Les Miles couldn't leave LSU (Have you seen that recruiting class?)

LSU head coach Les Miles reaffirmed his newfound love for all things bayou earlier this week: Saturday nights in Death Valley, SEC football, and yes, crawfish.
Miles' wife said it best: "This is home," meaning Baton Rouge's nice weather and beautiful snowless landscape compared favorably to the frozen tundra known as Ann Arbor in December.
Miles, of course, has his critics. His clock management skills, or lack thereof, are legendary and infamous.
But the man knows how to win, especially if you give him an extra down.
In Michigan, he is not thought of as highly.
Miles said Tuesday he would remain at LSU because of the commitment he's made to the university, the team, the young men he's recruited, and his family.
LSU in 2010 was picked to finish fourth in the SEC West, they very nearly came in No. 2. His recruiting class for 2011 will be in the top 5 in the nation and his squad may make a serious run for an SEC West title.
In other words, staying was the prudent thing to do, as some have noted.



Much maligned offensive coordinator Gary Crowton is bolting to greener pastures in, er, Maryland.

LSU Starts 2008 Campaign With Ground Game

"We ran the football like we needed to," LSU coach Les Miles said SAturday after his team easily beat Appalachian State 41-13. "We probably tried to force the pass as best we could just to get some of these young guys some experience."
With a hurricane churning toward them and all the pressure of a No. 7 ranking, the Tigers did what they had to do, racing to a 31-0 halftime lead.
Charles Scott grounded out a career-high 160 yards on 16 carries, with touchdown runs of 8 and 29 yards. He nonchalantly stated his claim to know he wants as quarterback.
"It really doesn't matter to us," Scott said. "The [offensive] line is doing great right now and they're only going to get better. Our rushing game is going to be the strength of this team and we're going to get those guys in the pocket comfortable."
"They're so athletic. It just wore on us," Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore said. "They didn't play like Michigan. They played like LSU." And they'll continue to, Jerry. They'll continue to.
WEEK 1 SCOREBOARD

OUCH: Florida second SEC Team to Fall in Bowl Games

Okay, battle lines have been drawn the sand: The SEC has got to win the rest of their bowl games, showing the nation that the Southeastern Conference is where college football lives.
Florida just got whacked by Michigan a few minutes ago (I feel sick to my stomach.). The Gator defense made Chad Henne look like Tom Brady. In New England.
I kinda thought Florida would hold up its end of the bargain when the Gators (9-4) scored on Percy Harvin's 10-yard run to take a 35-31 lead with 5:49 remaining. If you woulda told me Florida would give up over 530 yards to the Wolverines I woulda showed you a delusional sucker, but, boy, was I wrong. I like Michigan, but, to run up and down the field like that on UF? NO WAY.
Alas, yes way.

The SEC, supposedly the rock-hard poster child of "real" college football, gets owned in not one, but TWO games today. Missouri pounced all over Arkansas, the same Arkansas team that ran my LSU Tigers ragged. Tony Temple (WHO?) rushed for Cotton Bowl records of 281 yards and four touchdowns. Darren McFaddy got a buck-0-5 on 21 carries, and a new Escalade, but who cares? He's a pro by next fall anyhoo.

In Tampa, Tennessee's Eric Ainge completed passes to nine different receivers as the No. 18 Volunteers finished their season at 10-4 by putting an SEC whipping, 21-17, on No. 16 Wisconsin of the Big Ten. P.J. Hill led the Badgers (9-4) with 132 yards rushing on 16 carries.
I've still got hope Georgia can expand the legend by wrapping a hula hoop on Colt Brennan and the Hawaii Warriors.

ESPN's Herbstreit Calls Les, says "Sorry 'Bout Dat"

ESPN and ABC analyst Kirk Herbstreit says he called LSU coach Les Miles late Saturday to say he was sorry for messing up his Michigan deal, and pretty much guaranteeing that his children learn at least a bit of Cajun before their teen years.
"I called Les late that night after the Missouri-Oklahoma game and really called for nothing else but to apologize for it becoming such a huge story, such a distraction for him, his team to have to have to deal with," Herbstreit told the Detroit Free Press. "It was never my intent, so that was the one thing that I regretted; it became such a significant story everywhere, everywhere you turned.Looking back, it was easy to see how Les Miles almost left for Michigan."
Michigan's football program is among the most successful in college football history. Michigan won the first Rose Bowl game in 1902, has won an NCAA-record 860 games and has an all-time winning percentage of .745, also an NCAA record. The Wolverine football program has claimed 11 national titles.
LSU has claimed two, but can claim its third in January.
But aside from Herbstreit, what happened to the U-M deal? U-M athletic director Bill Martin had Miles at the top of his list although he was no Miles fan. Miles wanted U-M since he left in 1994.
Now, with a national championship at stake, Miles say Michigan was never on his mind much.
"I've probably spent 15 minutes allowing a personal thought along those lines," he told reporters.

Not true, really. Miles had go-betweens galore at U-M and the Miles camps was prepping for a plane ride. They were even hammering out an agreement.
Word is that Michigan put a five-year deal on the table, and Les wet his lips.
And Miles knew it.
But Bill Martin wanted a face-to-face interview, which couldn't happen until after the SEC title game.
Lloyd Carr, very influential with Martin, did not want Miles at Michigan.
But Friday, LSU hit for the pre-emptive strike: offering Miles more years and more money than he would get from Michigan.
When ESPN prematurely reported Saturday morning that Michigan was expected to hire Miles, that added to the pressure and the real possibility that the coach would be a distraction to LSU with the big game hours away. So Miles, stripped of his freedom of speech by ESPN, backed out by rallying with his senior players like Jacob Hester and Craig Steltz.
Miles' big fear -- that Carr would kill his candidacy -- was apparently never realized. But the possibility of it helped convince Miles to stay.
Also Herbstreit promised one more thing:
"One thing I can assure you, you will never see me gathering news and reporting information ever again."
Well put.

In Leaving U-M, Carr Gets One Last Jab At Les Miles

Michigan coach Lloyd Carr is trying to mess with Les.
The two don't like each other, and Carr is intentionally trying to distract Les Miles from a potential championship season.
How else to explain a retirement announcement ONE WEEK before the season's end (so what, you lost again to OSU, YOU ALWAYS LOSE against them)? Why do it when your team can still finish the season on a positive note?
Why? Because his nemesis Les Miles is the frontrunner to take his job. It's a tough spot for both coaches, but Carr could carry himself alot better than he's doing it. I'm not saying he's not a decent man: It's true that he reworked his contract last year to arrange for an escape clause this year, and it's true he got all his assistants 2-year-deals. But he is deliberately trying to get in Les Miles' head in the middle of a No. 1 ranking and chance to win it all at LSU.
In the end, Carr wanted to beat at least one nemesis, one villain, being that the Ohio State Buckeyes were having none of it. But, that's alright. Les Miles will hold it together, he's not the greastest Xs and Os coach, but he can hold a group together, I'll say that.