By Dylan Edelman Failure is not an option, especially when you are talking college football. After 11 illustrious years at LSU, head coach Les Miles was fired four games into this year’s season. With a record of 2-2, the higher-ups of the school were hugely disappointed with the team’s lackluster start. The Tigers were ranked # 5 during preseason, according to ESPN. In their first game, LSU lost 16-14 against an unranked Wisconsin team, dropping their once notable NCAA college ranking to # 21. Two wins came next - defeating Mississippi State (34-13) and Jacksonville State (23-20) - which raised them up three notches to #18. Then, the unimaginable happened. LSU dropped off the ranking list by week 5 due to an 18-13 loss in a wild card game to Auburn. In what appeared to be the game winning touchdown for LSU, officials ruled that the ball was not snapped in time. The poor time management of the clock seemed to be the last straw on Miles’ career at LSU.
Les Miles was initially hired to replace Nick Saban in 2005. The coach’s first accomplishments were leading the team to 2005 SEC Western Division title and winning the Peach Bowl against Miami the same year. That was just the beginning. Miles guided his team in 2007 and again in 2011, to win the much coveted BCS National Championship. His leadership skills surely prompted his winning of the 2011 Associated Press College Football Coach of the Year Award. Was LSU too quick to pull the trigger when they fired Les Miles, or was it the right time to find a new head coach? Throughout his tenure at LSU, Miles accumulated around 113 wins for the team, according to LSUsports.net. Winning games wasn’t his only claim to fame. Every few years, there seemed to be speculation that Miles was thinking about moving to his alma mater up north. In 2007, 2011, and 2014, more rumors swirled that Miles was considering a head coaching position at the University of Michigan. Though he helped refine LSU’s running game and defense, Les Miles could no longer deliver. There were no more treats in his bag of tricks.
1 Comment
Sandy Ed
11/24/2016 12:00:02 am
Great article
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