Was Saturday's loss at Ole Miss the beginning of the end of the Les Miles era at LSU?
Time will tell, but most Tiger fans would not be sad if LSU called a press conference today to announce the firing of Miles.
Supporters of the head coach will point to his 50 wins in 5 seasons. They will also talk about his winning record against top ten teams and his 4-and-0 mark in bowl games. Don't forget his last batch of recruits was arguably the top class in the country.
But LSU fans are more concerned about the games that LSU should have won, then the ones they actually "achieved victory" as Miles would say. Saturday's gut wrenching defeat made Tiger fans quickly recall the losses that could have been victories; Tennessee in 2005, Auburn in 2006, Kentucky in 2007, and Alabama in 2008.
The fourth quarter is when you when you win or lose games. In the Fighting Tigers last five losses they've been outscored 36 to 10 in the fourth quarter. That could be a sign the coaching staff is not making the proper adjustments or correct calls in crunch time.
Despite the fans furor over Saturday's devastating loss, Miles is not in jeopardy of losing his job. But the same can't be said for some of his assistants on the offensive side of the ball.
The Tigers came into the 2009 campaign with three offensive players, who potentially could be drafted in the first two rounds of the NFL draft. But they enter the final game of the regular season, ranked 106th in the country in total offense and 100th in pass offense.
In previous seasons, Miles was able to build goodwill within the fan base during the off-season by bringing in a good recruiting class and finishing the previous season with a convincing victory in a bowl game. But he'll need to do more this season to get some of the fans back on his side.
First of all, he'll need to win this Saturday against Arkansas. If the Tigers are victorious on senior night, they will head to the Cotton Bowl, which will give fans a chance to check out Jerry Jones' new 1-billion dollar stadium.
If LSU losses, they could be sent to the Music City Bowl for a game that will be played during Christmas weekend or the Liberty Bowl, where they'll face a Conference USA opponent. I can't imagine strong ticket sales for either of those two bowl games.
But Miles doesn't seem to get caught up in fan criticism and his teams usually respond when the tough gets going.
In 2005, LSU fans wanted to run Miles out of town when they blew a 21-point lead and lost in overtime to Tennessee in his first game in Tiger Stadium. But the Bayou Bengals went on to win the SEC West and destroyed Miami in the Peach Bowl.
Tiger fans were furious in 2006 when they only scored three points in a loss to Auburn. LSU would only lose one more game that season and beat Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl.
LSU finished last season losing three of its last four, but had a convincing win against Georgia Tech in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.
Can Miles right the ship again? He'll need to start by winning Saturday, if not I would be looking for the nearest life preserver.
Click here for more on Miles apology, audio and video...
E-Mail
Print
