LSU’s Ed Orgeron helps job security after upsetting No. 20 Florida without several starters

Over the past year, there have been legitimate questions about LSU coach Ed Orgeron’s job security, and the questions got very loud following a blowout loss to Kentucky last week that lowered his record to 8-8 since the 2019 national championship.

Those questions won’t be asked quite as frequently this week as the Tigers pulled off an upset of No. 20 Florida, knocking off the Gators 49-42 on Saturday thanks to a record-setting performance from Tyrion Davis-Price, whose 287 yards on the ground broke Leonard Fournette’s school record. Davis-Price found the end zone three times and averaged 8 yards per carry as well.

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The Tigers (4-3) were incredibly shorthanded, downing the Gators without the help of several starters, making the win that much more impressive. It’s LSU’s second ranked win over Florida in as many seasons and certainly the best win of LSU’s season to date.

Among the key players out for LSU against Florida were wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, cornerback Derek Stingley, Jr. and several other key members of the defensive line and secondary. Despite missing several pieces, the Tigers registered four interceptions on the day after only having three all season and also recorded two sacks and forced two fumbles.

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Quarterback Max Johnson also spread the ball around in Boutte’s absence — tossing three touchdowns and finding seven different receivers over the course of the game. But the real star on offense for the Tigers was running back Tyrion Davis-Price whose 287 yards on the ground broke Leonard Fournette’s school record. Davis-Price found the end zone three times and averaged 8 yards per carry as well.

Entering the game against the Gators, Orgeron downplayed concerns over his job security.

“My job is to come here to LSU and coach the best I can on a daily basis,” Orgeron said. “That’s what I’m doing. Out there, the talk about my job and all that stuff, nobody’s told me anything as far as I know, the head coach of LSU Tigers. I’m going to coach as hard as I can today, one day at a time.”

However, Orgeron did acknowledge that there’s a certain standard for LSU that he and his team hadn’t been meeting as of late.

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“I will say this and I will say it again, no one has to tell me the LSU expectation. I know ’em, I was born with ’em so I understand,” Orgeron said. “I understand this is not the LSU Standard of Performance. I understand my job. I get it totally, I know exactly where I’m at and I’m going to go to work as hard as I can today and don’t blink. I promise you, I will not blink for anyone.”

In addition to the lackluster play on the field, there have been the numerous Title IX and sexual assault lawsuits and scandals that have cropped up in Baton Rouge under his watch. 

Who knows if one ranked win over the course of a lackluster season is enough to save Orgeron’s job in the longterm. But at least for now, it seems to be enough to keep him around for another week.

Things don’t get easier for the Tigers however, as their remaining SEC games are against Ole Miss, Arkansas, Alabama and Texas A&M.