LSU fans are a different breed. We remember specific Saturdays by the smell of the bourbon or the humidity hanging over Death Valley, and honestly, looking back at the LSU schedule 2018 football run feels like watching a grainy prequel to a blockbuster movie. It was the year everything started to click, even if we didn't quite realize it yet.
Joe Burrow arrived. That’s the headline. But before he was "Joe Shiesty" or a Heisman winner, he was just a guy from Ohio State who couldn't win the starting job there, wandering into Baton Rouge with a chip on his shoulder the size of the Mississippi River. Ed Orgeron was still fighting the narrative that he was just a placeholder coach who sounded like he had a throat full of gravel. The 2018 season wasn't perfect, but it was the necessary, gritty foundation for the legendary 2019 run. If you look at the schedule, it was a gauntlet.
The Brutal Opener and the Burrow Debut
Everyone was nervous. Opening against No. 8 Miami in Arlington for the Advocare Classic felt like a trap. People forget that Miami was "back" according to the media at the time. LSU wasn't supposed to be much. We were ranked 25th, basically a courtesy ranking because of the brand name.
Then the game happened. LSU won 33-17. It wasn't just the win; it was the way the Tigers physically bullied a Top 10 team. Nick Brossette ran like a man possessed, putting up 125 yards and two scores. Burrow didn't put up video game numbers—he was 11-of-24—but he showed he could lead. He took hits. He stood in the pocket. You could see the "it" factor starting to simmer.
The following week was a breather against Southeastern Louisiana, a 31-0 shutout that served as a glorified practice. But the real test, the one that proved the LSU schedule 2018 football path was going to be special, came in Week 3.
Auburn. At Jordan-Hare.
The Cole Tracy Game
I still think about that kick.
Auburn was ranked No. 7. LSU was No. 12. It was a classic SEC slugfest where every yard felt like it was earned in a trench war. LSU trailed 21-10 in the third quarter. In years prior, that was usually the end of the story for an LSU offense that lacked a vertical threat. But Burrow started finding his rhythm. He hit Derrick Dillon for a 71-yard touchdown that shifted the entire energy of the stadium.
Then came the final drive. Cole Tracy, a graduate transfer from Division II Assumption College, stepped onto the field with no time left. A 42-yard field goal to win it. He nailed it. LSU won 22-21. That was the moment the 2018 season shifted from "let’s see what happens" to "we might actually be contenders." It was LSU's first win at Auburn since 2012. You don't just win those games by accident.
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Mid-Season Reality Checks and the Florida Hiccup
After disposing of Louisiana Tech and Ole Miss (a 45-16 blowout where Burrow really started looking comfortable), the Tigers headed to Gainesville.
Florida away is always a nightmare. 2018 was no different.
The Tigers lost 27-19. It was a frustrating game. Burrow threw two interceptions, including a late pick-six to Brad Stewart Jr. that sealed the deal. It felt like the same old LSU for a second—great defense, but an offense that would stall out when the lights got too bright. The skeptics came back out. "Burrow is just a game manager," they said. "Orgeron can't win the big one on the road," they whispered.
But looking back at the LSU schedule 2018 football results, that loss was a wake-up call. The very next week, No. 2 Georgia came to Tiger Stadium.
Stomping the Bulldogs
If you want to know what peak Death Valley feels like, go back and watch the highlights of the 2018 Georgia game. The Bulldogs were heavy favorites. LSU was coming off a loss.
Final score: LSU 36, Georgia 16.
The Tigers didn't just win; they embarrassed a team that was supposedly headed for the College Football Playoff. The defense forced four turnovers. The fans stormed the field. It was the loudest I’d heard that stadium in years. It served as a reminder that when LSU is "on," there isn't a team in the country that wants to step foot in Baton Rouge.
The momentum carried through a 19-3 win over Mississippi State. Then came the wall. The Alabama wall.
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The 29-0 Heartbreak
We have to talk about it. You can't discuss the LSU schedule 2018 football season without the Bama game.
