LSUDad Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 Although we start out the 2020 season with UTEP, UTx is already looking early at LSU . Mass LSU defections reshape looming matchup with Texas Joe Burrow’s gone. Joe Brady’s gone. Dave Aranda’s gone. And nine Tigers underclassmen have now declared for the 2020 NFL Draft. By Wescott Eberts on January 17, 2020 5:37 pm A wave goodbye would be more appropriate. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Level up. Those involved with arguably the most dominant college football team of all time aren’t settling for $100 handshakes from Odell Beckham, Jr. — from the coaches to the players, the LSU Tigers are parlaying Monday’s national championship into promotions and professional careers. No judgement there. Get those chickens. The architect of the passing revolution that vaulted Joe Burrow from the loser of an Ohio State quarterback battle and a mediocre player as a junior to the Heisman Trophy and an historic season is now off to the Carolina Panthers as Matt Rhule’s new offensive coordinator. For all the talk of a raise and contract extension, Joe Brady capitalized on his one season in Baton Rouge by landing his first on-field gig in the NFL at 30 years old. Rhule leaving Baylor to take that job in Carolina reverberated even further through the LSU program when defensive coordinator Dave Aranda took his first head coaching job with the Bears on Thursday. Due to Aranda’s move, there may be more staff changes for head coach Ed Orgeron’s program, but that prospective news will surely take a back seat to the avalanche of NFL Draft declarations radically reshaping the LSU roster next season. Ever heard of nine early entrants leaving a single program in a single season? It certainly feels like a record. The Tigers have vacated the premises in a flurry that now runs the gamut from expected to unexpected, touching nearly every position on the team. Friday represents the soft deadline to declare as LSU currently stands to lose the team’s starting quarterback, starting running back, leader in receptions, starting tight end, starting left tackle, starting left guard, starting center, starting right guard, starting nose tackle, starting defensive end, three starting linebackers, a starting safeties, and a starting cornerback. Got all that? Any readers who have made it this far surely understand why this topic is worth discussing — the Longhorns travel to Baton Rouge for the second game of the 2020 season, the back end of the home-and-home series that produced one of the most hotly-contested matchups in college football last year. Before the game, during the game, and well after the game, the two teams developed and maintained a significant mutual dislike for each other despite the lack of recent history. Likewise, before the national championship game and after the national championship game, LSU coaches cited the pivotal 3rd and 17 that produced the game-clinching touchdown for the Tigers as the moment that revealed the team’s ultimate upside as decisive champions. For Texas, the all-out blitz by former defensive coordinator Todd Orlando and loss of leverage by safety Caden Sterns came to negatively define the season and will forever loom as the moment that illustrated why Orlando lost his job after the regular season. Call it the inflection point for both teams. And so while it’s impossible to say whether next season’s game can or will produce such a monumental moment, at least one player from LSU or Texas will create some bulletin-board material before the game. Tempers are likely to flare during warmups. LSU coaches might even be involved. Again. The visitor’s locker room could be unusually unpleasant. The environment in Death Valley will be hostile in a way that only Tigers fans can manage. As Texas head coach Tom Herman resets nearly his entire coaching staff and LSU resets its coaching staff and roster for diametrically opposite reasons, the preseason expectations are still taking shape for both programs. Unquestionably, though, the shape of the 2020 Tigers team looks much different than it did in the immediate, euphoric glow of the national championship. Expect the Horns to enter Tiger Stadium as the underdogs, but many of the primary architects of last season’s LSU win won’t be involved. Call that a major opportunity for Herman and his Texas program. One that could define the season for both teams and the entire tenure of the fourth-year Longhorns head coach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dachsie Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 Tuesday one of my patients who is a big T-sip was saying how they were going to come in Tiger stadium this year and beat us because we lost everyone. I pointed out we still have 2 of our 3 WRs and a QB with a good arm. He’s still convinced they will beat us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchertiger Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 Funny, nobody that is a fan of a school that we played this year wants to talk about THIS year LOL. Anybody can speculate about what is to come but Hey Texas, we kicked your @ss!