LSU was on the verge of ending its 2020 season in a historically negative light.The Tigers had to travel to No. 6 Florida before hosting a hot Ole Miss squad in back-to-back weeks before inevitably jumping on the coaching carousel throughout the postseason for its multitude of staff changes.But things have taken a brighter turn for LSU since that low point of being 3-5, as the Tigers rattled off a massive upset win over the Gators followed by a shootout victory against the Rebels. Freshman wide receiver Kayshon Boutte set a new LSU record with 308 receiving yards in the season finale, giving fans some newfound optimism to close out the year.Since then, the Tigers have put together the No. 3 ranked recruiting class in the country after the early signing period and made two exciting coaching hires on offense.On this week's episode of the Tiger Pride Podcast, co-hosts Mark Clements and Jerit Roser talk about what new offensive coordinator Jake Peetz and passing game coordinator DJ Mangas might bring to the LSU attack and take an early look at how the 2021 Tigers might be shaping up.LSU is still in the market for a new defensive coordinator, so be on the lookout for upcoming episodes of the podcast for further analysis and a peek at how the Tigers could finish filling out their star-studded recruiting class.Check out the full podcast below or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. We welcome all your interactions on 225‘s social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or follow Mark and Jerit on Twitter for any questions you might have.

Tiger Pride Podcast

S4E20: After a rough 2020 season, LSU is trending up heading into the new year

Nothing seemed to be going LSU's way a week ago.The Tigers were on track for a losing record. Another major player opted out of the season. The defense couldn't stop anybody. The offense was struggling.All signs pointed to Florida blowing out LSU and adding insult to injury on what's been an already painful year.But in typical 2020 fashion, we were all thrown for another loop. The Tigers pulled off possibly the biggest upset of the college football season by beating the Gators, 37-34.LSU came up with big play after big play thanks to the performance of quarterback Max Johnson, who was making his first career start that night. But it was another throw by the opposing team that will be remembered most.After getting a third down stop that would have forced the Tigers to punt late in the fourth quarter, Florida cornerback Marco Wilson grabbed Tiger tight end Kole Taylor's shoe that had fallen off and launched it 20 yards down field in celebration.It resulted in a 15 yard penalty that kept LSU's drive alive. A few plays later, kicker Cade York booted a school-record 57-yard field goal through the foggy air to give the Tigers the upset over the Gators.It's been essentially nothing but good news since then. LSU followed that up by putting together the third best recruiting class in the country through the early signing period, which kicked off Wednesday.Headlined by five-star talents like defensive tackle Maason Smith and defensive back Sage Ryan, the Tigers signed 19 recruits this week and currently sit No. 3 in the nation behind Alabama and Ohio.On this week's episode of the Tiger Pride Podcast, co-hosts Mark Clements and Jerit Roser talk about the importance of LSU's win over Florida, preview the upcoming game against Ole Miss and run through the Tigers' massive recruiting haul.How did that win against Florida make y'all feel about LSU's outlook? Which player from this year's signing class are you most excited to see? Let us know in the comments!Check out the full podcast below or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. We welcome all your interactions on 225‘s social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or follow Mark and Jerit on Twitter for any questions you might have.

S4E19: After a season full of bad news, LSU has its best week of the 2020 season

No one honestly predicted or expected LSU to beat Alabama.The Tide are the top-ranked team in the country, and the Tigers are going through one of their toughest seasons in recent memory. So the 55-17 final score didn't really surprise many around Baton Rouge.But that in itself is part of the problem. LSU is just one year removed from possibly the greatest season in the history of college football, and less than 12 months later is unsurprised by a 40-point defeat to the rivals that you aim to become.It's been tough to find many positives surrounding LSU football this season, and the news that has trickled out since Saturday's blowout has made it even more challenging. Five-star tight end Arik Gilbert has decided to opt out for the rest of the season, and he may even be considering transferring from the program.Other reports suggest there could be several more Tigers opting out before the end of the season. Add to it the fact that the early signing period for high school athletes is less than a week away and the near future of LSU's program is seemingly in the balance.On this week's episode of the Tiger Pride Podcast, co-hosts Mark Clements and Jerit Roser talk go through all the major talking points regarding the LSU football program and try to find some semblance of positivity to spread around Baton Rouge.It still may not be pretty on the field when LSU travels to take on No. 6 Florida this weekend, but this year's signing class has the potential to bring some good news to Tiger fans.Check out the full podcast below or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. We welcome all your interactions on 225‘s social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or follow Mark and Jerit on Twitter for any questions you might have.

