Ed Orgeron Shares Just How Simple His Job Was During LSU's 2019 Season

Ed Orgeron stood in front of a room full of Louisiana high school coaches on Tuesday and did what he does best: told stories. It was his first public appearance since rejoining LSU's staff, and the crowd at the LHSCA clinic in Baton Rouge got a front-row seat to Coach O in his element.

Orgeron wasn't just randomly reminiscing about the 2019 national championship season at the clinic; he was talking about his time at LSU before becoming an assistant on Lane Kiffin's staff, the same Kiffin he's known since well before his tenure at LSU.

Fittingly, Orgeron used the platform to sing Kiffin's praises, even as he leaned on old war stories from the Joe Burrow era to make his points. The result was a classic Coach O talk that felt like story time. But that was all under the mask of a coaching clinic.

The Bus Rule

Sep 21, 2019; Nashville, TN, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron walks through fans after exiting the bus before the game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Orgeron's philosophy in 2019 boiled down to trusting his best player to run the show. He made that point with a simple anecdote about how the team traveled to games.

"If the bus left at 2:30, I got on the bus and looked for Joe," Orgeron said. "If Joe (Burrow) was on the bus, the bus was leaving. Joe wasn't on the bus; the bus wasn't leaving."

This captures how much trust Burrow had earned that season. Orgeron always knew that no matter what, Burrow was the leading driver of LSU's success in 2019.

Keep It Simple, Baby

The gameplan, as Orgeron told it, was refreshingly uncomplicated. He didn't need a complex script when he had Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Justin Jefferson on the field together.

"When we got to the stadium, I said, 'Hey Joe, throw the ball to Ja'Marr (Chase). If he ain't open, throw it to Justin (Jefferson). Ready, break baby, here we go,'" Orgeron said.

That kind of shorthand only works with elite talent, and Orgeron knows it. The 2019 team has been the standard of championships for a reason. It's because of how little coaching seemed required while the right pieces are in place. That's what makes 2019 such a magical season for LSU.

The Plan Worked To Perfection

Dec 28, 2019; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; LSU Tigers wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) greets quarterback Joe Burrow (9) before the 2019 Peach Bowl college football playoff semifinal game between the LSU Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

Burrow led LSU to a 15-0 season and the program's fourth national championship and third in two decades. His two main options were Chase and Jefferson, in that order, as Orgeron said.

Burrow completed 402 of 527 passes for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns that season, adding 368 rushing yards and five scores on the ground.

He set all-time NCAA records for single-season touchdown passes with 60 and touchdowns accounted for with 65, all while hitting a completion percentage of 76.3%.

He capped the year with the Heisman Trophy, winning by the largest margin in history, Davey O'Brien Award and being named a Unanimous All-American. But all of that was wrapped up when he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the championship after throwing for 463 yards and five touchdowns against Clemson.

But on that path to a championship, Burrow had Chase and Jefferson on speed dial in the pocket, going to them around 53% of the time he completed a pass.

Chase led the FBS in receiving yards with 1,780 yards on just 84 catches. That's good for a 21.2 average, all while recording a touchdown on average in every four catches. Those 20 touchdowns set an SEC record.

His historic 2019 season earned him the Fred Biletnikoff Award, unanimous All-American recognition and First-team All-SEC honors.

But when Chase was covered by one or more of the opposition's best corners, Burrow turned to another star: Jefferson.

Jefferson caught 111 passes for 1,540 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns across 15 games, which is about a 26% share of LSU's receiving offense. His 111 receptions shattered LSU's single-season record at the time.

But he didn't hit his stride until the postseason, when he broke out his star status into a superstar. In the Peach Bowl and semifinal win over Oklahoma, he set CFP semifinal records with 14 catches, 227 yards and four touchdowns. And that all came as the No. 2 receiver.

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