Les Miles to Remain the Head Coach at LSU

LSU head coach Les Miles celebrates after an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015.

Fournette finished the game owning LSU’s single-season rushing record at 1,741 yards, surpassing the mark of 1,686 yards set by Charles Alexander in 1977.

“Les Miles is our football coach and he will continue to be our football coach”, Alleva said.

Athletic director Joe Alleva announced following a 19-7 defeat of Texas A&M that the program’s 11th-year leader will continue in his role – despite a week’s speculation regarding a potential change just as quickly.

So ended one of the most hectic weeks in Miles’ tenure.

When asked whether or not tonight’s victory affected Les Miles’ job status, Alleva immediately denied any presumption that tonight’s outcome had any affect on the future status of the current head coach. A 38-17 loss at Ole Miss followed last week.

Not even the addition of former Tigers defensive coordinator John Chavis to the Aggies’ coaching staff has helped. No recommendation has been made. “We should win all the time”.

“Well, we are at the end of our regular season”.

In an wonderful scene following the win, Tigers players carried Miles off the field as the crowd chanted “Keep Les Miles!”.

In classic Miles fashion, LSU dominated the Aggies (8-4, 4-4 SEC) on the ground with 244 yards to 89.

LSU QB Brandon Harris was 7 of 21 for 83 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.

LSU running back Derrius Guice rushed 50 yards for a TD.

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. The announcement capped more than a week of speculation that Miles was on the verge of losing his job after his first three-game losing streak in his 11 years at LSU. “The guy who delivered our body blows was Leonard Fournette”.

That said, in an in-game interview with Maria Taylor of the SEC Network, O’Neal solidly backed Miles, and he said the school should be showing the coach “a lot more respect”. They blew their third scoring opportunity to open the third period.

LSU’s frustrations on offense were encapsulated by the opening possession of the second half, which began on the A&M 25 after Guice’s long kickoff return in which he broke more than a half-dozen tackles before finally getting pushed out of bounds. This gives Miles and the Tigers the spring to implement a new offensive system, one with greater run pass balance. LSU’s Donte Jackson recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff return by Christian Kirk at the Aggies’ 20-yard line after a hit by Devin Voorhies. There will be plenty of time to figure out what happens next, including LSU’s bowl destination. The Tigers entered the game having fallen behind 55-0 in the first half of its last three games. The Tigers also moved up in a couple of polls.

LSU got back into the Associated Press Poll with a No. 23 ranking. Allen highlighted the 80-yard drive in seven plays with a 47-yard completion to wide receiver Josh Reynolds.

Leonard Fournette ran for 159 yards and a touchdown. But he was caught for a 3-yard loss on third and two from the 5-yard line.

The Tigers drove 44 yards in nine plays for the first field goal. Its defense held A&M to a mere 250 total yards. “Whether he stayed or left, we wanted to show to everybody how much we love him, how much we wanted him to stay”. Let’s make one thing clear.