Ed Orgeron has known for a while his run as LSU's head coach had a ticking clock. No reason to hold anything back now, and that's been particularly true on the defensive side of the ball.
The Tigers head into a matchup against UL-Monroe touting a defense that's been anything but the culprit in back-to-back losses to Alabama and Ole Miss. Orgeron and LSU defensive coordinator Daronte Jones get credit for installing some key changes, but so do a handful of other coaches.
One of those coaches is Lane Kiffin, whom Orgeron spoke with after a 31-17 loss in Oxford before LSU's open week.
"He said ‘coach, you know you’re playing the same thing all the time.’ I said ‘I know.’ And it just sparked," Orgeron said.
The Tigers have notably installed zero-blitz schemes, a first under Orgeron. He credited analyst Kevin Coyle for helping install those schemes, which he was familiar with from his time with the Cincinnati Bearcats.
One of those blitzes notably came in the fourth quarter against Alabama, leading to a Cam Lewis strip sack that set up the Tigers' with a prime opportunity to steal a victory in Tuscaloosa. The Tigers showed seven players at the line, but only five rushed. One player drops out from the middle, another spies QB Bryce Young, and the scheme works. There aren't enough Crimson Tide blockers on the right edge to stop LSU's rush, and the Tigers take the ball.
LSU held Alabama to 6 yards rushing and scoreless in the 27 minutes of game time. A week later it held Arkansas to 3-of-16 on third downs and just 3 total points in the second half. The offense turned the ball over in OT, leaving the Razorbacks in need of just a short field goal for the win, which it made.
But where did Orgeron get the inspiration for the new-look defense?
Knowing he needed a new wrinkle against Alabama, Orgeron went in the vault to dig up tape from his season coaching under Kiffin at Tennessee. They had played then No. 1-ranked Alabama as tight as anyone in a 12-10 loss, often aligned in what they called a "stick-33." Such concepts will typically feature at least three linemen with three linebackers stacked behind them, a front that allows for a strong box and the ability to drop extra players into coverage. It was another scheme he'd employed during his and Kiffin's shared time under Pete Carroll at USC.
The Tigers will often putting out a five-man defensive front, which allows for some of the exotic blitzing schemes at the expense of extra help in coverage. The goal? To funnel the ball inside on both runs and when the QB attempts to extend a play.
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"We were getting hurt so much outside," Orgeron said. "Now we’re trying to funnel the ball inside, and we think we’ve found an answer."
The new, attacking personality has allowed LSU to be less predictable and, most importantly, put the offense on its heels. The result has been a Tigers defense missing key players at nearly every position playing its best football of the season down the stretch. How long can it last, though? Orgeron knows that even while those elements have been effective, other teams will adjust. LSU has to be ready.
"We’ve got to be careful," Orgeron said. "But our players love it, they're more in attack. We’re playing the best defense we’ve played in a while here.”