Ed Orgeron updates status of Sage Ryan, Maason Smith

Ed Orgeron had some good news and some not so good news to share ahead of the Tigers’ season finale versus Texas A&M.

First off, star freshman defensive lineman Maason Smith is available for LSU after missing three weeks.

However, freshman safety Sage Ryan is day-to-day with an undisclosed illness and could miss Saturday’s home game versus the Aggies.

Smith, the former national No. 10 prospect and No. 1 player out of the Boot, has four sacks and 19 tackles this season. He’s behind only sophomore defensive end B.J. Ojulari who has six sacks this year.

The Tigers need the two Louisiana natives to help clinch bowl eligibility and to escape the worst conference record since 1999. The kickoff in Baton Rouge is at 7 p.m. ET.

Ed Orgeron touched by players ‘playing for him’ versus Aggies

LSU’s final game of the regular season against Texas A&M is notable due to the fact that the game will be Ed Orgeron’s final game as the head coach of the Tigers.

Players have spoken about how they want to win the final game for Orgeron, but the soon-to-be-former LSU coach wants his players to play for themselves when they take the field against Texas A&M.

“Well, I appreciate that,” Orgeron said of LSU players playing for him against Texas A&M. “I love those boys. They know that. But I want them to play for them. I want them to win for the Tigers. And it’s never been about me. I’ve been in a great situation here the whole time. And I want them to win for themselves. This is about them.”

LSU snapped a three-game losing streak last week with a 27-14 victory over UL Monroe. The win improved the Tigers to 5-6 on the season.

With five wins and just one game remaining, LSU must win to ensure it is bowl eligible at the end of the season. This adds even more intrigue to the matchup in Orgeron’s final game.

On3’s Jonathan Wagner contributed to this report.