BATON ROUGE — LSU head coach Les Miles spoke to the media at his weekly press luncheon on Monday, as the No. 11-ranked Tigers begin preparations to square off with No. 9 Georgia at 2:30 p.m. in Tiger Stadium. Watch the press conference on-demand now in the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net.
LSU HEAD COACH LES MILES
Opening statement…
“It’s nice to get off the road swing and look forward to several weeks in Tiger Stadium. I can tell you that one of our offensive tackles mentioned to his position coach, ?Getting home at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. in the morning is not near as much fun as being home after the game.’ Besides the very wonderful confines of Tiger Stadium, there are advantages to being at home. I’m glad how we finished the road swing. I felt like the effort was there. What we needed to do beyond that first half was to take the field, take the game over, and they did that. I liked our defensive effort, even in the first half. A couple of mistakes allowed South Carolina to move the football. Of course, the mistakes that the offense made gave them the opportunity for a quick score, but there was no difference in their effort from the first to the second half, and there was no question, in my mind that the defense was going to be stingy all day long. If you look at the second half, the offense came out and played quality football and really kind of took the game over. In time of possession, I think we had the ball 10 minutes more than our opponent. Certainly, our defense only allowed 42 or 43 yards in the second half. They played with confidence and attitude and got three timely turnovers. I really enjoyed how the defense played in the second half.
“I like what we’re doing with our quarterbacks. We need to continue that. I think both guys bring different characteristics and qualities to our offense, and it’s something that we need. I like the way (Jarrett) Lee throws it, and I certainly like the way (Andrew) Hatch handles certain situations of the game, and certainly, the back half of the game, allowing us to run it out. That will continue. I think it’s positive for us. I like our running backs. I think both Keiland Williams, Charles Scott and for that matter, Richard Murphy gave us fresh legs and great carries, and I think that will continue. We went a little bit more with Keiland Williams because it appeared to us that he had the hot hand and was freshest, and I think that’s what we need to do. I think we need to put the most ready back on the field. I don’t think there is any question that Charles Scott is still our starter and still has the opportunity to go in there and get the lion’s share of the work.
“I like what we did with Charles Scott at the fullback spot. We’ll throw it. We’ll run it. He’ll block from there, and he’ll carry the football from fullback. It gives them another personnel group that they have to prepare for, and it brings quality characteristics to our football team. The wide receivers played well. There were a couple of catches, in my opinion, that would have made it much easier Saturday evening in South Carolina, but I enjoyed the fact how physical they were. I enjoyed the fact that they blocked. In a day where we kept the ball, they made some key catches and certainly some key blocks that allowed us to control the ball at the end of the game.
“Defensively, (DE) Tyson Jackson has been a leader for us. He just continues to play extremely well. His effort is without question on every play, and it’s all out. He was the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week and just, in my opinion, not only a great player but a great leader. The six sacks and the pressure that we put on that quarterback certainly was telling as the night wore. The secondary is playing better. We were sounder, and there were less mistakes. I thought Curtis Taylor played extremely well. He made some great hits in the game, and his interception was a great play in the game. Chris Hawkins just comes to play. He is good on coverage, hits the run , he has great effort. He strips the ball out of the quarterback’s hands off to the defense’s right, and if you watch that play, it’s as fine an effort by a corner as I’ve seen.
“Georgia is certainly a great. They started the season No. 1 in the country and are very talented. Coach Richt does a great job, and Stacy Searels, the line coach there I know will have them cranked up and ready to play. Certainly, they’ll be prepared. If you look at Georgia’s offense, their first in the league in passing offense and, they are very capable in rushing, also first in rushing defense. They’re a very talented offense and for that matter, a very talented defense. Offensively they are averaging 31 points and total offense of 429 yards. They have great balance with the quarterback Matthew Stafford. Stafford is a big, tall and with a great arm. He’s mobile enough to concern you. Knowshon Moreno is very talented tailback who has great quickness, runs with power and has great vision. They are a very talented group. Defensively, they play sound, solid and technical football. They are always in their gaps. When they play man they cover their man. When they are in zone, they are getting breaks from the ball. They will be a great challenge for us.
“The special teams’ return average is extremely good, and they have great returners in both the kickoff and punt return. They’ve blocked two punts this year. It’s going to be a challenge in that part of the game as well.
“Frankly, I look forward to being back in Tiger Stadium. It’s going to be a lot of fun for our team. We needs to build on the momentum that has been created from the win at South Carolina and go forward.”
