Now those who have stuck by and supported Les Miles through it all – throughout this entire ordeal – will be very quick to tell you that Miles has actually beaten Saban three times as LSU’s head coach.
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Les Miles remains the Tigers’ coach as the team now turns its attention to an eventual bowl game – despite the strong expectation even in the hours leading to Saturday’s 19-7 defeat of Texas A&M that that matchup would be his last in purple and gold.
ESPN reporter Joe Schad elaborated on the rapidly evolving situation, and said that the decision to keep Miles was made during the final game of the regular season.
It could have cost LSU about $15 million to buy Miles out of his contract, though the school could have recouped some of that had Miles moved into a another job.
“F. King Alexander said, ‘I want you to be our coach”.
If Alleva, certain LSU Board of Supervisor members and prominent boosters thought it best to replace Miles after the loss to Alabama, or perhaps the dispiriting loss to Arkansas a week later in Tiger Stadium, they should’ve done it then. Harris completed one of those attempts, and the Tigers started the fifth drive by running the ball four straight times.
FIRST EARLY LEAD SINCE OCTOBER: The Tigers took a 6-0 lead over the Aggies in the first quarter on field goals of 32 and 38 yards by Trent Domingue.
Whether you’re on the side of those who wanted to see Miles stay, or on the side that wanted him sent packing and headed on the next flight out of Baton Rouge, there’s no way as a LSU fan that you didn’t get the least bit misty-eyed over one of the more memorable moments in recent LSU football history. Other reports stated that the University was preparing to let go of Miles following the season’s end. He finished the game owning LSU’s single-season rushing record at 1,741 yards, surpassing the mark of 1,686 yards set by Charles Alexander in 1977. “We’re going to go forward and win championships here at LSU”.
Leonard Fournette ran for 159 yards, Derrius Guice had a 50-yard scoring run and a touchdown and LSU beat Texas A&M 19-7 on Saturday night in the home finale at Death Valley.
Now, it’s back to business for Miles and LSU to try and hold together what could be a terrific recruiting class for 2016. Harris capped his freefall by going 7-for-21 for 83 yards and 1 interception Saturday against Texas A&M. One group of tailgaters painted a saber-wielding Miles riding Mike the Tiger. Miles heard the news from Alexander after his post-game meeting with the team.
This being the same Joe Alleva who was booed and jeered at by the LSU fanbase at Tiger stadium.
LSU’s administration had allowed speculation about Miles’ status to fester by refusing to comment on the matter last week, but Alleva stressed that he was only following his policy of waiting until after the season to comment on a coach’s future.
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All these past few weeks did was make Les Miles a sympathetic and embattled figure. Can Miles turn this reprieve into a rebound?
