Welcome everyone to the latest edition of #4Downs where I break down what went right and what went wrong for the LSU Tigers. This week, I break down the Tigers loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
1st Down: Special Teams Continues to be Issue
It’s been a recurring theme for LSU this season that their special teams efforts were lacking to say the very least. However, Monday’s loss was the worst showing that the Tigers have had on special teams in recent memory.
From muffed punts by DJ Chark to chip shot field goals from both Culp and Gonsoulin, it was a microcosm of the season and further proves why there should be a special teams coach in this program, not an analyst.
2nd Down: Poor Coaching Decisions Seal Fate
It wasn’t only the poor special team efforts that hurt this team. A good chunk of this has to be put on the coaching decisions that were made. One of the biggest examples has to be settling for a field goal at the Notre Dame one-yard line instead of going for it.
If you miss it, you’re forcing their offense to go the length of the field to get the game winner. It’s a pretty simple strategy, but Ed Orgeron and the rest of the coaching staff didn’t have any faith in the offense getting that one-yard that could’ve helped this team get the win or at least make it tougher for the Irish to win in regulation.
3rd Down: Offensive Apathy
Sticking with the offense, it was the worst part of this game and really showed that Matt Canada isn’t afraid of burning bridges. While the stats were a little better compared to the Fighting Irish, it was clear that he put together a very vanilla gameplan as multiple reports have come out about his future with the program being very much in doubt due to the butting of heads with Orgeron during the season.
You’d expect someone who will be on the way out to try and have this game be a resume-builder, but it’s clear that Canada is about to get paid some serious money to not coach.
4th Down: Unclear Future
The future of this program is pretty unclear, especially as they head into the offseason. Will Aranda take another job in the college ranks or move up to the NFL as a DC? Who is going to be the offensive coordinator once Canada is fired? There are tons of questions for this program and one of the answers could be a huge step backward for this program.
If Steve Ensminger is promoted to offensive coordinator that could be another “good old boy” move that the Tiger faithful will undoubtedly turn sour on.
-Clint Domingue