On if he has a preference as to whether he would rather play during the day or night…
“If I had the chalkboard, I would prefer to play at 4:27 to 4:29 p.m. In that area, we would like to kick it off, but if I don’t have the chalkboard and they say 2:30, I’m going to be ready. I’ll be excited. I know that Tiger Stadium at night is a great advantage for us. I certainly understand that, but considering that they’re team is staying up at 2:30, I’m going to be excited about that time too.”
On using four defensive ends against South Carolina…
“It wasn’t because of injury. It was for advantage. Those four guys give us great quickness and get to the passer and work well together in terms of orchestrating coordinated pass rush. I think it was an advantage. Not that we don’t rush the passer with Marlon Favorite, Al Woods or Charles Alexander in there. It just seems to be an advantage when you put those quicker guys on the field.”
On the play of Tremaine Johnson…
“The last sack of the game that he had was just a great personal effort. A guy steps out to cut him, and he just goes over the top, touches his hand on the ground, doesn’t get cut, comes right back up and gets the sack. It was just a natural reaction. He’s having a really strong year and deservedly so. He’s paid a tremendous price and worked hard, and now, he’s reaping the benefits of the fact that he’s prepared to go on the field at really the defensive end or three technique.”
On playing power football…
“I think there’s a point in time in the back end of games where the rush wears on a defense, period. I think that if you look at us over time, the ability to come on the field and take the game over in the back end of the game is an advantage for us. Certainly, it’s a characteristic our team has. We have a big, powerful offensive line, blocking tight ends, fullbacks. The opportunity to do that in the back end of the game is certainly something we look forward to doing. I don’t know that the change was as significant as the time of the game. The time of the game is what we needed, and we called upon it, and we had it. To say that we could have done that from the first snap is probably not accurate.”
On how he feels the offensive line has played half way through the season…
“I think they gave us good protection. I think they gave us good protection Saturday, and I think they block for the run extremely well. They come off the football. They have great surge and a great push. They’re big men. I grade them very positively to this point in the season.”
On the ratio of players on Georgia’s team that are from Georgia…
“The recruiting in the state of Louisiana is an advantage for us because the opportunity to offer the in-state athlete the opportunity to play at a place where he gets a great degree, has all the advantages of being loyal and rewarded for staying consistent to the people in this state allows his mother and father to watch him play. That advantage when you’re a team that provides great opportunities and also an opportunity to play for a national championship is, in this state, a tremendous advantage for us. We think there’s enough talent in this state that will allow us to compete nationally. The best players in Louisiana are as good as any players in America. Georgia has a similar situation in the fact that they have a quality population to choose from. I think there are good players in Georgia. I want to say that I think it comes out that the state of Florida, California and Texas have the greatest numbers and then Georgia. It’s a place where it’s populated, and there’s some really good football. We have some Georgia players on our team as well.”
On the status of Darry Beckwith…
“He’s a player. He’s our Mike backer. He’s played extremely well in the game and will continue to be that guy. He played 38 snaps in the game.”
On if he sensed a great attitude from Keiland Williams Saturday…
“I think when you realize as your career unfolds and your carries are specific to, not the next one but the one that I’m getting. This snap that I’m carrying right now and how important that is, I think that sense of urgency has kind of crept into Keiland’s game a little bit. It’s made an advantage for him. I think it allowed him to run hard in that game, and I think it gave this team an advantage. I think it gave Charles Scott some needed rest.”
On finding a way to win in the fourth quarter…
“I can’t tell you how many games we’ve come behind in. I’d say it’s 10 or 12. Certainly in those games, most of them have been nationally-ranked teams. Frankly, I think this team and group of men is as competitive a group of men as I’ve been around. If you put the ball on the line, they’ll like to scrap you for it, and they understand that playing in this league, it’s going to be close. Part of being close is at times, being behind. I think that they can play from that position and play well.”
On the mental makeup of a player like kicker Colt David…
“You really don’t forget about that position. It’s a tremendous advantage for you and a key piece of the game board. If you look at the field and you realize that with a 48-yard field goal that he’s liable to hit. To be honest with you, in the last two weeks, he’s hit field goals in warm-ups of 62 yards. His leg is not only very long but very accurate, and we look forward to using him in the future.”
On using Patrick Peterson and Chad Jones instead of others in certain situations…
“I think it was in response to play, and I think Peterson is getting better and better. I think the opportunity to get him, again, fresh and onto the field late in the game to provide great coverage and play was just a quality decision. Chad Jones is, again, we’re looking for spots for him to play in and increase his snaps. He’s as talented as anybody on our team, and for him to take some advantaged snaps would be in response to how well Chad plays. Obviously, we want to put our best players on the field.”