S4E18: Trying to find some positives during a dark season of LSU football

There was one sequence during LSU&apos;s 20-7 loss to No. 5 Texas A&M on Saturday that seemed to sum up how the season has gone for the Tigers.The Tigers trailed the Aggies 10-0 in the second quarter when Quarterback T.J. Finley dropped back to pass. He delivered a beautifully weighted pass that receiver Kayshon Boutte appeared to catch as he fell into the front corner of the endzone for a touchdown.The play was ultimately reviewed and overturned, ruling that Boutte bobbled the pass as he went to the ground and out of bounds. The very next play, another Finley pass got ricocheted into the air and intercepted by Texas A&M. Just like that, LSU lost seven points and the football.It was a fitting picture of how 2020 has gone for the Tigers — as soon as you think you&apos;ve got a good thing going, something else goes drastically wrong.On a night where the defense played its best game of the season, the offense couldn&apos;t get anything going. The Tiger defense held the Aggies to their second lowest point total and fewest passing yards on the season, but the offense also put up its  fewest points all year in the defeat.It doesn&apos;t get much easier for LSU moving forward either. It&apos;ll face No. 1 Alabama this weekend before a trip to No. 6 Florida in two weeks.On this week&apos;s episode of the Tiger Pride Podcast, co-hosts Mark Clements and Jerit Roser break down the loss to the Aggies and tell you what you can look forward to in these coming weeks even with a pair of tough games on the horizon.Check out the full podcast below or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. We welcome all your interactions on 225‘s social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or follow Mark and Jerit on Twitter for any questions you might have.

S4E17: LSU's dreary season only looks darker moving forward

S4E16: Can LSU find a way to stop Texas A&M's hot season?

If we would have told you a year ago (or even just a few months ago) that LSU would enter the Arkansas game as the underdog, you probably would have said we were crazy.But that's just par for the course for what 2020 has offered.The Razorbacks opened as a 1.5 point favorite to beat the Tigers, who have had a rocky, chaotic start to the season. Now granted, betting odds have moved back in favor of LSU, which is now about a 2 or 2.5 points favorite to win Saturday, but the notion still stands. The defending national champs are less than a field goal difference to a team that lost 20 straight SEC games until earlier this year.Even worse? The game that snapped that losing streak for Arkansas was a win again Mississippi State, which set passing records in an opening-week win against LSU.We don't need to recap too much of this brutal season. Tiger fans have lived through it and are fully aware of what has unfolded. But this Arkansas game that was probably penciled in as a win for LSU by most fans has turned into a pivotal contest for the Tigers moving forward.LSU will have the luxury of an extra off week after the Alabama game was cancelled/postponed a week ago, which could play into the Tigers' benefit as they look to shore up the defense and get true freshman quarterback T.J. Finely more comfortable with the offense.They'll go against a Razorback defense that is tied for fourth in the country with a +8 turnover margin, along with an offense that has been surprisingly efficient with Feleipe Franks under center.The LSU defense has struggled against several SEC quarterbacks this season, and Franks currently sits as the league's No. 4 passer with 1,678 yards this season.What kind of performance do you expect out of the Tigers this weekend? Do you think a win against Arkansas can get them back on track? Let us know in the comments below!Check out the full podcast below or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. We welcome all your interactions on 225‘s social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or follow Mark and Jerit on Twitter for any questions you might have.We also wanted to note that while we are fully aware and disgusted with the recent USA Today report that LSU ignored several sexual misconduct complaints against multiple athletes, we decided not to address it on the podcast quite yet. This is a very delicate and damning report, and as such, we want to make sure we're responsible with our coverage of it.What we will say is that there is absolutely no place for this in any environment, but in particular, at a university that we in this city love.

