He smiled and gave them a reassuring wink.
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LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva told reporters after Saturday’s game that Miles will indeed be back to coach the Tigers.
LSU finishes the regular season with an 8-3 mark, tied for third in the SEC West with an Arkansas team that win in Tiger Stadium just more than two weeks ago.
Les Miles celebrated several victories Saturday night, then revealed a few of his emotions as rumors swirled about his future at LSU.
It is hard to judge whether or not the massive fan support at Tiger Stadium tonight had any affect on the decision to keep or cut ties with Miles. “Winning championships is something Joe wants to work toward fully and I’m right with him”. It’s not enough to win occasionally. You have to win all the time. This is a team that should be playing for championships. One group of tailgaters painted a saber-wielding Miles riding Mike the Tiger. On the table: a white hat emblazoned with a purple “LSU” – Miles’ traditional game day cap.
There were a handful of pre-snap penalties and the passing game was largely ineffective.
LSU quarterback Brandon Harris 7 of 21 attempts for 83 yards. Punter Jamie Keehn has been inconsistent for much of the season – he’s 72nd nationally in punting average (40.9) after ranking 10th a year ago (44.9) – and while place-kicker Trent Domingue was rock solid for most of the fall, he has missed four of his past seven field goal tries.
Leonard Fournette ran for 159 yards and a touchdown, while Derrius Guice had a 50-yard scoring run for LSU. You are our coach.’ Joe Alleva followed that up there after.
The most likely convincing factor, however, was the top-rated recruiting class that LSU boasts for next season.
Miles also foreshadowed potential changes on his coaching staff, saying it “would be a natural contemplation”.
Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron is in the final year of a three-year contract and could be made the scapegoat for the Tigers’ offensive failings down the stretch.
Multiple national reports Monday confirmed The Advocate’s report last week that Miles was coaching for his job in the last two games against Ole Miss and A&M and that his tenure at the school was in jeopardy of ending. The LSU fan base howled in praise of Miles, making it seemingly impossible for Alleva and the LSU boosters to remove the Mad Hatter without significant backlash from the fans.
LSU head coach Les Miles celebrates after an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015. McClendon, however, was ultimately fired because he struggled to beat Alabama during the era of coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.
Still, Tigers receiver Malachi Dupre defended Miles’ record as a head coach.
Whether you believe that Miles won that title because of his outstanding job of coaching a talented group of young men to the pinnacle achievement of their young adult lives, or if you just think he got lucky by inheriting Saban’s leftovers, is a moot point.
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“The motor seems to be pretty stinking strong”, Miles said of Fournette.
