against No. 16 Kentucky, No. 20 Florida, No. 17 Ole Miss, No. 1 Alabama and No. 13 Arkansas.