S4E15: What can we expect from LSU after two weeks off?

Forget The Exorcist, Silence of the Lambs or The Shining—The scariest movie LSU fans saw Halloween weekend was Auburn's 48-11 trouncing of the Tigers on Saturday afternoon.Nearly nothing went right for LSU in the loss, which was the program's worst defeat in 24 years. Freshman quarterback T.J. Finley, who had a great performance last week in a win against South Carolina, struggled all afternoon in his second career start. He finished the day 13-of-24 passing for 172 yards, two interceptions and a fumble before being replaced by fellow freshman Max Johnson, who faired only slightly better by throwing for 172 yards and a touchdown.The Tiger defense did have one of its best quarters of the season to open the contest before Auburn opened the floodgates in the route. Bo Nix passed for 300 yards and three touchdowns on LSU's secondary while rushing for 81 yards and another score.And while Saturday may have felt like a new low point in LSU's season, the worst may still be yet to come. The Tigers still have Alabama, Texas A&M and Florida all left on the schedule, as well as revamped Arkansas and Ole Miss, which have already surprised some people.On this week's episode of the Tiger Pride Podcast, co-hosts Mark Clements and Jerit Roser go through all the bad and the ugly (there wasn't enough good) of LSU's loss to Auburn and what the Tigers need to focus on during the bye week.Can the defense be fixed? Is the offense now a cause of concern too? Will Bo Pelini make it to the end of the season? Let us know your thoughts.Check out the full podcast below or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. We welcome all your interactions on 225‘s social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or follow Mark and Jerit on Twitter for any questions you might have.

S4E14: How can LSU come back from its worst performance of the season?

It's spooky season, and there aren't many things scarier than picturing LSU entering the second half of its season with a 1-3 record and teams like Auburn, Alabama and Texas A&M on the horizon.Luckily, the Tigers put together what was easily their most complete performance of the 2020 campaign in a 52-24 win against South Carolina. True freshman quarterback T.J. Finley stole the headlines with his stellar performance, throwing for 265 yards and two touchdowns while looking poised beyond his years in the process.The LSU offense line opened plenty of holes for the running game as well, which piled up 276 yards on the ground thanks for strong showings from John Emery Jr. and Ty Davis-Price.The Tiger defense, which has rightfully had plenty of questions thrown its way this season, still had some struggling moments but looked improved overall. At the very least it was a small step in the right direction for a unit trying to get back on course.LSU will have to put it all together again this weekend as it travels to Auburn to take on a scrappy 3-2 Tigers team looking for revenge from the past three seasons. Finely will likely slot in as the starter again with Myles Brennan recovering from his injury, and he'll need an even better performance this week.How do you feel about LSU's chances against Auburn? Which Tigers will come out on top? Let us know your thoughts!Check out the full podcast below or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. We welcome all your interactions on 225‘s social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or follow Mark and Jerit on Twitter for any questions you might have.

S4E13: Why LSU's win against South Carolina could be a spark for the rest of the season

After the unforgettable, enjoyable, entertaining 2019 season, LSU can't seem to catch a break in 2020.The start to the season has been a frustrating one: the new defensive system isn't clicking quite yet, the schedule turned out to be tougher than initially thought and a slew of new players have struggled to gel early on.Just to add insult to injury—or in this case, injury to insult—redshirt junior quarterback Myles Brennan has suffered an abdominal tear which will likely keep him out this weekend against South Carolina. and possibly even longer. Nothing is finalized quite yet, but Coach O went as far as using the word "miraculous" when asked about the chances of Brennan suiting up Saturday.That leaves the Tiger offense in the hands of either T.J. Finely or Max Johnson, both true freshman who have never played a snap of football in college. Orgeron has had high praise for both signal-callers, but it's still yet to be seen how college-ready either of them are.Finley is a bigger, strong-armed pocket passer from Ponchatoula, who was rated as the top quarterback out of Louisiana last year. Johnson is the son of Super Bowl-winning quarterback Brad Johnson and nephew of former Georgia and Miami head coach Mark Richt. He was a four-star prospect out of Watkinsville, Georgia, and boasts an accurate left arm to go along with his dual-threat capabilities.At the time of publish, Orgeron hasn't yet named a starter but has reassured that both young quarterbacks will play Saturday. All that is setting up for quite a challenging day for LSU, which will be simultaneously trying to fix a broken down defense and game plan for true freshman quarterback.How are you feeling about the matchup with the Gamecocks? Which quarterback are you more excited to see? Let us know in the comments below.Check out the full podcast below or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. We welcome all your interactions on 225‘s social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or follow Mark and Jerit on Twitter for any questions you might have.

