Miles unfazed by a championship hangover
LSU coach looks to maintain great run he has enjoyed in first 3 seasons
Joe Murphy / Getty ImagesLes Miles is now 34-6 at LSU, including a perfect 3-0 in bowls, and many of his own recruits have begun to emerge as stars on a team that was already loaded with NFL talent when he took over.
updated 9:12 p.m. ET Aug. 13, 2008
BATON ROUGE, La. - What a feeling it must be for a football coach to stand triumphantly on a balcony like some charismatic head of state, soaking in roars of approval from enthralled, admiring masses below.
Les Miles enjoyed such a moment outside a Bourbon Street hotel suite following LSU's national championship win over Ohio State to close out the 2007 season — a campaign that, for many reasons, will be tough for Miles to top.
Having silenced the dwindling number of LSU fans still longing for former coach Nick Saban — first by beating Saban's Alabama, then by resisting the temptation to defect to Michigan, then by winning a consensus national title — Miles now looks to maintain the extraordinary run he has enjoyed during his first three seasons in Baton Rouge.
"I've watched lots of NFL teams and NBA teams, talked to some coaches, and I've found a common thread there that will benefit us," Miles said. "It's basically doing what you do, process who we are, making sure that you don't change the recipe on a team that's had success not only in one year, but in many years. That's where we're at."
Indeed, Miles is now 34-6 at LSU, including a perfect 3-0 in bowls, and many of his own recruits have begun to emerge as stars on a team that was already loaded with NFL talent when he took over.
That trend must continue if LSU hopes to stay in contention for another BCS title while playing an always difficult Southeastern Conference schedule.
The most glaring hole is at quarterback following the graduation of Matt Flynn and the dismissal of super-talented junior Ryan Perrilloux.
The most likely candidate to take the first snap when the Tigers open at home against Appalachian State on Aug. 30 is now sophomore Andrew Hatch, known more at this point for transferring from Harvard than anything he's done on the gridiron. His only snaps for LSU came in mop-up duty last season during a blowout of Middle Tennessee. He's thrown a grand total of two passes, completing one.
His only other competitors for playing time -- redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee and true freshman Jordan Jefferson -- have yet to take a college snap.
But the Tigers are deep at other positions, including the offensive line, where four starters are returning, and they don't seem too concerned about a lack of experience behind center.
"I hear people talking about it, but I'm not worried," left guard Herman Johnson said. "I've seen what these guys can do. I trust them."
On defense, LSU has lost tackle Glenn Dorsey, one of the most decorated players in school history. However, coaches are quick to say the defensive line as a whole could be better this season.
One reason is the return of Charles Alexander, who was injured most of last season, and Ricky Jean-Francois, who after being academically ineligible for most of 2007, returned with dominant performances in the SEC championship and BCS title games, winning MVP of the latter.
Also returning are starting defensive ends Tyson Jackson and Kirston Pittman. Pittman is in his sixth year at LSU because of a pair of medical redshirts.
"You can't downplay the loss of Charles Alexander. I think he was playing extremely well at the beginning of the year and unfortunately we didn't have Ricky throughout the whole season," LSU co-defensive coordinator Doug Mallory said. "That hurt us, and I don't know if a lot of people understand the significance of losing those two players up front."
With Bo Pelini moving on to take the head coaching job at Nebraska, Miles elevated two coaches from his own staff, Mallory and Bradley Dale Peveto, to co-defensive coordinator. Mallory will be in the booth calling the schemes, while Peveto will be on the sideline monitoring personnel.
They have maintained essentially the same aggressive, blitz-happy 4-3 scheme Pelini left behind, which they thought was best because it's what they and their players know.
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