BATON ROUGE, La. — Ed Orgeron won't be coaching the LSU Tigers come 2022 after the team has had a precipitous drop in performance since winning a national championship just under two years ago.
At a press conference Sunday night, it was announced that LSU and Orgeron have reached a separation agreement, that will keep Coach O on the sidelines for the remainder of the season - even a bowl game if the school should advance to play in one.
Negotiations for Coach Orgeron's release from LSU began last week before the win against the Gators on Saturday.
"It’s unprecedented in the sport - coach & school divorcing 21 months after winning it all," Ross Dellenger, of Sports Illustrated said.
At the Sunday press briefing, Coach Orgeron said that he understood what the expectations were at the school and that if he had the answers, he would have used them.
Athletics Director Scott Woodward said that wins and losses and not other things that were being reported Sunday were the reason behind the decision to move on from Orgeron, who was the third straight head coach to bring LSU a national title in football.
"When you win, you're doing everything perfect, when you lose, you're not," said Orgeron.
The media-friendly Orgeron was always direct with the media and rarely dodged a question. He said he was unlikely to coach next year, but wasn't sure how he would feel in a month.
Orgeron will receive the nearly $17 million buyout on his deal and said he had the option of not working.
"I think I can afford a hamburger, a double cheeseburger, maybe," he said.
Orgeron did not blame a spate of injuries and players opting out last season during COVID, but after winning a national title with one of the most talented rosters in college football history, he had a hard time reloading. He lost talented assistants, he lost talented players, including the Heisman Trophy winner in Joe Burrow and some say he lost the team with his failure to strongly support a social justice protest last summer as the nation came to a reckoning on race after the killing of George Floyd.
Tyrion Davis-Price breaks LSU rushing record in win over Florida
On a record-breaking day at Tiger Stadium LSU topped #20 Florida 49-42.
The Tigers have struggled to rush the ball all season long but they were able to put together their best rushing effort of the season against the Gators.
"It was fun. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed seeing Ty Davis-Price and the offensive line, the work that they've done and their coaches have done finally pay off for them," Ed Orgeron said.
Baton Rouge native Tyrion Davis-Price rushed for an LSU single-game record with 287 yards and scored three touchdowns.
"I just did my job, and they did (the offensive line) an amazing job," Davis- Price said.
It was the highest-scoring contest in the 68-game series between LSU and Florida. It was also the first time each team scored over 40 points.
LSU started slow on offense only converting one first down in their first three drives of the game. Florida would score the first touchdown of the game on a Dameon Pierce seven-yard touchdown run.
Jace Christmann missed his first extra point of the game and Florida led 6-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Less than a minute into the second quarter Davis-Price gave LSU a 7-6 lead on an 18-yard run.
Despite missing several starters on defense including both starting cornerbacks the LSU defense made big plays at the right time all day.