It was a wild night in Death Valley. On a night that we would see Ed Orgeron coach for the final time in the regular season, we didn’t know it was his final game period. Had the Tigers lost, it would have been his final game. However, a last-minute drive sent the Bayou Bengals into the postseason and defeated Texas A&M at home once again. Since the Aggies joined the SEC, the Tigers have owned the series. Improving to 8-2 since 2012.
It was an emotional night and not one that Coach O will soon forget. They avoided their first losing season since 1999. Before we look to the potential bowl matchup, one final look back at Orgeron’s final night with an observation from our colleagues.
Erick Smith of USA TODAY Sports laid out his week 13 observations with a nod to now former LSU Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron. Coach O finished his career at LSU with a 51-20 record and the 2019 national championship.
Say whatever you want about the outgoing LSU coach, his players never stopped playing for him and he never stopped wanting to coach them. That’s a rarity in college football. When coaches are let go, they almost always walk out the door, rather than be a lame duck for the rest of the season.
Orgeron didn’t care about that. He remained committed to a program that was his dream job. His players rewarded him with one last victory in Tiger Stadium with an unlikely comeback defeat of No. 14 Texas A&M. LSU avoided its first losing season since 1999 — the year before Nick Saban arrived.
Orgeron said after the game he will not coach the team in a bowl game, leaving his record at the school at 51-20 with one remarkable national championship that should be remembered as one of the all-time great teams.
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