IS LES MILES ON THE HOT SEAT?

admin Thursday, September 17, 2015 Comments Off on IS LES MILES ON THE HOT SEAT?
IS LES MILES ON THE HOT SEAT?

By Lyles Martin

Photos By Steve Franz / LSU

Les Miles

Les Miles

The clock is ticking for LSU coach Les Miles. After the Tigers finished a pedestrian 8-5 (4-4 in the SEC) last season, there is concern that Miles is on the hot seat. USA Today recently ranked the SEC football coaches in order of job security entering the 2015 season — Les Miles was ranked 12th, followed by South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier and Vandy’s Derek Mason. Miles’ program has taken a downturn, going 18-8 the last two seasons. Since the 2011 season, LSU is just 15-9 in the SEC. LSU went unbeaten in the 2011 season, and won the SEC Championship. Since then, the Tigers have dropped from first to second (2012), to third (2013), to fifth (2014) in the SEC West standings. Miles has lost four in a row to Alabama, dating back to the 2011 national championship game. This team is at a major crossroads, and LSU’s status as a national power seems to be riding on this season. The Tigers have the talent to win the division, but this team enters the 2015 season with question marks on both sides of the ball.

Last year, the Tigers were plagued by quarterback issues. The massive NFL defections — mostly from the defense — threw the depth chart balance for a loop.The sluggish offense from last year was a major reason the team struggled throughout the season. The lateral move of defensive coordinator John Chavis

Cam Cameron

Cam Cameron

from LSU to SEC west rival Texas A&M was another disturbing pattern for this program. Chavis all but admitted he left LSU due to the struggles of the team’s offense.

OFFENSE

One thing we know about LSU’s past offense was that it ran first, ran second, passed third, and then punted. The Tigers will run the ball even when defense stacks the line of scrimmage against them. LSU ran the ball more than twice as often as it threw last year, an imbalance that must improve. That’s why the passing game becomes so important this season. According to offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, what you’ll see more than anything this year is quarterbacks with the ability to spread the ball to backs, tight ends and receivers, and not so much driven in one direction.

The biggest question mark for the season is the play of the quarterback, and we may not know who the starting quarterback will be until the season’s first snap against McNeese.

Brandon Harris

Brandon Harris

Sophomore Brandon Harris has been taking first team reps during the preseason camp. He was the most improved quarterback during LSU’s spring game. Harris is the team’s best option if the Tigers want to challenge for an SEC West title.

Harris, who struggled in his lone start against Auburn last season, appears to have matured over the offseason. He has a better understanding of the play calling. He’s worked in the weight room during the offseason, as well as in the film room. Indications are he’s not the same freshman kid who didn’t know the playbook well enough to inspire confidence in his coaches last season. Best guess … it’s his job to lose this season.

 

Anthony Jennings

Anthony Jennings

Anthony Jennings, who struggled in most of his 12 starts last season, and whose off-field problems during the summer included a June arrest, has proven by his actions that he lacks leadership qualities.

Jennings completed less than half of his passes, as the Tigers finished last in the SEC in passing offense, and 114th nationally in passing offense, with 162.9 yards per game. He was sacked 22 times, and seemed to be indecisive. His shining moment was the 49-yard touchdown pass on third-and-10, with 1:22 to play, to Travin Dural against Arkansas in 2013. That pass gave the Tigers a 31-27 lead. Make no mistake about it: If Jennings becomes the starter, LSU’s offense will continue to be inconsistent.

Travin Dural

Travin Dural

And, without a doubt, the passing game has the most room for improvement. The MVP of this team will be sophomore running back, and probable Heisman candidate, Leonard Fournette. Fournette came on during the second half of last season. He finished with 146 yards against Texas A&M, and had a 143-yard performance against Notre Dame in the Music City Bowl, including a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

According to ESPN’s Joey Galloway, “LSU’s offense is going to be ball control with Leonard Fournette. You can rest your defense, then go after it every single play. Leonard Fournette absolutely can win the Heisman.” Sophomore Darrell Williams, who rushed for 302 yards and three touchdowns as a freshman, will back Fournette up.

Leonard Fournette

Leonard Fournette

Three of the top high school running backs of last year will join the offense this season. Catholic High’s Darrius Guice, University Lab’s Nick Brossette, and Leonard Fournette’s younger brother, Lanard, will compete for playing time. Guice and Brossette have shown the most improvement in fall camp. Miles said both will be a major factor in both the running attack and passing game this season.

 

The Tigers are talented at the wide receiver position, returning their four most productive players from last season. Travin Dural, Malachi Dupre, John Diarse and

Malachi Dupre

Malachi Dupre

former Barbe High wide-out Trey Quinn headline a receiving core that totaled 1,544 yards and 15 touchdowns combined last season. Quinn is now wearing contacts to correct his vision problems. He had two third-down game-changing drops in last year’s overtime loss to Alabama.

