BATON ROUGE — LSU head coach Les Miles spoke to the media on Monday follow his Tigers’ 19-17 victory over Arkansas. The win locked up the SEC Western Division title and setup a rematch of the 2001 SEC Championship game with Georgia on Saturday in Atlanta.
Members of the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net can use the links above to watch or listen to the archived video and audio now.
COMMENTS FROM LSU COACH LES MILES AT HIS WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE
Opening statement…
“I really feel like this team has achieved a lot considering the start of the season and the unusual nature around the state of Louisiana. We feel very fortunate to be in position to achieve a great majority of our goals and to be playing for a championship. I consider it a great pleasure to take this team on the road to meet a very quality opponent in Georgia. I think they are as talented of a team as we have seen. They are very competitive. They have a great front seven. Their front seven is as talented as any we’ve seen. They have a great secondary. They are very good as a team on offense, defense and special teams. They seem to compliment each other. Their combined losses are in single digits. We understand that they are tremendously talented and will play our best football as we go to the dome.”
On the hurricane not being a factor anymore…
“I think there were times that the hurricane was forefront and something that we had to deal with on a daily basis. As the state continues to rebuild and the peripheral issues continue to become more specific to individuals than our team, I think it has become less of a day-to-day issue. Certainly, it is something that will not be behind us for years.”
On DT Kyle Williams…
“I would say that Kyle Williams has tremendous talent and ability. I would say to a layperson that doesn’t need to know that, ?Watch number 95. He goes all out on every play.’ I think that would best describe Kyle Williams.”
On being concerned about the offense…
“I’m concerned about all three phases. Offensively, I think we need to run the ball more efficiently. We can’t afford to have dropped balls against a quality opponent. I’m concerned in the fact that I want to make our team better, but I’m not concerned about the kids having more focus.”
On LSU’s last three games against Georgia…
“I heard about both games. I’ve watched films on several of the Georgia games. I think players really respect their abilities and look forward to competing against them.”
On playing on turf…
“I think that surface will be good for Justin Vincent and maybe Shyrone Carey, who have had significant carries on that surface and performed well. I think those things are a comfort to a player who has had experience on them. I think its something that our players are looking forward to.”
On the Georgia Dome crowd…
“I’ve asked several people about it. We think it’s going to be a noisy environment. We think it’s going to be about 50 percent Bulldogs and 50 percent Tigers. I think we’re looking forward to it. I’ve been told that it is a great college atmosphere and a championship atmosphere. I hear that it is done extremely well. I look forward to it and I think our team does too.”
On the receivers dropping passes…
“As long as they catch the ones we need to win. At times I think our guys are not as focused on that game as they should be. I think we can look forward to a better performance in the championship.”
On LSU being tired…
“We took the weekend off for the first time in this 11 game stretch. They had two days off, both Saturday and Sunday. We’ll get them back to practice today. We’re constantly monitoring where we’re at and it looks that our health is in great shape.”
On how the Hurricane affected the season…
“Looking back, had we had North Texas and then Arizona State at home, that would have been the ideal way to start the season. That may have affected how we played in the Tennessee game. I would like to think that if we had two games in our stadium that the outcome would have been a little different. Then again, I coach for LSU and I look at it that way.”
On LSU’s inconsistent play…
“I think our team wants to play their best football. The best time to do so would be this weekend. The most significant opportunity the team has at accomplishing their goals is on Saturday. I just want them to play better than they have played. I want them to be consistent. I want them to play all three phases. I want them to play for all four quarters. If we do that we will have done a lot to give ourselves the opportunity to win.”
On D.J. Shockley…
“He’s got a rocket for an arm. He’s got the ability to throw it long and accurately. He’s got the ability to avoid the rush, run the ball and pick up some scramble yards. We need to make sure that we have containment, understand our rushing lanes, yet still pressure him. He is a quality quarterback.”
On winning so many close games this season…
“I think a lot of seasons have those games. Those teams that find a way to win are the ones that play their best in the flow of a tight ball game. Both of these teams are teams that will win tight ball games and do those things that you need to do to win. I don’t think its chance so much as it is a team that is comfortable in the heat and understands that now is the time to win it. The Ohio State team that beat Miami for the national championship was involved in a record number of close games. I witnessed that and I think this is the first time I’ve been involved in a season where so many games were decided by so few points.”
On the defensive line…
“I think our defensive line has played to my expectations. I expected them to play as well as they have, only because I’ve learned that by watching them and knowing their abilities. I think they have made a tremendous contribution to the success of our football team. Melvin Oliver played a great game against Arkansas and is a guy that we’ll certainly miss when he moves on. I think good football teams win for specific reasons. I think one of the reasons we win is because that defensive line is tough to block.”
On his team’s commitment…
“I think our team has a commitment to each other. I think that because of the way the season started, the lack of open weeks and the way the team plays on the field. Jesse Daniels the other day said, ?It doesn’t make any difference. We’ll get you the ball back.’ That is exactly the feel that the team has.”
On the offensive line…
“I think our offensive line has come to play every game, some games better than others. Our offensive line has made significant contributions to our offense, especially with the ability to throw it and run it as well as we have. We have to get better. This Georgia defense will be the best we have faced. We’ll put that challenge to our offensive line and I think they’ll respond.”
On his team looking past the championship game…
“I can’t imagine that there will be any looking forward at all. I imagine that they’ll be looking forward to the preparation, focusing on the game plan and representing their school in the championship game.”