For LSU Les is More
Les Miles is not your normal college football coach. He goes for it on fourth down. He fakes field goals. He runs trick plays and completes Hail Mary’s. Coach Miles continues to be the reason LSU has remained successful in the toughest conference in the nation.
It was not going to be easy to replace Nick Saban as head coach of Louisiana State. Coach Saban collected many titles during his short tenure at LSU, including SEC champ on more than one occasion, Coach of the Year and National Champ in 2003.
So what did Les Miles do upon taking over for the departed Saban in 2005? He made Tigers fans forget about Nick. LSU won 11 games in Miles’ first season. They won 11 more in his second season. The following season, the Tigers went 12-2 and won the National Championship. Nick who? In his six years at Louisiana State University, Coach Miles has won 62 games while only losing 19. Pair that 77% win percentage with five bowl victories and Les Miles is one of the most respected and feared coaches in the nation. This is even the case when they travel to face SEC adversary Alabama and their head coach, Nick Saban.
It seems to go beyond simple wins with Coach Miles though. Having no particular affinity towards LSU, as an outsider, it just seems like it would be exciting rooting for a Les Miles coached team. He takes chances, makes risky play calls and is never afraid to go for an opponent’s jugular. That is what a fan wants out of their head coach. While other, more conservative coaches always punt on fourth no matter how short the distance, Les Miles may do something crazy, something that could make you hate him for a week or two but something that will make you appreciate the job he does.
LSU will not have an easy task replicating their recent success this season. The 2011 season kicks off with a trip to Cowboys Stadium in Texas to play BCS champ runner-up Oregon. Soon after, a normal, gut-wrenching SEC conference schedule will begin. Whether Miles is able to traverse it with his squad and make another BCS bowl remains to be seen. What is more easily predicted is Les Miles making a play call at the end of a very important game that may make some folks scratch their heads but will make others giddy with delight.
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