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LSU COACH LES MILES
Opening statement…
“I’m
glad to be back in Tiger Stadium for two games in a row. We get to play
in front of our fans and friends. The Gold Game is going to be
interesting to see Tiger Stadium in gold. We felt like Saturday, the
early start for the Kentucky game, that the fans were just as full and
just as loud. The blue sky over Tiger Stadium was an enjoyable day. I
want to thank our fan base for being there, making noise and being
involved.”
“In the game against Kentucky, I felt our
offense started a little bit slow. There were some things that Kentucky
did a little bit differently that required us to make adjustments.
Those adjustments went smoothly. I felt that there was opportunity and
ample time based on how our defense was playing to do the things we
needed to do. We got on pace and had good balance in the rush and the
pass. We had a game without a turnover, and the opportunity to be in a
plus category there makes a difference. We had a couple of dropped
passes that would have allowed Jarrett Lee to have a little bit more
productive statistics. Today, we have to work on putting the grip on
the ball. I enjoyed that Terrence Magee got in the game. I think he
will have a very strong career here. He did a nice job running in
between some tight quarters. He did a good job in getting his first
career touchdown. I though Alfred Blue had his best game. He had 72
yards and a touchdown. Guys are developing there. The defense really
was the tale of the day. They play with great intensity start to
finish. When that happens, the opponent has very little chance to
travel the length of the field. They gave up 156 total yards, 89 yards
rushing and 66 passing. Any time that you throttle a team like that,
your opportunity to have victory is very increased. Our defense is
ranked in the top-10 in four categories - scoring, at 12.8, total yards
at 262 and rushing yards at 60 yards per game. Sam Montgomery is the
SEC Defensive Player of the Week with six tackles, two for loss and a
sack plus. That defense played well and gave us what we needed in the
Kentucky game.”
“Florida is a very talented team. They are
well coached and well prepared. They are 4-1. Their head coach Will
Muschamp is doing a great job in his first year. Charlie Weis is the
offensive coordinator there and is doing a strong capable job there.
Their offense is dangerous. I don’t put too much stock in their game
against a strong and talented Alabama team. I recognize that there are
players at every position that are talented and well coached. It is
going to be a great matchup in Tiger Stadium. Their quarterback got
hurt and I don’t know if he will be available to play or not. His
backup Jeff Driskell is a very talented freshman and capable. In my
opinion he will give them every opportunity to compete extremely well.
Their running backs have great speed in Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey.
Their defense is one of the best in the league.”
“We’re
looking forward to a great week of practice and preparation. The thing
that we have to do is consistently improve. You watch film and you get
to see a team play week to week. One phase of the game looked terrible.
Than a week later it had a completely different approach and was much
more successful. That kind of improvement is what the whole team needs
to make in a number of areas and it has to be consistent throughout the
season. If we do that, we will be prepared for Florida. We’re looking
forward to preparing for Florida. There is a little bit more juice in
the Football Operations building and a little bit more want to in the
coaches. It is going to be a great week of preparation.”
On Tyrann Mathieu’s national attention…
“Heisman
Trophies are always awarded in the back end of the seasons when the
team has accomplished. I don’t know that there are many Heisman Trophy
winners that are on teams that did not accomplish a lot. I always look
at national awards as a team. I think there are a number of guys with
the ability to receive national awards, and I think Tyrann Mathieu is
as well one of those guys. I think a defensive back that has the skills
and the abilities that he has, should be considered for a national
award if not the Heisman. Again, that is a long ways away from now and
that is something we will be focused on. It is all about the
preparation for the next opponent.”
On the run game against Kentucky…
“It
is really interesting because we had a made a couple of rookie mistakes
in there that we shouldn’t have made. It gave us probably in three
drives some negative plays that we really did not need to have.
Frankly, we’re better than how we blocked on those plays and there was
a real commitment to changing what our opponent was doing. The need to
make some adjustment was there, but at the same time I think we could
have come off the football better and had some more success. The mark
of the day eventually is the ability to make the adjustment and then go
on.”
On John Brantley being ruled out…
“Playing
different quarterbacks gives you certain things and challenges that
must be met. I think that we’re very comfortable. We’ve faced a number
of offenses to this point. Our defense has been tested against a wide
range of attacks and can easily make an adjustment that fits the
opponent. The point that I am making is that if a quarterback were to
take the field that we did not anticipate, we would be comfortable in
making our strong side line adjustments that would allow us to defend
them whichever guy it is. There are some similarities between Brantley
and Driskell. I think they’re both very talented. We’re preparing to
see their best, and frankly we hope that none of their guys are
injured.”
On the affect of Texas A&M affecting permanent opponents in the Eastern Division…
“I
don’t know that it is Florida off the schedule. That is not the issue.
The issue is that we really have an extra team in the West, and how
quickly it becomes part of the scheduling. I don’t have those answers.