Add to this list sophomore D.J. Chark and Tyron Johnson, a freshman out of Warren Easton in New Orleans, and the Tigers are loaded at wide receiver. Miles has said that the offense will show more spread this season to use its talented receiver group, including Dupre seeing more action in the slot. Making the offense better is not just a matter of the quarterbacks improving; it’s also a matter of the young receivers making catches this year, and not dropping catchable balls.

DeSean Smith

DeSean Smith

Former Barbe tight end DeSean Smith returns this season. Smith had his best game in last year’s Music City Bowl against Notre Dame, with four receptions for 66 yards, both career highs.

Joining Smith will be Dillon Gordon, a true point anchor blocker, and redshirt freshman Jacory Washington, a 6-foot, 6-inch, 228-pounder from Westlake who’s shown great pass catching ability in fall camp. Three starters are back on the offensive line. Jerald Hawkins moves from right tackle to left tackle, to replace La’el Collins. Ethan Pocic returns at left guard, though he

Jerald Hawkins

Jerald Hawkins

could slide back to center, where he started last year after replacing the injured Elliott Porter. Vadal Alexander, pre-season All-SEC tackle, moves to the right side to replace Hawkins.  Josh Boutte is in position to take over right guard, and redshirt freshman Will Clapp came out of spring practice as the leading candidate for center.

Garrett Brumfield, K.J. Malone, Toby Weathersby and Maea Teuhema appear to be replacements coming off the bench. Teuhema has been working with the starting linemen during fall camp, and will probably play in every game according to Miles.

Offensive line coach Jeff Grimes has had a full year to work with this unit. Pass protection and run blocking should improve in 2015. The offensive line will continue to be physical.

DEFENSE

Kevin Steele

Kevin Steele

The LSU defense was in the top 10 nationally in total defense (317 yards per game), pass defense (164 ypg) and points allowed (17.5 per game) last season.

The second big question mark entering this season is how the defense will perform without John Chavis. Miles hired former Alabama linebacker coach (not his first choice) as defensive coordinator, and former USC interim head coach Ed Orgeron as defensive line coach. 

Steele has a 3-4 background, but as long as Miles has been head coach, LSU has utilized a traditional 4-3 defense. Anticipate the Tigers using multiple fronts, particularly a three-man front. Steele has said that generating a pass rush is a top priority.

An interesting note on Kevin Steele: His last game as defensive coordinator at Clemson was in the 2012 Orange Bowl against West Virginia. His defense set a bowl record for points allowed in a 70-to-33 loss to the Mountaineers.

LSU returns six starters on defense. The one constant at LSU is its commitment to being a strong defense. Championships are won with a great defense. LSU is committed to defense first and foremost.

Jalen Mills

Jalen Mills

The strongest part of the Tigers defense is the secondary. Preseason All-SEC senior safety Jalen Mills and sophomore Jamal Adams (Arizona Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu, a former LSU star, predicts Adams will be the best college safety in the country in 2015), along with cornerback Tre’Davious White are the team leaders in this secondary. The Tigers took a major hit to the defense when Mills went down in fall practice with an ankle injury. Mills is the defense’s most experienced player, with 39 starts in 39 career games. He’s expected to be out four-six weeks, and probably won’t return until October.

Ed Paris

Ed Paris

Sophomore Ed Paris and true freshmen Donte Jackson of Riverdale and with Kevin Toliver II are

fighting for the starting position opposite White. Toliver, a five-star freshman from Jacksonville, had the advantage of enrolling during the spring, and will be another LSU All-American at corner before he leaves Defensive Back University (DBU).

Toliver was the second-ranked corner in the country coming out of high school. He’s listed at 6-feet, 2-inches, and 192 pounds — a good size for a defensive back. Safeties Dwayne Thomas, Corey Thompson and Rickey Jefferson will provide depth, with Thompson and Jefferson moving up on the depth chart with the injury to Mills.

Sports Illustrated ranked the best secondaries in college football for 2015. LSU ranked no. 1, followed by Florida at no. 2.

A star in the making is middle linebacker Kendell Beckwith. Beckwith will be the defensive strength up the middle. He was second on the team, with 77 tackles last season. Beckwith has been more disciplined this fall, and has really improved in coverage, according to

Tre’Davious White

Tre’Davious White

sources. One SEC coach calls Beckwith “the best linebacker in our league.” The 250-pounder runs a 4.55 40-yard dash, and is a second-team preseason All-SEC. Beckwith will be joined by returning linebacker Lamar Louis. Deion Jones will start on the outside. Junior Ronnie Fiest will back Beckwith up, while Donnie Alexander and Duke Riley add depth on the outside.

One of the biggest problems on defense in 2014 was the defensive line play. Returning starters Christian LaCouture and Davon Godchaux combined for 82 tackles and a mere 2.5 sacks last season. These numbers will have to improve this year if the defense is to improve. Coach Orgeron has brought a sack-focused system to the defensive line, with schematic changes that the Tigers are learning. Tackles are spaced out more to get more one-on-one matchups against offensive linemen. The defense is more focused on reaching the quarterback.

