In the 24 hours that preceded his postgame news conference Saturday night, LSU coach Les Miles reportedly told boosters he would be coaching his last game and then was carried off the field by players while fans chanted his name.
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“Les Miles is our football coach and he will continue to be our football coach”, Alleva said.
LSU had been rumored to be interested in luring Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher to Baton Rouge, which triggered speculation that Miles was on shaky ground despite his 111-32 record in the last 11 seasons. He smiled and gave them a reassuring wink.
Since 2011, the Tigers have won 8, 6, 5, 4, 5 SEC games a season.
A&M held LSU in check for the first 38 minutes, keeping the Tigers out of the end zone until Derrius Guice broke loose for a 50-yard touchdown. “You betcha. I think “serious overhaul” is appropriate, but would be a little much”.
“We are a pretty talented football team”.
Fournette, who was one of Miles’ prized 2014 recruits, 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.
But it wasn’t until after Miles had addressed his players in the locker room that he found out officially from LSU chancellor F. King Alexander and athletic director Joe Alleva that he would not be fired after an 8-3 regular season.
“I’m not answering any of those questions”, Miles said.
“It’s not enough to win occasionally”, Miles said.
LSU fans don’t want to admit it, but it’s their blinding hatred for Saban that has been the driving force behind everything that has happened up to this moment; and Les Miles’ inability to beat the man that he replaced a decade ago, almost became his undoing. “I’m very pleased about tonight’s outcome and very pleased that Coach Miles is our coach”.
There were a handful of pre-snap penalties and the passing game was largely ineffective. But LSU fans can certainly exhale in relief because Miles appears to be remaining at as the head coach for at least another season. A number of his passes sailed over intended receivers or skipped off the grass short of their mark. The offense desperately needs to improve if LSU wishes to compete in the SEC West. Most of his receptions came on check downs to running backs, including a critical third-down swing pass to Fournette for a 17-yard gain that sustained the Tigers’ final scoring drive. Hanagriff observed that fan support for Miles has never been as high as when the Coach’s future was uncertain.
When the Tigers finally got a big play to take a 13-7 lead, it came on Guice’s long run.
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LSU’s defense stood tall, helping overcome a shaky outing from Harris (8-for-21) and three missed field goals by Trent Domingue. He also reached 100 wins faster than any coach in LSU history. Many of them said this week that they have not spoken to the coach since he left the program for A&M after the Music City Bowl last season – a stunning departure. “He has had games with 200 or 250 yards, so I think we did a good job of containing him”.
