BATON ROUGE — LSU head coach Les Miles and his 19th-ranked Tigers continued preparations on Wednesday for Saturday’s Homecoming matchup against Troy as LSU was forced indoors for practice due to rain and a saturated field.
“We had a good practice,” Miles said. “We were inside most of the day. The grass is a little damp, but we got a lot done today. I like the preparation thus far. We still have to finish out the week strong.”
Kickoff between the Tigers and Trojans is at 7 p.m. CST in Tiger Stadium. The contest will be televised live on TigerVision, LSU’s in-house pay-per-view network. The two teams were originally supposed to meet on Sept. 6, but Hurricane Gustav forced the postponement of the game until Nov. 15.
LSU (6-3) is seeking to avoid back-to-back losses after turning in a valiant effort against No. 1 Alabama last weekend in a game that was claimed by the Crimson Tide, 27-21, in overtime. Troy (6-3) became bowl eligible with a 17-7 win over Western Kentucky last weekend and sits in second place in the Sun Belt Conference standings.
Earlier this season, the Trojans nearly upset then-13th-ranked Ohio State in Columbus in a game that was 14-10 at the end of the third quarter. The Buckeyes rallied in the fourth quarter for a 28-10 victory. One week later, Troy traveled to Oklahoma State and posted 24 points on the Cowboys.
“I think they (Troy) are a very capable team,” Miles said Wednesday. “The game will be very competitive. I’ve watched them play defense, and I’ve watched them throw the ball on offense. They have a number of playmakers. We expect this to be a competitive game.”
Miles brings an unblemished 17-0 mark against non-conference opponents into the contest, and the Tigers have been victorious over non-SEC teams in 24 consecutive games. Miles has been pleased with his team’s attitude this week and expects the Tigers to be at their best on Saturday night.
“We have pointed that we can get better,” Miles said. “I think our guys responded very well and they understand there are a number of ways we can improve. They came to practice this week with that in mind. We are not about encouraging. We are more about directing to get better. For all the right reasons, we encourage to be a great team, encourage playing four quarters of quality football and encourage to improve.”
Miles said center Brett Helms was back at practice Wednesday and that freshman quarterback Jordan Jefferson could see significant snaps in the contest.
“He’s (Jefferson) getting better with each day of practice and with each period. I liked to have him play a series or two late in the first half or second quarter.”