It was a shutout. 29-0. At home.
Tua Tagovailoa was at the height of his powers, and LSU’s offense looked completely lost. It was humiliating. It felt like no matter how much progress LSU made, Nick Saban was always going to be the ceiling. But this loss was different than the ones under Les Miles. It wasn't a lack of talent; it was a realization that the scheme had to change. This game, as painful as it was, was the direct catalyst for Joe Brady being hired and the 2019 offensive explosion.
Burrow took a beating that night. He was sacked constantly. But he never quit. He stayed in the pocket until the final whistle. That toughness earned him the locker room forever.
The Seven-Overtime Madness at A&M
The end of the regular season featured a 24-17 win over Arkansas and a 42-10 dismantling of Rice. Then came the finale against Texas A&M.
74-72.
Seven overtimes.
It was the highest-scoring game in FBS history at the time. It was absurd. It was exhausting. It featured a "premature Gatorade bath" for Jimbo Fisher and a controversial "down" call on a Kellen Mond fumble that LSU fans still complain about at bars to this day. LSU lost, but the game was so legendary it almost didn't feel like a loss. It felt like a fever dream. Burrow accounted for six touchdowns. He was literally being given IV fluids between overtime periods.
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The Fiesta Bowl: A Glimpse of the Future
LSU finished the regular season 9-3. They were sent to the Fiesta Bowl to play an undefeated UCF team that claimed they were the "national champions" from the year before. UCF had a 25-game winning streak.
The game started disastrously. Burrow threw a pick-six and then got absolutely leveled by a blindside hit. He stayed on the ground for a long time. Every LSU fan held their breath.
He got up. He spat out some grass. And then he destroyed them.
LSU won 40-32. Burrow threw for 394 yards and four touchdowns. It was the "coming out party." The LSU schedule 2018 football season ended with a 10-3 record and a top-six ranking. It was the first time LSU had won 10 games since 2013.
Why the 2018 Season Still Matters
Most people skip 2018 and go straight to the 15-0 season of 2019. That's a mistake. 2018 was where the culture shifted.
- The QB Search Ended: For the first time in a decade, LSU knew exactly who their starter was going into the spring.
- The Defense Proved Elite: Players like Devin White and Grant Delpit were playing at an NFL level, keeping LSU in games even when the offense sputtered.
- The Scheme Evolution: The failures against Alabama and Florida forced Orgeron to look in the mirror and realize the "I-formation" era was dead.
Key Lessons for LSU Fans and Analysts
If you're looking back at this season for research or just nostalgia, there are a few practical things to take away.
- Don't overreact to early losses: The Florida loss looked like a season-ender, but the bounce-back against Georgia showed the resilience of the squad.
- Transfer QBs take time: Burrow didn't look like a superstar until the second half of the season. Patience is a virtue.
- Schedule strength matters: LSU played one of the hardest schedules in the country in 2018. That battle-hardening is what made them unbeatable a year later.
The 2018 season was the bridge. It was the moment LSU stopped being a "tough defensive team" and started the transition into a modern football powerhouse. You can't have the 2019 ring without the 2018 bruises.
To truly understand the trajectory of the program, look at the box scores from that November stretch. Look at the way the team responded after the Bama shutout. They didn't fold; they got angry. That anger fueled a 10-win season and set the stage for the greatest single-season team in the history of college football.
If you want to dive deeper into the stats of that year, check out the official LSU Sports Archive for a game-by-game breakdown of the player stats. It's wild to see the jump guys like Justin Jefferson made between 2018 and 2019.
Next Steps for LSU Historians:
- Compare the 2018 offensive stats against the 2019 explosion to see exactly where the "Joe Brady effect" took hold.
- Watch the full replay of the LSU vs. Georgia 2018 game to see how the crowd noise literally rattled Jake Fromm.
- Review the 2018 recruiting class that supplemented this roster, particularly the defensive backs who eventually went pro.