Like the summer weather in Atlanta and a stock broker’s mood, LSU defies prediction. The Tigers are the roulette wheel of the SEC, the tumbling dice, the game of chance.
This is of particular interest/concern around certain parts of Georgia on those rare years that the Bulldogs have a date with the great unknown of the SEC West. Like this year, Oct. 13 to be precise, at its stadium famous for staging games that are more post-apocalyptic rites.
Asked what awaits Georgia in three months, LSU coach Ed Orgeron said, “They're going to be a very tough opponent to play. But that night Tiger Stadium is going to be alive. It’s going to be loud. There will be a lot of tailgating. Should be a great college matchup.”
If you have any clear idea beyond that as to what will greet the Bulldogs there, then the government wants to study your brainwaves.
All this mystery starts at the top, of course.
At first, it was trying to figure out the alternative, Salvador Dali-designed game clock inside Les Miles’ head. Over a dozen years in Baton Rouge, he was good for either a national championship, a couple of SEC titles or a puzzle of a game that baffled Tigers fans long after they dusted off the Sunday New York Times crossword.
Then, after Miles finally fell off the stage, there was the matter of trying to translate the low Cajun rumble emanating from his mid-2016 replacement, Orgeron. When he speaks, both dogs and grammarians seek cover.
Orgeron has weighed in on his love of the chicken on a stick that they serve at one Mississippi gas station. He has showed himself a serviceable jingle writer, taking up the mantra of “One team, one heartbeat” back in the transitions days of ’16.
And, he has continued the governance of extremes familiar to LSU fans, proving it possible just last season to both lose to Troy and go 6-2 in what is a fairly difficult conference.
What he had to say Monday at the SEC media gathering was pretty much rote football stuff, only because I didn’t get the chance to ask him his recipe for shrimp etouffee.
By the time the Tigers get around to Georgia, maybe they will have found a serviceable quarterback. There’s an Ohio State transfer that a lot of people seem to be talking about. Orgeron, too, praising Joe Burrow for “his knowledge of the game, his ability to run the offense.”
“He can be a pro quarterback. He can run the football, extend plays if he has to. He's very tough. He's a leader,” Orgeron said.
Maybe they will have identified the next tough LSU running back because Leonard Fournette or Derrius Guice is not walking through that door anytime soon.
Putting it all together will be a new offensive coordinator, Steve Ensminger, who has worked at eight colleges and four high schools, including an early 1990s stint at Georgia. Coach O is really high on the guy, as well he should be since their futures are intricately linked.
“If you're thinking about what we're going to do at LSU, we're going to be a spread offense mainly from three-wide receiver sets, four-wide receiver sets, sometimes five,” Orgeron said. “We'll be 50/50, throwing the football, running the football. Steve's going to do a great job of that.”
They will come at you with a gymnast’s balance, the coach indicated.
They are LSU, so they will have some talent. Especially on defense because the Falcons, for one, count on that on draft day. The Tigers have a cornerback whose first name is Greedy (Williams), so his ball-hawking skills are unquestioned.
What is certain about LSU is the pressure on Orgeron to actually prove himself an upgrade over Miles, for while the production may waver in Baton Rouge, the expectation never does.
In a league where the turnover can be dizzying – how about six programs with new coaches this season – the trick is to not become the next to fall. And Coach O is a frequent mention when that subject arises.
That’s OK, he said Monday.
“This is why you come to the SEC,” he said. “You know that the expectations are high. You know the expectations are high at LSU. So, you invite those challenges. And you're going to play in the SEC West, perhaps the best conference in the United States and our you're going to play against some of the best coaches.”
Where Orgeron fits in that hierarchy is one of the most profound mysteries surrounding LSU.
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