Lunch with Coach O: McNeese St. vs. LSU Preview

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - LSU head football coach Ed Orgeron held his weekly meeting with the media via Zoom on Tuesday, Sept. 7, to recap LSU’s 38-27 loss to UCLA in the season opener. Coach O will also preview the upcoming matchup against McNeese State.

LSU head coach Ed Orgeron recaps the loss to UCLA and previews the upcoming matchup against McNeese.

The Tigers are coming off a disappointing loss that saw LSU having much of the same problems they had last season, namely missed assignments and blown coverages on defense. One bright spot came on offense, as Kayshon Boutte hauled in nine receptions for 148 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first LSU receiver to have three touchdown receptions in back-to-back games.

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“I do believe the will to fight was there,” said Orgeron. “I just wish we would’ve coached them better. I gotta put that on me. Offensively and defensively, we could’ve done some things better in camp to prepare our guys to play a better football game. That’s the thing I’m most disappointed in - the preparation we had as coaches going into the game.”

LSU will look to rebound against McNeese State in the home opener as the Tigers will face off against Cody Orgeron, the son of Coach O. The Cowboys suffered a 42-36 upset loss in their opener, as Division II West Florida got after Orgeron, despite a fourth quarter rally that saw McNeese score a touchdown and convert a two-point play to cut it to a one-score game as Orgeron threw for a career-high 361 yards.

Against UCLA, Orgeron said his Tigers played hard and prepared well but the coaches need to put them in better positions to be successful. He also said several players will be unavailable against McNeese, including starting right tackle Austin Deculus. He added the playing status of safety Jay Ward and running back John Emery are unknown at this time but he hopes to know more by Friday. In the running game, the Tigers only managed 49 yards on the ground against the Bruins.

“I wanted to evaluate our opponent but I also wanted to cheer for my son,” said Coach O about scouting McNeese.

“We have to protect our quarterback better. Whatever it takes,” he added.

Max Johnson was sacked twice and hurried five times. He finished 26 of 46 for 330 yards and three touchdowns. He also threw one interception.

Orgeron also pointed out the defense allowed 11 explosive plays and that’s way too many. The Bruins finished with 470 total yards of offense.

“That was all in fun,” replied Orgeron when asked about his pregame interaction with a UCLA fan.

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