Ed Orgeron compares LSU 2019 blowout of Oklahoma to playing a high school team

The 2019 LSU football team is one that will go down in history books and forever be in the debate for the greatest team of all-time. A 15-0 record and a national championship will do that for you. So will a 35-point drubbing of a top five team in the College Football Playoff semifinal.

That’s what LSU did to Oklahoma that season. The Tigers waxed the Sooners, 63-28, in the Peach Bowl, to punch their ticket to that national title game. While reflecting on that season and that game specifically with Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take podcast, ex-head coach Ed Orgeron revealed his brutal reaction to that blowout that he had at the time.

“What? We’re playing a high school team?” Orgeron recalled.

Ouch. A brutal shot at the Sooners, to say the least. However, it’s tough to say he was wrong based on how that game went.

The Tigers forced a three-and-out on the first drive of the game and then found the end zone in just three plays. Oklahoma punched back, but did not stay in the game for long. LSU led 49-14 at halftime and it was smooth sailing from there.

In addition to how strong the Tigers were as a team, the individual performances were iconic. Quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 493 yards and seven touchdowns. Justin Jefferson caught 14 passes for 227 yards and four of those seven touchdowns. It was simply a stellar day and left Orgeron one of the easier days of his coaching career.

“I actually became a fan,” Orgeron said. “I was on the sideline going, ‘go, Joe, go!’ It was like, ‘Wow!’ … And then Justin Jefferson, they couldn’t cover him. And plus, our defense played very well, too.”

In sports, coaches never want to admit that they counted a game as a win until the final buzzer sounds. But with a 35-point lead at halftime and players performing like LSU did that day, it was tough for Orgeron not to be amazed. Even he couldn’t hide it.

“You’re right, Big Cat. As a coach, you rarely want to say that,” Orgeron said. “But there’s sometimes you’ve got to say, ‘look at this shit, man.'”