TOP 25 TAKEAWAYS ORGERON STAR-TURN COULD BE SHORT-LIVED
The comment from LSU coach Ed Orgeron drew a fair amount of attention. A little more than a week before the start of the SEC season, Orgeron was talking about his new defensive coordinator, former Nebraska coach Bo Pelini. “We are so much better on defense right now than any part of the season last year,” Orgeron said then. Three weeks into this season, results suggest otherwise. It has become abundantly clear LSU won’t be defending its national championship and Orgeron’s star-turn might be short-lived. The 17th-ranked Tigers fell to 1-2, upset for the second time this season by an SEC underling. First it was Mississippi State. On Saturday, it was Missouri, playing with a freshman quarterback and missing both its starting receivers, that tore up the Bayou Bengals. “We couldn’t stop anybody. Really poor showing on defense,” Orgeron said. A goal-line stand by Mizzou sealed the thrilling upset and first victory for new coach Eli Drinkwitz. But the story was LSU’s collapse. The defense that opened the season by allowing an SEC-record 623passing to Mississippi State, permitted 586total yards to Missouri.
Orgeron deserves praise for his work at LSU and turning his life around. He also caught a lot of lightning in 2020, most notably Joe Burrow’s rocket-ship rise from fringe NFL prospect to Heisman Trophy winner and first overall draft pick. LSU had a once-in-alifetime season and then the band basically broke up, leaving Orgeron behind to prove if he could be more than a one-hit wonder.
READY FOR ’BAMA
No. 3Georgia messed around with No. 14Tennessee long enough to trail at the half. The Volunteers did not score in the second half and the Bulldogs will go into their showdown at No. 2Alabama next week with a perfect record.
College football is no longer about defense winning championships. The best teams have spectacular offenses and dynamic quarterbacks. That is not Georgia. The Bulldogs have plenty of talent on the offensive side of the ball, but through three games they are still dealing with the same shortcomings they had last year. They are a methodical bunch, led by former walkon quarterback Stetson Bennett. They don’t create a lot of big plays.
AROUND THE COUNTRY
No. 21Texas A&M beat a top-five team for the first time under coach Jimbo Fisher, an impressive comeback against No. 4Florida. The Aggies are clearly not ready to challenge Alabama, but a quick glance at the rest of the SEC West screams opportunity. ... Texas coach Tom Herman should have gone for 2 and the win in the second overtime against Oklahoma. Herman might not be coaching for his job, but not being able to take advantage of a down year by Oklahoma will go down as a massive missed opportunity. ... A most painful 31-30loss for Pitt: The kicker nails a 58-yard field goal to send the game against Boston College into overtime, then misses a point after to to tie and send the Panthers to a second straight heartbreaking loss.