Les Miles could make changes to staff following the season

After weeks of speculation and belief that he would be fired, LSU announced that Les Miles would remain the football coach after the team’s win over Texas A&M on Saturday night.

LSU coach Les Miles drew a rousing round of applause and a scattered standing ovation from fans at Tiger Stadium Saturday night shortly before kickoff against Texas A&M as he walked from the north end zone and past midfield toward to the south end zone.

FootballScoop.com, a Baton Rouge-based group that closely monitors college football coaching turnover, reported that Miles likely would remain at LSU with a win over A&M.

“I agree with Joe”, Miles said and later added that he would consider staff changes.

Les Miles looked to his right, beyond a crowd of reporters to where his wife, Kathy, and their four children had been waiting anxiously for the 62-year-old coach to emerge from LSU’s locker room.

Leonard Fournette’s performance gave him LSU’s single-season rushing record at 1,741 yards, surpassing the mark of 1,686 yards set by Charles Alexander in 1977.

Kyle Allen passed for 161 yards and one touchdown for the Aggies (8-4, 4-4), but had a pass intercepted by Donte Jackson inside the final 2 minutes, all but sealing LSU’s victory.

Current offensive coordinator Cam Cameron’s contract that paid him $1.5 million this season is up and it is highly unlikely he will be back, no matter how close he and Miles are as friends. And I’m very pleased that Coach Miles is our coach. For weeks rumors have swirled about Miles’ future with the Tigers.

“Honestly, up to Game 7, I thought he was magnificent, and then there seemed to be a pause”, Miles said.

When the Tigers finally produced a big play to take a 13-7 lead, it came on Guice’s long run.

Miles said Alleva and the school president told him after the game that they wanted him to stay in his job.

LSU’s powers began planning to keep Miles this week amid fears they would not get Fisher. LSU players carried him off the field.

LSU (8-3, 5-3) entered the game against the Aggies on the program’s first three-game losing skid since 1999, and the Tigers exited with a fifth straight victory over rival Texas A&M (8-4, 4-4).

Expectations have been high not just because of LSU’s enormous athletic resources, but because Miles has succeeded in recruiting players at numerous positions who’ve been good enough to make it in the NFL. Signs were posted throughout the stadium portraying, “Keep Les Miles, Fire Joe Alleva”.

Virginia Tech may not have had the greatest season, but Frank Beamer’s retirement sparked a late surge and a celebration for the beloved coach’s career.

LSU is 111th nationally in passing offense. LSU Board of Supervisors member Stanley Jacobs, the vice-chairman of the athletic committee, became the first LSU official to publicly back Miles as Alleva and others have been silent about Miles’ future since stories of his demise were leaked out shortly after the Tigers fell to 7-2 on November 14 with a 31-14 loss to unranked Arkansas. Can Miles turn this reprieve into a rebound? “That’s how we think of it. That’s how this team thinks of it. We wouldn’t want anyone else here”.