Baton Rouge — Ed Orgeron’s first spring game as the LSU Head Coach was a star-studded affair, with past players joining-in on the excitement around Matt Canada’s new up-tempo offense.
“There’s something about being around it right now,” said Giants Wide Receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. “People are so excited about the opportunity. The young guys look excited. The coaches are excited. I’m excited to be here.”
“It’s about the offense,” said former NFL safety Ryan Clark, “It’s about everything that’s changing. It’s about how many guys actually came back to be a part of the spring game. It’s something that we haven’t had around here in a long time.”
But the offensive hype was not as hoped, with a sub-par performance from quarterback front-runner, Danny Etling.
“He didn’t play good,” Orgeron said. “Bottom line. He didn’t have a good night. Now he’s had some good days but today wasn’t one of his better nights. I don’t know if any of the quarterbacks played like we wanted them to play. That’s why we’re going to keep it open. That’s why we wanted these guys underneath the fire to compete.”
Besides one touchdown from the purple team’s Lanard Fournette in the second quarter, this game belonged to the guys on the other side of the ball.
“It was a defense’s night, man,” Orgeron said. “Guys were tackling. Guys were running around. They were very physical. I think the defense was tired of getting their butts kicked all spring.”
The first half was all fans got to see though, as the game was called just before the break, with thunderstorms rolling-in. The team headed inside for the final two quarters.
“We didn’t blink,” Orgeron said. “We ran over here and ran on the field. We started-off the same way and we competed.”