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSUDad Posted January 23, 2020 Author Share Posted January 23, 2020 1 hour ago, dachsie said: Tuesday one of my patients who is a big T-sip was saying how they were going to come in Tiger stadium this year and beat us because we lost everyone. I pointed out we still have 2 of our 3 WRs and a QB with a good arm. He’s still convinced they will beat us. Yep, they were convinced last year. Their season went down fast. When a Head coach has to can that many on his staff. It’s on him, this year, Tom has to produce, they put up too much money for another 8-5 year. But then again, he’s not the only coach that’s being watched in Tx at a college. Joe was 31 of 39 for 471 yards with 4 TD’s. Let’s just say, good thing we played them early, a few more games under our belt, it wouldn’t have been that close. More on his staff changes... https://www.hookem.com/story/texas-coach-tom-herman-fires-todd-orlando-demotes-others-longhorns-chart-new-course/ Like I said, when you make this many changes, it’s more of a panic mode. A big win for the Tigers this season, his seat will be burning, way before he gets back to Austin. If they give you anymore talk, just tell them. To think we almost made a mistake of hiring Tom or Jimbo, this season, O won more games than those two coaches combined. They won a total of 14, O, 15-0. In 2015 I was invited to a UTx game by the opposing coaching staff, I sat with the coaches wives and family. The guy behind me kept running his mouth, all decked out in the burnt orange. After about 3 quarters of listening to him, I told him, y’all are gonna finish around .500 ball this year. He wanted to argue, I told him, look at how many yards we put up, what do you think y’all are going to do in conference play? I offered my phone number, but he wouldn’t take it. Told him he could call me at the end of the year. I was wrong, they finished 5-7, not 6-6. I only wished I would have gotten his number. Every time I made games with the team UTx played that day, I would remind the people I was sitting with, UTx lost another game last weekend. I have a similar Arkansas story, that one also was a good one, the loudmouth didn’t make it out of Tiger Stadium, before having to eat his words. This call I made, in the first quarter. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houtiger Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 I count 14 starters gone, and a lot of super quality, like 5 going in the first round of the draft. We have talent returning, but not nearly as experienced as this year's team. It usually takes a while for the team to gel, and with so many new starters, things could be rocky the first 3 or 4 weeks. Then we'll have a new DC, that could take a little getting used to. I think LSU will be a small favorite at home, but unpredictable things can happen early in the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSUDad Posted January 23, 2020 Author Share Posted January 23, 2020 Funny, looking back at some of the magazines projections. All figured a few losses. The biggest questions, who would replace Butkus winner White, Alexander was a good player, gave great minutes, Greedy will be missed, could Sting settle into the position. One even said, we had no one to replace Foster Moreau. Questions on the offense, questions on a RB. The question on if the OL would see improved, after giving up 35 sacks last year. To me, looked like all those question and more, were answered. This year, we’ll get into what returns, look at the guys that sat out games, that was a start to seeing who could play. If you look back, we had a number of players start games, a good Spring, we’ll be ready. The stadium might not be available for the Spring game, some word on this. As for now, I’m still enjoying the NCG. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houtiger Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 26 minutes ago, LSUDad said: As for now, I’m still enjoying the NCG. I'm still enjoying the whole season, and I watch the last few games, A&M, Ga., OK, and Clemson. I can barely watch the OK game, I feel sorry for them. I'll have to watch the InbredGumps game again, that was enjoyable. I feel like we beat InbredGumps worse than the score indicates. There was the trick play where Sting looked over at the bench and they snapped the ball, and then the final InbredGumps TD to Devonte Smith where he just beat Sting. They got 14 points kinda on the cheap. I go read at a InbredGumps site on occasion, and their take is we caught lightning in a bottle one time and next year we'll be back to our 9-3 standard, while their 10-2 record was an anomaly and next year they will be back to their 11-1 or 12-0 standard. We'll see. But they will be without Tua next year, and I don't think Mac Jones is another Tua. If Mac Jones is on par with Miles Brennan (assuming he is out starter), and right now I suspect they are on par with each other, I think we can fare well. But LSU losing 14 starters is substantial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchertiger Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 2 hours ago, houtiger said: . I can barely watch the OK game, I feel sorry for them. (Yes I know he is gone. Still holding grudge from half time interview for '03 NC game) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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