The LSU Tigers throttled Texas A&M 54-39, proving that the program is heading in the right direction.
Make no mistake about it: this was a huge win for the Tigers. With the victory over the Aggies, LSU kept its hopes of playing in the Sugar Bowl alive, although it still needs a lot of help for that to happen. In addition, it sends interim head coach Ed Orgeron off on a winning note, if this is in fact his last game as the Bayou Bengals’ head coach (more on that below).
Whoever coaches LSU next year – whether it’s Orgeron, Tom Herman, or someone else – will absolutely love watching the film from this contest. The Texas A&M front seven — which came into the game ranked second in the nation in tackles for a loss – had absolutely no answers for Derrius Guice, who ran 37 times for a school-record 285 yards and four touchdowns. Yet, the Aggies couldn’t exactly afford to load the box to stop the run, since Danny Etling also had a monster game, completing 20 of 28 passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns.
The defense was just as impressive. Sure, they gave up some yardage in the second half during garbage time, but the Tigers played well in the first half, limiting A&M to just 114 yards. The LSU D also kept pressure on quarterback Trevor Knight all night long, recording two sacks and forcing him to throw the ball away on a number of other occasions. As a result, A&M QB’s completed just 17 of 38 passes.
Adding the last two paragraphs together, it’s very clear that the LSU program is heading in the right direction after the way the team finished the season. The Tigers were noticeably better under Ed Orgeron’s leadership than they were under Les Miles, especially on offense, where the Bayou Bengals averaged 475 yards per game over the final seven games of the season. The next head coach – which may or may not be Tom Herman according to conflicting reports at ESPN – will inherit a talented squad that’s capable of competing for the national championship year in and year out.
