Oklahoma and LSU have arrived in Atlanta for the College Football Playoff at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
LSU is led by a confident, ambitious, happy-go-lucky head coach in Ed Orgeron.
Both programs met with the media for the first time ahead of the game on Saturday. Orgeron and Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley were the headliners on the first day.
Here is what Orgeron had to say about Oklahoma in his first meeting with the media.
On Oklahoma preparing for LSU’s running backs without Clyde Edwards-Helaire:
“No, I don’t think so because I don’t think they know our backs. I don’t think they know what our backs can do, like we do. And, obviously, we’re not going to do the same thing with the same back in every time. We’re going to switch things up.”
On the transfer quarterbacks, including Jalen Hurts:
“You know, I think the transfer rule for graduate assistants is really good; for graduate students, really good. I think there’s some cases where a young man ought to transfer if the situation for him in that school is not right.
“Obviously, on the other end, with coaches, we have to choose the right transfers. And, obviously, we got it right, and they got it right. Two fantastic young men that got their opportunity, made the best of it.
“I’m proud of Jalen Hurts. I know him. I think he’s a great young man. I got to meet him at a couple of deals. He has great parents, outstanding character, and obviously very proud of Joe and what he’s done. Those two are very similar in character, and they’re team players.”
On if the Oklahoma suspensions take a factor into game planning:
“You know, I’m sure Coach Riley has the same thing. We have a next man up theory. We put 11 men on the field and we fight like Tigers, and we don’t blink. I’m sure it’s a top program, they’ve done a great job recruiting. I’m sure the next guy is chomping at the bit, may have his best game.
“We don’t even factor that in, you know, say hey, this is going to be an advantage. It’s not going to be an advantage. We’re going. And, again, it’s never going to be about our opponent. It’s always about us and the way we execute.”
On defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, preparing for Oklahoma:
“He’s got a lot of stuff in. He’s got a lot of stuff in, and he’s got a lot of ammunition. And Dave’s a great gameday caller. Obviously we can’t run it off. But I think that today was one of our better days as far as technique-wise. We’ve been seeing their plays. We have a lot of plays. You can’t rep every play, but we’re repping their top plays and our guys defend it well.
“Obviously, with this team, you’ve got to tackle. You’ve gotta tackle to one-on-one and in space. You’ve got to tackle Jalen. You got to cover CeeDee. And if you do cover them, you’ve got to tackle them, so. It’s going to come down to winning you one-on-one as a tackler.”
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