S4E12: Can a true freshman quarterback get LSU back on track?

It's been a rough start to the 2020 season for LSU.The opening week defeat to Mississippi State was one thing, but giving up a whopping 45 points to Missouri—which had previously averaged about 15 points per game—was another. The opposing Tigers punted the ball just once all afternoon as they racked up 586 yards of total offense.LSU gave up big play after big, including touchdowns of 58, 29, 16, 41 and 21 yards. It was a performance that was simply, but accurately summed up by Coach O after the game as "embarrassing."So it didn't look great for the Tigers entering Saturday's scheduled matchup with No. 10 Florida, which was averaging more than 42 points per game through three weeks. But Wednesday afternoon, Florida announced that roughly 22 players and a few additional coaches have all tested positive for COVID-19 and the SEC showdown would be moved to December 12.It's never a good thing to have players and coaches exposed to the virus, but the break in the season may work in LSU's favor. The Tigers now have an extra week to regroup, reassess and reset their minds defensively before going back out on the field.So what can LSU do to fix their defensive problems? Tiger Pride Podcast co-hosts Mark Clements and Jerit Roser run through all the glaring issues and where some answers may be found moving forward.Check out the full podcast below or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. We welcome all your interactions on 225‘s social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or follow Mark and Jerit on Twitter for any questions you might have.

S4E11: Rescheduling the Florida game couldn't have come at a better time for LSU

LSU left a lot to be desired after its Week 1 loss to Mississippi State at home.The defense looked (historically) bad. The offense was more inconsistent than expected. The running game didn&apos;t have a major impact.The Tigers had a lot of things they needed to clean up if they wanted to salvage what they could from this weird, shortened 2020 season. Luckily, a lot of those positive changes were on full display Saturday as LSU cruised to a 41-7 win at Vanderbilt.Myles Brennan, who was probably overly-criticized after his performance against the Bulldogs, eclipsed 300 yards yet again while throwing for 4 touchdowns. John Emery Jr. broke the 100-yard mark on the ground and looked good doing it. And the defense, with the help of Derek Stingley Jr. this time, gave up just 113 pass yards.It was a much better all-around performance for the Tigers, who needed to build some confidence on both sides of the ball before heading into the brutal stretch of games on the horizon. LSU&apos;s matchup with 0-2 Missouri this Saturday will be another chance to "tune-up" for the Tigers.On this week&apos;s episode of the Tiger Pride Podcast, co-hosts Mark Clements and Jerit Roser react to LSU&apos;s 34-point win against the Commodores and tell you why there could be even more positive signs in the future. How do you all feel about this year&apos;s LSU team after the first two weeks of the season? Let us know in the comments below!Check out the full podcast below or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. We welcome all your interactions on 225‘s social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or follow Mark and Jerit on Twitter for any questions you might have.

S4E10: LSU's convincing win against Vanderbilt was just the bounce back the Tigers needed

Look, Saturday&apos;s game was bad for a lot of reasons.The defense had one of the worst performances we&apos;ve seen in years, the offense lacked its now-familiar consistency and the end result was a 44-34 loss to a Mississippi State team that LSU has historically dominated.There are plenty of reasons for fans to be upset/disappointed/concerned. But even with all the negatives that seem to be overloading the internet and the "Twitter machine" as Coach O calls it, there were actually a good deal of positives to draw from the loss as well.In this week&apos;s episode of the Tiger Pride Podcast, co-hosts Mark Clements and Jerit take you through it all: the bad, the good and what this team needs to do moving forward to salvage what they can of the season.It was certainly a disappointing start, but it&apos;s still far from over. Feel free to leave your rants in the comments section or on our social media pages..Check out the full podcast below or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. We welcome all your interactions on 225‘s social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or follow Mark and Jerit on Twitter for any questions you might have.

