Five years ago at this time, LSU was in the midst of putting the finishing touches on the football program’s greatest season in history – a 13-0 national championship.
The Tigers of coach Ed Orgeron were No. 1 in the nation and 11-0 on the season going into a Dec. 28 game against No. 4 Oklahoma (12-1) in a national semifinal Peach Bowl in Atlanta. Quarterback Joe Burrow was fresh off winning LSU’s first Heisman Trophy since Billy Cannon after the 1959 season.
A transfer from Ohio State before the 2018 season without having to sit out via the NCAA Graduate Transfer rule, Burrow was a mature graduate of Ohio State in three years, which allowed him to play immediately at LSU. Yes, things made much more sense in these days as non-graduate players were forced to think about their transfer decisions as the rule smartly required a year of sitting out before playing for a new school.
LSU DOMINATING TRANSFER PORTAL
Burrow was the hottest quarterback in America at this time in 2019 and would finish No. 1 in the nation in passing efficiency at 202.0, passing yards with 5,671 and in touchdown passes with a Ruthian 60. Under a bright and rising young new passing game coordinator named Joe Brady, Burrow blossomed as LSU finished No. 1 in the nation in total offense with 568.4 yards a game and in scoring with a 48.4-point average.
LSU’s defense in 2019 was also led by a wunderkind coordinator in Dave Aranda in his fourth season after brief but very successful stints at Hawaii, Utah State and Wisconsin. LSU and Burrow disposed of Oklahoma, 63-28, behind 493 passing yards from Burrow, who threw all seven of his bowl record tying seven touchdowns in the first half as the Tigers took a 49-14 lead. Then LSU beat No. 3 Clemson, 42-25, for the national title in the Superdome on Jan. 13, 2020.
The next day, Aranda made it public he would be Baylor’s new football coach. Fast forward five years, and Aranda’s Bears (8-4) play LSU (8-4) in the Texas Bowl in Houston on Tuesday, Dec. 31 (2:30 p.m., ESPN), in 72,220-seat NRG Stadium.
“I know there’s a lot of pride, and a lot of history that goes with that school,” Aranda said on a Texas Bowl teleconference before Christmas. “To be able to compete against all that is something that I know everyone over here is looking forward to.”
LSU’s COREY RAYMOND REUNITED WITH DAVE ARANDA
Aranda will be reunited with LSU defensive backs coach Corey Raymond, who was Aranda’s cornerbacks coach in the 2019 season before serving as its recruiting coordinator in 2020 and ’21. After two seasons at Florida, Raymond returned to LSU before the 2024 season.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Corey,” Aranda said. “He’s one of the top cornerback and defensive back coaches in the country. What he does recruiting-wise, coaching-wise, what he does as a mentor, schematically, he’s as good as it gets. It’ll be good to see him.”
Aranda also worked with LSU’s current director of administration Austin Thomas in the 2016 and ’17 seasons at LSU when Thomas was involved in recruiting. Thomas worked in personnel for Aranda in his first year at Baylor in 2020. Aranda’s current outside linebacker coach, Caleb Collins, was an analyst at LSU in the 2019 season. And Baylor director of athletic performance Tim Johnson was an assistant strength coach at LSU from 2018-20.
“Austin was there in the early years I was there,” Aranda said. “He’s a great thinker and planner and organizer. It’ll bee good to see all those guys.”
Aranda also may remember LSU sixth-year senior running back Josh Williams, who was a true freshman in 2019.
“I guess so,” Williams said last week when reminded he was with the Tigers with Aranda. “I have all positive things to say about coach Aranda. Great coach. We’re excited to see him again, at least I am.”
DAVE ARANDA ALSO HAD 3-GAME LOSING SKID
Aranda was nearly on his way to his second job since LSU this season after a 2-4 start. Much like LSU, Baylor’s season turned south in a three-game losing streak – 38-31 in overtime at Colorado, 34-28 to No. 22 BYU and 43-21 at No. 16 Iowa State in September. But the Bears won their next six to finish 8-4 and 6-3 in the Big 12 for a fifth-place tie.
“More than anything, there wasn’t any panic,” Aranda said. “There wasn’t any doubt. There wasn’t any, ‘Hey, we have to totally throw this away and do something new.’ There wasn’t any disbelief. That’s the biggest thing. Everybody knew that we had ourselves a good team. They believed good things were coming even if it was kind of sight unseen at the time.”
Baylor did not beat a ranked team in its six-game winning streak to end the season, but it averaged 41 points a game over that span. The Bears have to score to win. Aranda’s defense is currently No. 84 in the country in the total yards allowed category with 382.8.
While at LSU in 2019, Aranda also enjoyed great offenses because they hid his defense. Aranda’s last LSU defense finished eighth in the SEC and 31st nationally in total yards allowed with 343.5 a game. The last LSU defensive coordinator to finish No. 1 in a major SEC category was John Chavis in 2014 as his Tigers finished at the top in total defense (316.8 yards allowed a game) and in pass defense (164. 2 a game). And that was with a less than progressive offense at the time.
Current LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker is LSU’s fourth DC since Aranda after Bo Pelini (2020), Daronte Jones (2021) and Matt House (2022-23).
“I know there’s a bunch of talent at LSU,” Aranda said. “They have the ability to put a bunch of points on you in a hurry.”
LSU is No. 27 in the nation in total offense with 431.9 yards a game this season, and quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is sixth nationally in passing yards with 3,739 as he has thrown 31 touchdowns with 11 interceptions.
“Nuss does a great job of identifying coverages and checking into the right plays,” Aranda said. “And they’ve got guys wo can win one-on-one matchups inside and outside. And so, just a real dangerous team.”
NOTES: Baylor is a 1.5-point favorite over the Tigers … LSU high school signee DJ Pickett, the No. 2 cornerback in the nation and No. 8 prospect overall by 247sports.com’s composite rankings from Zephyrhills, Florida, has been practicing with the Tigers during bowl preparations. He signed during the December early signing period.
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