The quick answer for a division that had one extra, the one game that
would be at risk would be the one game that you play in the Eastern
Division year in and year out. That piece, unless you are going to
monopolize the scheduling for non-conference games, if you add another
team to the East and you play another league game, you limit the
opportunity to play out of conference foes. Non-conference foes are
beneficial to virtually every school. When you strengthen your
conference that much, there should be an opportunity to play
non-conference teams because you’re going to get every opportunity at
national exposure and quality opponents in the regular season. To
answer the question in a long fashion, I think that the one game that
has to be in question has to be the year in and year our Eastern
Division game.”
On Alfred Blue’s special teams contributions…
“Alfred
Blue continues to mature. There is a point in time where that tailback
in a young player says, ‘I don’t know if I am interested in special
teams play.’ He is challenged because it is best for his team. He is
talented, tough and able to do all that. He is challenged to do those
things and repeatedly, and he accepts that challenges. It makes his a
better tailback. It makes him tougher, more rugged and more capable
when he steps in at tailback. That is what he is doing. He is accepting
the challenge on special teams and tailback to be the best that he can
be and help his football team. We’re thrilled to have him. He is a
tremendous addition to our team and we will count on him for years to
come.”
On Spencer Ware…
“He will participate this week
fully. If there is a piece of the practice it will be today. He will be
back Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.”
On Blue, Ford and Magee…
“I
think Blue had his best game thus far. He continues become more
efficient and capable. He is getting better at finishing runs. Michael
Ford had a miscue on a simple pitch, but other than that I felt his
carries were strong. I think that Magee is a guy that can get into a
small space and come through the other end. I like our running backs.
We’ll have the opportunity to run the ball again with a number of guys.”
On Will Muschamps’ first season…
“The
offense is much more diverse than it was in the previous regime. With
Tim Tebow, that offense was so designed for that style of quarterback
and was a very obviously successful style of offense. It really was one
style of offense. Here you see the ability to be two back, one back,
throw it efficiently from both personal groups and occasionally throw
in some wildcat. Charlie Weis has done a great job in coordinating the
spectrum of variations in offense.”
On Florida’s speed…
“They
have great speed and great athleticism. They are a very physical team.
They are as talented as any team we’ve faced thus far. That is a pretty
easy thing to say. They have good players at every position.”
On defensive end recruits moving inside to tackle…
“Their
mobility speaks to playing inside and they have grown since their
defensive end days. They give great push, strength and power inside. It
was an easy transition for those guys to go from end to defensive
tackle.”
On Odell Beckham Jr.
“The leading receiver
title is speculative and is really based on what the defense gives us.
When we get it to him, he is going to put his hands on it, will give
you great run after the catch and is a tough guy. He is a guy that we
ask to block for the run. He gives us the full spectrum of what we need
a wide receiver.”
On Jordan Jefferson’s involvement…
“We’re
so early into the plan that it is difficult to figure. I can tell you
that Jarrett Lee is our starter and our vision first and foremost takes
Lee into mind. That is how we are approaching it. We’ll get to the
other aspects of the offense later down the road.”
On last year’s Florida game…
“The
memory of the game was that it was very competitive. We made two
blunders on special teams. We turned the ball over once and did not
cover a kick like we are capable. I felt we ran the football well.
Jarrett Lee comes in during two different spots in that game. One just
before the end of the half and certainly the game winning touchdown on
the back end. Those are very pleasant memories that I have of that
game. I felt our defense played extremely well in the game as well.
Playing in the Swamp was memorable that day.”
On the depth of the team…
“The
plan here is that we would recruit quality young players that can step
on the field as freshman and prepare them to contribute right away. It
adds to our team. Year in and year out since we’ve been here we’ve
looked at the opportunity to play quality freshmen every year. It
speaks to what we are doing at tailback and in the secondary. I think
it is best for those guys to be counted on to step in and uphold
responsibility of the position. If you take a guy like Ware out of the
game and hold him even though he could play, you rely on that
recruiting base and the ability to bring that young guy in to play to
the position. To be a tailback at LSU you have to be a great player.”
On an article about Miles’ ‘stock rising’ in NFL circles…
“Any
time some says nice things about you, that is very kind and you
recognize that. You are so focused on the things that you are doing
currently that you give little focus to a number of articles. Articles
that talk about our defense or our offense, I just stay away from that
view. Again, it certainly is a compliment. I am
happy where I am at.”
On the NFL game…
“It
is a completely different game in my mind. It is played by men and guys
that have been at this for some time. It is a much more mature game. It
is faster and more physical. We enjoy the NFL because a number of our
players play in that league. When you look at Quinn Johnson, Matt
Flynn, Andrew Whitworth and all those former Tigers, it certainly is a
great opportunity for our guys to extend their playing ability. I’ve
given little thought to the different styles of the games.”
On the offensive line…
“It
is the responsibility of the position. We expect the offensive line to
be physical, come off the football and to handle the front seven of the
opponent. It does not make a difference which guy we put it. It is
their responsibility to that. I have been pleased with Greg Shaw. In a
number of games he has stepped in and played a number of snaps. Josh
Williford had a full slate last Saturday and I thought he played pretty
well. It is a mark of a team to be able to put five guys into the game,
change the lineup and still come up with productivity.”
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