ARLINGTON — The Hurricane from Pat O’Briens has been known to cause many a hangover after a night of revelry down on Bourbon Street, but on Sunday night a few too many Hurricanes proved to be the perfect recipe to get over a different kind of hangover.

“We got a happy football team in there,” LSU head football coach Ed Orgeron said, following his team’s thorough 33-17 beatdown of No. 8-ranked Miami inside AT&T Stadium. 

Orgeron’s opening remarks may be a bit of understatement, as not only is he and his team filled with joy, but so is the rest of the purple and gold faithful, except of course for those bitter message board fans (don’t you ever change by the way).

The statement victory over the Hurricanes allows the Tigers to purge an off season, and in particular a tumultuous fall camp, that is finally behind them.

LSU had to deal with the indefinite suspensions of two returning starters in offensive lineman Ed Ingram (alleged sexual assault) and linebacker Tyler Taylor (allegedly driving a getaway car for a robbery) and then the team suspended wide receiver Drake Davis (alleged domestic violence). 

There was also the transfer of two scholarship quarterbacks (Lowell Narcisse and Justin McMillan) in a span of less than 24 hours. 

Then to top it off was the lack of respect shown to the team at Southeastern Conference Media Days, where the team was picked to finish fifth in its own division. 

None of that though matters now. 

LSU came out focused and determined on Sunday night and looked nothing like a team that is predicted to finish near the bottom of its own division and is filled with inner turmoil. 

Whether or not this win will launch LSU back to being one of the SEC’s elite teams remains to be seen.

Miami very well could be immensely overrated and overhyped (that wouldn’t be the first time that has happened with the Canes), and despite a stout effort on defense, special teams and in the run game, the Tigers’ passing game left a lot to be desired. 

Ohio State transfer Joe Burrow completed less than 50 percent of his passes for a mere 140 yards and no touchdowns. Those numbers will have to be better against the likes of Auburn, Georgia and Alabama.

That being said, LSU looks like a team that rallies around one another and Orgeron said as much afterwards.

“We can see it in camp that our team came together when those things happened to us. As you heard me say, a lot of times, we block out the noise… We had a choice, and the choice was whether to make us closer, and it did.”

That it did and the team wisely celebrated that bonding experience by flushing away its hangover with a few Hurricanes.

RAYMOND PARTSCH III is managing editor of The Daily Iberian.