S4E9: No need to panic despite LSU's record-setting loss to Mississippi State

It's finally here, y'all.It feels like forever ago that we watched LSU take down Clemson in New Orleans to complete its magical, record-breaking 15-0 run to the national championship.Since then, it hasn't been easy. It hasn't been fun. And it certainly hasn't been a certainty. But football is finally back in Baton Rouge.Now, we won't have football to the full effect—there can't be any tailgating, the band can't march down Victory Hill and Tiger Stadium will hold just 25,000 fans—but hey, at this point, we'll definitely take it.LSU will take on Mississippi State in the season-opener of its 10-game, SEC-only schedule on Saturday afternoon. It'll be a new-look LSU, with plenty of turnover both on offense and defense, but there is still good reason to believe the Tigers are in for another special season.And it all starts with the Bulldogs on Saturday. In this episode of the Tiger Pride Podcast, co-hosts Mark Clements and Jerit Roser run through the latest LSU headlines before breaking down the matchup with Mississippi State.The duo dissects where the Tigers may claim an advantage, and where the Bulldogs might have their successes. How do you think LSU will do in the season opener?Check out the full podcast below or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. We welcome all your interactions on 225‘s social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or follow Mark and Jerit on Twitter for any questions you might have.

S4E8: Why LSU's defense will lead the Tigers to a season-opening win against Mississippi State

It&apos;s safe to say Dave Aranda was well-liked during his time at LSU.The Tigers boasted top defenses every year under his tenure and he brought a modernized, aggressive and fun defense to Baton Rouge. That&apos;s why it was eye-opening to hear Ed Orgeron say the 2020 defense—under new defensive coordinator Bo Pelini, who takes a more "old school" approach—was "so much better ... than any part of the season last year."Whoah.Maybe it shouldn&apos;t be all that surprising given some of the talent LSU still has in its ranks on that side of the ball. Derek Stingley Jr. headlines the group, who is anchored by a deep defensive line, exciting talents at linebacker and a unit that will almost assuredly rank as one of the nation&apos;s best secondaries.On this week&apos;s episode of the Tiger Pride Podcast, co-hosts Mark Clements and Jerit Roser go position-by-position to break down LSU&apos;s defense and give predictions on who some of the standout players may be moving forward.Do you think the Tigers will be even better than a year ago defensively?Check out the full podcast below or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. We welcome all your interactions on 225‘s social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or follow Mark and Jerit on Twitter for any questions you might have.

S4E7: LSU's defense is already looking "so much better" than last year

No, it won't be easy to replicate what LSU did offensively last season.Numerically it may may never be done again in our lifetime, but philosophically, the offense can still run similarly to what the defending national champions put together.The style of play hasn't changed, the playbook hasn't changed (drastically) and the goals for the offense haven't changed, but the players have. But even with the loss of stars like Joe Burrow, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, LSU still has plenty of talented, albeit unproven, fire power in the arsenal ready to roll this fall.Things will now to turn over to the hands of Myles Brennan, Terrace Marshall, Arik Gilbert and a stable of running backs to try and repeat the production of the 2019 Tigers. There's plenty of reasons to be hesitant about this new crew, but there's equally as much optimism for what these young talents can bring to the table.On this week's Episode of the Tiger Pride Podcast, co-hosts Mark Clements and Jerit Roser walk through the new-look LSU offense postition-by-position, give their outlook on how each spot with shape up and jot down their statistical predictions for each group.How do you think the Tiger offense will look in 2020?Check out the full podcast below or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. We welcome all your interactions on 225‘s social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or follow Mark and Jerit on Twitter for any questions you might have.

S4E6: Why LSU will still boast a high-powered offense despite all the key departures

The Tiger Pride Podcast will take you inside all things LSU football, from the players and personnel to the tailgaters and trendsetters, to celebrate the passion and pageantry that makes Tiger Nation great.

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Tiger Pride Podcast

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