Ed Orgeron breaks down LSU's defensive adjustments in loss vs. Alabama

Ed Orgeron walked off the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium holding up an “L” with each hand, the last time he’d make such an exit from Alabama as LSU’s head coach. To clarify: the “L” stood for LSU, not for the 20-14 loss, which saw the Tigers fail on two fourth-quarter chances to knock off Alabama in miraculous fashion.

LSU entered the game as 28.5-point underdogs, and for good reason. 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 the Tigers on Saturday did not always look in position to compete with the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday, despite the 20-14 final score. After Alabama’s 14-point second quarter, the Crimson Tide took a 14-7 lead into halftime, and Orgeron was forced to make significant defensive adjustments.

“We felt like we had to blitz. We felt like we had to be more diverse on defense,” Orgeron said postgame of the LSU adjustments. “We worked our tails off last week. And I’ve got to give Coach Coyle, he’s a [defensive] analyst for us, he came up with those third-down blitzes in a couple of [big moments], and the one where we had the sack-fumble. He recommended it, we put it in. I’ve got to give the compliment to the defense; we had an adjustment period. I thought our defensive guys really, really got better during the day.”

The defense ultimately wasn’t enough, as LSU was unable to answer the calls. But Orgeron and his coaching staff was able to draw up a second-half gameplan that saw Alabama score just six points all half via two third-quarter field goals; they were scoreless for the entire fourth quarter.

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.