Miles has praised tackles Frank Herron and Greg Gilmore during preseason camp, and both men have seen playing time behind the starters. LSU will be two-deep at defensive tackle. Not a lot of depth. The Tigers are thin on the defensive line, and injuries could become a problem here during the season.

Kendell Beckwith

Kendell Beckwith

LSU will have to replace both of their defensive ends. The Tigers finished 103rd nationally, and 12th in the SEC, with just 19 sacks last year, seven coming against Sam Houston State. Defensive end rush will need to improve. Look for juniors Tashawn Bower and Lewis Neal to start, although both lack experience. The two may be the shakiest starters on the depth chart. “Coach Orgeron is all about pass rush, not contain rush. He wants us to do pass rush moves, not just play contain rush. He gives us different moves to study,” said Neal.

Arden Key, the no. 3 weak side defensive end in the nation last season out of Atlanta, signed with the Tigers. “When Coach O (Orgeron) got hired, I knew I was going to be an LSU Tiger,” said Key.

The 6-foot, 6-inch, 230-pound Key has been practicing with the first team defense during preseason camp. He has been compared to former Tiger Barkevious “KeKe” Mingo.

Also expect newcomer Isaiah Washington out of Karr High School in New Orleans to provide depth at defensive end.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Miles has named Colby Delahoussaye as his placekicker. But that could change. Delahoussaye kicked the game-winning field goal, a career-best 50-yarder, with three seconds left in the 30-to-27 win on the road against Florida last season. Late in the season, Delahoussaye grappled with accuracy, missing four of 15 field goals, and two of 36 extra-point attempts.

Dalahoussaye was replaced by Trent Domingue. Domingue was only 2-of-4 in field goal attempts, with what turned out to be a crucial block against Notre Dame in the Music City Bowl loss.

Domingue and Cameron Gamble will share kickoff duties.

Australian punter Jamie Keehn returns for his senior season. Keehn earned second-team All-SEC with a 44.9 average.

Trey Quinn

Trey Quinn

Tre’Davious White and Trey Quinn will handle punt returns, while Leonard Fournette and freshman Darrius Guice are expected to return kickoffs. Fournette led the SEC in all-purpose yards, and was among the league leaders in kickoff returns. Freshman Donte Jackson could be a factor in the return game. Coaches are looking for ways to utilize his 4.24 speed. Jackson has also been working out at slot receiver on offense and as returner for kickoffs and punts.

ANALYSIS

This team has been trending in the wrong direction, while the rest of the SEC West continues to improve. It’s possible for LSU to finish first in the division, but it’s also possible they could be dead last. In the three previous seasons since 2000, after the Tigers won eight games, they rebounded the following year (10-3 SEC Title in 2001, 13-1 national title in 2003, and 9-4 with a Citrus Bowl game loss to Penn State in 2009).

Leonard Fournette

Leonard Fournette

The Tigers can win 10 games and reach a New Year’s Eve bowl game if Leonard Fournette gives a Heisman performance, and if the quarterback, whoever it may be, performs consistently.

As usual, defense is the key in holding down opponents late in the fourth quarter. The inability to stop late-game drives must be corrected. In a league that is devoting more effort to hiring defensive coordinators to improve their defense, LSU must improve its offense, or continue to slide downward. The offense was abysmal in 2014. If it doesn’t pull its own weight this season, we could be looking at a repeat of last season’s 8-5, or even 7-6. That’s not good enough in Baton Rouge.

The SEC West is the toughest division in all of college football. Five teams from the SEC West are ranked in the Amway USA Today Coaches Poll. Road games at Alabama on Nov. 7 and Ole Miss on Nov. 21 make for a brutal schedule.

The early pivotal game comes Sept. 12 against Mississippi State. The Bulldo stadium8 gs have the best quarterback in the SEC in Sulphur-born Dak Prescott. We all know what happened last year in Tiger Stadium. Les Miles is not on the hot seat this season. It would take a $12.9 million buyout of his contract after Jan. 1, 2016. However, the 2016 season could be critical in determining whether the Miles family stays in Baton Rouge if the Tigers fail to improve on their wins this year.

The Tigers’ 2016 recruiting class is ranked no. 2, with 18 commitments, including 12 ranked in the 2016 ESPN Top 300. Two five-star in-state prospects — defensive tackle Rashard Lawrence and offensive tackle Willie Allen — are uncommitted, and there’s a chance the Tigers could move to no. 1 if they can land these highly regarded athletes.

There’s no question Miles and his staff are great recruiters. It’s developing this talent that is the real problem. These high school 5-star and 4-star athletes will go a long way toward keeping “the mad hatter” in Tigertown.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

Sporting News 2015 bucket-list ranking of the top pregame experiences in all of college football has LSU ranked no. 1, saying “It’s not the only school with a Tiger mascot, a world-class marching band, a stadium nicknamed Death Valley or a legendary tailgate scene with awesome local cuisine. But it belongs in the debate for best in all categories, and has the No. 1 overall combination.”

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