On using Charles Scott at fullback…
“I think anytime that you play not as well as you’re capable, there’s a lot of review. Some of those things were in response to that, and some of those things were in response to matching the game plan against South Carolina. We’ve been practicing Charles Scott at fullback for quite sometime, and again, it doesn’t make any difference what kind of play it is, that’s an advantage of having a big, strong back.”
On if he plans to game plan RB Knowshon Moreno like Alabama did…
“The thing that Alabama did was they threw the ball extremely well at the beginning of the game and put Georgia in a deficit for time and really just created a must-throw situation for their offense. That was the best way that they controlled their running attack, but both Moreno and Stafford to their receivers are great weapons on an offensive side of the ball. We’re going to have to be ready for that. You can have a guy standing in the hole. You just have to be ready to tackle a great running back like Moreno. They can throw it. They have a big, tall quarterback who can throw it out there, so we’re going to have to play some coverage as well.”
On what he remembers from the 2005 SEC Championship game against Georgia…
“I think our football team gets excited for big games. This is certainly one. Nationally-ranked teams, teams that play in games that are very significant. This is going to be a significant game for both of our teams. I think our guys look forward to Georgia in our stadium. I think this will be a great week to prepare.”
On recruiting second-tier players…
“Second-tier players aren’t guys who we would recruit first of all. You would think that a guy who had really good ability, a scholarship player but not necessarily the top of Division I football or that style of prospect, and many times second-tier players turn out to be very good players. You can’t measure what’s in a guy’s heart and how they develop. If you could, that would be the key because you see in football all the time those guys that were not highly recruited who stepped on the field and became the best players, but that happens rarely. Certainly, the measurables ? size, strength and speed ? puts you in a position to be a prospect that all schools would want and what would be somewhat less ability along one of those three measurables and the ability in film not to show them very well would make you a second-tier prospect.”
On if he sees the parallel between Matthew Stafford and Jarrett Lee…
“I’m obviously not as familiar with the progress that Matthew Stafford has had to endure, but I like how our guy (Lee) has come through this position. I like the fact that he’s had two games in a row in very hostile stadiums. He played significant football at home, and now, we’re ready to take on one of the better opponents in our stadium. I like the setup. I like his development to this point, and I like the idea that both quarterbacks have taken the field in this stadium and are a little bit road-tested.”
On if LSU will look to blitz more or use four lineman only against Georgia…
“I think we’ll do both. I think the opportunity to get pressure with four guys is something everybody looks forward to. I don’t necessarily see what you saw. I know that their offensive line is getting better each week, and certainly, they’ll be playing well this week against us. Every time that you make a coverage call, you want to make sure that you have it covered. You would like to rush with as few as you can. I think you’ll find that we’ll rush with three guys at times in this game. They’ll be four a lot, and we’ll bring five and six. The game plan is not quite in just yet, but we’re going to look to outnumber the blockers if we can.”
On if he reminds his team about Georgia’s campaigning for the national championship last year…
“I don’t know. That’s a long time ago in my mind, but I certainly remember that and recall it, but no, I don’t think there’s an issue with our team. Certainly everybody is entitled to their opinion.”
On if he’ll use the “Express package” regularly now…
“I think we look forward to all four of those guys going into the game at the same time. The good news is they can all play the rush from there as well as rush the passer. I think it’s a quicker way to the quarterback at times. I think you can look forward to that being played, surely. We hope that Ricky Jean-Francois will be ready to go. He practiced in both of last week’s practices, but it will be wait-and-see. We’ll see how Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday look.”
On if the notion that LSU had to play 10 games in a row before the 2005 SEC Championship was just an excuse…
“There are no excuses. You have the opportunity to win. You have that Saturday to win it. However, it plays that you got there, that’s what you were dealt with, and you better learn to play as well as you can. There was never any cop-out in my mind. I can tell you that our football team wants to play in this game. Our football team has designs for this year. It counts one. It’s certainly a very important game. We understand our histories, and we want to play in this game.”
On if Moreno will be the most difficult player LSU will face this season…
“He’s a tremendous receiver. He’s very elusive. He’s got very good ball skills. He’ll block the defensive ends before he leaves the pocket as well, so we’re very much aware of him.”
On if teams scheme to make the umpire an extra blocker at times…
“We told him (the umpire), ?Listen, you’ve got to use your flipper. You’ve got to use your forearm.’ But, then you have to wrap up. I want you to know that we were disappointed in his effort to be honest with you. We felt like he could knock them down a little bit. It happens so regularly in games. Sometimes the ball breaks right at him, and it’s very difficult. Certainly, everybody in this room would look to defend themselves, and I’m certain that’s what he was thinking when that ball came at him. No, we don’t look to use them as picks or blocking pieces and rubs, but it certainly happens.”