Better? Worse?

Big picture, that’s easy. At the moment? That question is more interesting.

When we were looking at LSU’s chances in the preseason, we thought the Tigers would be good — maybe even national championship contender good.

What we didn’t expect was for Les Miles to become the second coach in all of college football to be fired. And that pretty much sums up where the Tigers are relative to expectations.

But it’s more complicated than that. The new Ed Orgeron Tigers are playing sort of like what we expected. So where LSU was after Week 4 when Miles was fired and where they are now could be seen as two profoundly different things.

It’s obvious the 2-2 Tigers that got Miles fired weren’t what we expected. But what about Orgeron’s 2-0 LSU squad?

Offense

If you want to trace where things went off track for Miles, start at quarterback.

Even before Miles and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron lost their jobs, quarterback Brandon Harris lost his starting job in the season’s second game, relieved by Danny Etling. And with that, LSU’s expectations were out the window.

In any scenario where the Tigers became a national championship contender, the continued development of Harris, a junior returning starter, was a big part of the deal. Instead, he struggled in a 16-14 loss to Wisconsin and lost the job a week later.

Etling has been the man ever since and has seemed to turn the corner since Orgeron became the head coach with two solid outings, going 30-for-48 for 492 yards and 3 touchdowns, albeit against relatively weak competition.

Is it the competition that has brought up Etling’s numbers? Is it new offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger and a new-look offense? It would be interesting to see how Harris would do with Ensminger calling plays.

It didn’t help Miles or Harris that star running back Leonard Fournette hasn’t been himself all season. He suffered a high-ankle sprain in August camp and has missed half of the Tigers’ first six games and hasn’t been himself in the other three, although he still has the best per-game rushing average in the SEC (128.7).

The most pleasant surprise (not a huge one for those who watched him closely last year) has been the emergence of Derrius Guice, the sophomore who has gotten the carries in Fournette’s absence. He’s averaging 9.1 yards per carry, the best per-carry average in the SEC.

Another thing that hasn’t helped the Tigers’ offense has been offensive line injuries. Starters have missed time in three of five positions and jack-of-all-trades sophomore Maea Teuhema has filled in at all three spots. And it’s barely midseason.

Conclusion: Let’s face it, offense is what got Les Miles fired. So it’s hard to say the offense is playing up to anybody’s expectations.

But in the last couple of games under Orgeron and Ensminger, the LSU offense has achieved the balance folks were hoping to see in the preseason. With Fournette back and with some luck in regards to offensive line health, it’s not hard to see the offense live up to preseaosn hype in the season’s second half, even if the head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterback are different from what was expected.

Defense

When Dave Aranda became LSU’s new defensive coordinator in January, the expectation was that the Tigers would be a more solid unit than a year ago based on Aranda’s reputation from Wisconsin and a veteran group LSU had coming back.

So far, that projection has been spot on.

The Tigers are third in the SEC and 13th nationally in defense, giving up a mere 312 yards per game. LSU is second to only Florida in scoring defense in the SEC, allowing 14 points per game, and it’s the stingiest defense in the nation in allowing touchdowns, allowing just six in six games.

LSU has done it despite a fairly serious rash of injuries. Returning starting defensive lineman Christian LaCouture was lost for the season with a knee injury in the preseason and outside linebacker Corey Thompson, a projected starter, has yet to play a down because of a broken leg. LSU also lost returning starting safety Rickey Jefferson for the season in the Missouri game.

But others are exceeding expecations. Pass-rushing outside linebacker/defensive end Arden Key leads the SEC with 7.0 sacks and has developed into a dominant force opposing offenses must contend with. Middle linebacker Kendell Beckwith has been the SEC West’s top tackler. The secondary has bordered on dominant with Tre’Davious White, Donte Jackson and Kevin Toliver blanketing receivers in their cornerback roles, and Jamal Adams looking every bit the first-round draft pick at safety.

Conclusion: LSU’s defense is one of the best in college football. Aside from a few blown coverages in the first two games, the Tigers have made teams have to earn it, and few have. Aranda’s unit has only gotten better under Orgeron as a more effective offense has made opposing offenses more predictable and easier to defend.

Freshman Class

On a team with 17 returning starters (prior to injuries), it’s hard for a freshman to make a huge impact, and sure enough, this Tigers freshman class has not been asked to do much.

Where they have made an impact is at linebacker where both Michael Divinity (13 tackles) and Devin White (12 tackles) have made early good impressions. Freshmen have contributed to the Tigers’ defensive line depth with both Rashard Lawrence (2 tackles) and Edwin Alexander (6 tackles) getting meaningful snaps.

But as talented as the LSU class is in other areas, it’s hard to crack the lineup on this veteran team.

Returning Stars

There are plenty of them, and they’ve gotten mixed results:

QB Brandon Harris: Generally considered one of the top handful of quarterbacks in what’s an off year for SEC quarterbacks,  he instead lost his starting job in the second game.

RB Leonard Fournette: By most standards, he’s been good when healthy, but he’s also never been quite healthy. Will we see the 2015 Leonard Fournette this year?

C Ethan Pocic: One of the best centers in college football has looked the part, but he made a move to right tackle for a game against Southern Mississippi. It’ll be interesting to see if he plays more tackle in the season’s second half.

WRs Travin Dural and Malachi Dupre: These statistics — 38 receptions, 434 yards, 3 TDs — would be great for one receiver through six games, but they are the combined outputs for the Tigers’ pair. It’s been a sluggish start after the hope was that having two talented, experienced receivers returning would spur Harris’ development.

LB Arden Key: After impressing with five sacks as a true freshman, he boldly set a goal for 20 as a sophomore. That won’t likely happen, but he does lead the SEC with 7.0 sacks, which is all one could reasonably hope for.

DE Lewis Neal: A relentless defensive lineman, he has 3.5 sacks and leads LSU’s defensive linemen (unless you count Key) with 29 tackles. The transition from 4-3 defensive end to 3-4 end has been no problem.

LB Kendell Beckwith: He bypassed the NFL Draft to return for his senior year and has been every bit the leader LSU hoped for. He leads the SEC West and is second in the SEC with 60 tackles.

S Jamal Adams: A projected top 10 draft pick, Adams is one of college football’s most physical safeties and he has 45 tackles. Nothing he has done has hurt his stock nor come short of expectations.

CB Tre’Davious White: Another senior who could be in the NFL already, White has scored on a punt return and an interception return and has thrived in a nickel role. Offenses have been wise to avoid him, and when they challenge him, he responds with two interceptions and four passes broken up.

Overall

The disappointment of this team has been all about the disappointment of the end of the Miles era. He failed to adjust his offense, and the fact that the unit seems resurgent under Orgeron and Ensminger is a sign that maybe it was the right time to make the move.

As for defense, the Tigers are right on schedule. They are sound, use their speed to frustrate offenses and are extremely tough in the red zone, preventing opponents from finishing drives with touchdowns (four red zone touchdowns in 17 possessions), a rate that leads the country.

But overall, you have to say this team has not lived up to expectations simply because the expectations did not involve two losses and a midseason coaching change. But change the context to how the Tigers are playing in the two games under Orgeron, and one would have to say so far they are looking like the Tigers that LSU fans hoped for.

But the real tests lie ahead, starting this week against Ole Miss.