McCord was expected to be on the sidelines for the game.
"We are devastated by the loss of such an amazing talent and valued member of our WDSU family," WDSU president and general manager Joel Vilmenay said in a statement. "Carley's passion for sports journalism and her deep knowledge of Louisiana sports, from high school to the professional ranks, made her an exceptional journalist. As we reflect on her impressive body of work, we offer our deepest condolences to her family."
Ensminger, 61, took the field with his players for warm-ups, before Saturday's game against Oklahoma. The former LSU quarterback has been on the Tigers' coaching staff since 2010.
"Our thoughts and prayers out to him," LSU head coach Ed Orgeron told ESPN. "Steve and his wife, his family are so distraught. Steve is a man. He knows how to handle things. Ensminger absolutely will coach today."
The news of McCord's death rocked the college football landscape as an outpouring of emotion came flooding out.
Video and photos showed a trail of scorched and burning grass around the crash site in the city of Lafayette. A blackened car sat in the post office parking lot, which was carpeted with scattered tree limbs.
Four people were brought to the hospital: one from the plane, one on the ground and two post office employees who were brought in for evaluation, said Lafayette Fire Department spokesman Alton Trahan.
The aircraft was an eight-passenger plane, Lafayette Fire Chief Robert Benoit told KLFY-TV.
The plane went down in a part of the city with a scattering of banks, fast food chains and other businesses.
Marty Brady, 22, said the lights went out at his apartment a couple of hundred yards (183 meters) or so away from the crash site as he was preparing to make coffee.
He said he ran out and saw black smoke and flames from the post office parking lot and downed power lines.
"There were some people screaming and somebody yelled that it was a plane," he said.
Brady said the plane clipped a power line over the gate to his apartment complex.
"If it had been a little lower, it could have been a lot worse," he said. Kevin Jackson told KLFY-TV he heard a "massive explosion" and saw a "big old ball of flame" when the plane crashed. He and other eyewitnesses told the TV station that the plane hit a car as it fell, and that someone could be heard screaming inside the vehicle.
Lafayette is the fourth-largest city in Louisiana with a population of about 130,000, according to the 2018 census. It is located about 135 miles west of New Orleans.
- with AP
