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Ed Orgeron offers support, thanks Houston in wake of Hurricane Ida

Tim Verghese (1)by: Tim Verghese08/31/21TimVerghese

LSU head coach Ed Orgeron sent out a tweet Monday night, sending prayers to Louisiana and offering thanks to the city of Houston and the Houston Texans in wake of Hurricane Ida.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to our great fans in the state of Louisiana,” Orgeron wrote. “Our team is safe in Houston preparing to give our fans a great game. We want thank the City of Houston and the Houston Texans for their hospitality. Geaux Tigers”

Around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, LSU hit the road for Houston. The team buses were on the road for over 10 hours on what is usually a trip that takes four hours as residents of Louisiana evacuated ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Ida, according to Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger. The Tigers will spend the week in Houston practicing for their game at UCLA on Saturday.

UCLA got its season underway last Saturday with a 44-10 victory over Hawaii. The Tigers will fly to Los Angeles on Thursday.

Ed Orgeron and the LSU Tigers are currently scheduled to host McNeese State and Central Michigan at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge in the following two weeks. Hurricane Ida could affect the timing and/or location of both games.

Hurricane Ida, a Category 4 storm, made landfall on Saturday afternoon, leaving the entire southeastern section of the state, including New Orleans without power.

Hurricane Ida has impacted multiple programs

In addition to LSU, Tulane, located in New Orleans, has also been forced to relocate ahead of Hurricane Ida’s arrival. The Green Wave will relocate to Birmingham, Alabama for the week before hosting second-ranked Oklahoma to open the season. The game, originally scheduled to be played at Tulane, will now be played at Oklahoma.

The New Orleans Saints have also been forced to evacuate. The Saints will relocate to AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas for the next couple of days.

2021 LSU outlook

LSU is ranked 16th in the preseason AP Top 25 poll. Last season, LSU finished at 5-5. Ed Orgeron and the Tigers look to rally and return to their 2019 form, which saw the Tigers hoist the national championship trophy after a 15-0 season.

Quarterback Myles Brennan went down with an injury during the preseason, opening the door for Max Johnson to emerge as the offensive leader. Tyrion Davis-Price and John Emery Jr. headline a deep running back room that runs behind a veteran offensive line. Kayshon Boutte and Brian Thomas Jr. lead the wide receiver room.

The front seven complements a talented secondary on defense. Cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. is the star of the show, looking to duplicate his 2019 season which featured six interceptions. Eli Ricks emerged as a second corner last season, and the team adds Georgia transfer safety Major Burns and Clemson transfer linebacker Mike Jones Jr. to the starting lineup, too.