New Orleans in total win now mode with Graham deal
July 22, 2014
Hacksaw going strong after 30 years
July 22, 2014
LSU football coach Les Miles doesn’t yet know who will be the Tigers’ starting quarterback this fall.
He admits a battle will take place in fall camp between sophomore Anthony Jennings and true freshman Brandon Harris to decide who takes LSU’s snaps this season.
Couple the quarterback controversy with an always-tough SEC schedule that pits the Tigers against Alabama, Auburn, Texas A&M, Florida and other powers and it’s somewhat easy to understand why most pundits aren’t picking LSU to win the SEC in the 2014 season.
But Miles isn’t subscribing to the prevailing theory that the Tigers will be average.
He thinks LSU is ripe to win big in the upcoming season.
Miles took the podium on Wednesday afternoon at SEC Media Days and expressed confidence in his young team’s chances for the fall.
As always, Miles was full of jokes in his time on the stage, but he was brutally serious in proclaiming that the Tigers shouldn’t be taken lightly this season.
“I would be willing to bet that not many picked Auburn a year ago,” Miles said to illustrate that preseason predictions don’t influence his team’s preparation. “So what generally seems to be our position is, ‘Don’t bother us, we don’t care. We just want to work, we want to improve, and we want to play one game at a time.’
“We understand that doesn’t mean that we’re in the immediate talk, but if we continue to do the things we’ve done in the past, we’ll earn our way.”
To do as Miles said, the Tigers will have to be strong under center. The battle between Jennings and Harris played out in the spring and will continue into the fall. Miles said he’d prefer play one player for the vast majority of the snaps, but added that if offensive coordinator Cam Cameron sees value in a two-quarterback system, he’d allow it to unfold.
The Tigers’ 10th-year coach said he likes both players.
“It will be a very competitive event from the start to the finish,” Miles said. “Cam Cameron, a guy who’s made a career mentoring quarterbacks … will do the exact right things with those guys.”
Perhaps the reason for optimism is LSU’s surrounding cast. At halfback, LSU will return veterans Terrence Magee and Kenny Hilliard. But the big name is freshman Leonard Fournette, who will make his collegiate debut after one of the most decorated prep careers in Louisiana history.
Blocking for the trio will be an offensive line that returns four of five starters, including massive left tackle La’el Collins.
Miles talked extensively about Fournette throughout the day, comparing his poise and savvy to arguably the best athlete of all-time.
“I think it’s exactly where he needs to be. He expects himself to be something very special,” Miles said. “I think if you look at Michael Jordan, he could not have been coached to be Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan accepted the role of expecting himself to be better than any. I think he has a quiet confidence there that will benefit him.”
Defensively, LSU will return seven starters on a unit that ranked No. 15 in the country in total defense in 2013.
Defensive ends Jermauria Rasco and Danielle Hunter anchor a line that will benefit from lock-down cornerbacks and returning starters Tre’Davious White and Rashard Robinson.
At linebacker, LSU also is deep with experienced players D.J. Welter and Kwon Alexander joining heralded youngsters like Kendell Beckwith, Deion Jones, Ronnie Feist and Lamar Louis.
Miles thinks LSU’s defense will be on-point, led by coordinator John Chavis who is entering his sixth season with the Tigers.
“I think he’s the best in the business,” Miles said. “I think he’s a guy that gives us real advantages in scheme, understands the ability and the ways to get the best out of our players.”
If LSU’s defense has a hole, it would be in the interior where the Tigers lost 2013 starters Anthony Johnson and Ego Ferguson to the NFL.
Filling into those spots in the new season will likely be Christian LaCouture and Quentin Thomas – a duo that played several snaps a year ago.
Miles said the jump from reserve to starter is a big one, but added that his new players are ready to perform. They certainly look the part. Both stand above 6-foot and weigh north of 300 pounds.
“(LaCouture) has had a great spring,” Miles said. “He played significantly in the fall and we really would expect that he would be a guy that would step right in there. (Thomas) has really matured, really defined himself as a guy that can give a great contribution there. And we have a number of guys behind that, some of which are true freshmen, some of which are guys that are true sophomores that we are really looking forward to getting to the field in keeping those first two guys fresh.”
Inexperienced at skill positions, but talented and deep throughout most of the depth chart. To some coaches, the above-listed recipe might be a cause for panic.
But for Miles and LSU, the train just keeps chugging along, and it’s not expected to slow down at all in 2014.
“This is our fourth-straight 10-victory season,” Miles said looking back on 2013. “We’re a team that’s really on the cusp of an opportunity to win championships.”
LSU coach Les Miles took the podium this past week at SEC Media Days. Miles said that he is excited about the Tigers’ prospects, despite inexperience at skill positions. The Tigers were picked to finish third in the SEC Western Division.
