During his weekly radio show Wednesday night, LSU football coach Les Miles interrupted co-host Jim Hawthorne mid-sentence when Hawthorne was talking about how close the last games against Alabama were.
“You know, those last two were just a pain in the tail,” Miles said.
It was small, but it was the only time Miles slipped up his act the last two weeks. Since beating Ole Miss on Oct. 25, Miles has talked about Alabama but never revealed disdain for the Tide, like so many fans in Baton Rouge.
But the radio slip-up conveys the truth — this game is different, and no one wants to win it more than Miles.
Hating Alabama is a bodily function for LSU fans, stemming from a long line of trials against the Tide. The dominance of former Alabama coach Bear Bryant, Nick Saban’s betrayal in 2005 and the controversy in 2011 all are reasons for Tiger fans to feel bitter.
But Miles has a stronger reason to hate Alabama, a reason exclusive to him. Saban’s stern leadership has affected the way people perceive Miles since he arrived here, and all Miles wants is to prove his prowess is equal to Saban’s.
By statistics alone, Saban has been only slightly better than Miles. Saban has won only six more games in more than seven seasons, and that is counting the five wins taken away because of a NCAA violation in 2007. But fans put Saban on a different pedestal than Miles and all other college coaches, as if the Tide’s coach could do no wrong.
The difference between the two is that Miles acts like a human being. While Saban maintains the image of the worst dinner party guest of all time, Miles doesn’t hide his zany behavior. For some reason, people hold that against him.
Coaches are allowed to have different styles and personalities, but Miles is so far from the norm that he loses respect from some. Meanwhile, Saban is a carbon copy of old college coaches like Woody Hayes and Bryant, a stern coach who wins games based on discipline and repetition.
Miles is eccentric and passionate, and like most in society, he is seen as a misfit for those qualities. The coach who has produced seven 10-win seasons in nine years is “allegedly” bad at his job because he goofs around at press conferences and eats grass on the sidelines.
In reality, only half of the weird things Miles does are unintentional and the other half is to please the fans. He’s accepted his role as a character, and he only wishes his detractors could feel the same way.
Those detractors include the LSU fans with a Nick Saban complex. Since coming to Baton Rouge, these fans have judged Miles’ accomplishments, fairly or unfairly, based on what Saban does at Alabama. They still haven’t moved on from Saban leaving, and Miles is punished for it.
There’s no proof Saban would win more games with Miles’ players or vice versa. There have been games Miles lost that he could have won with conservative coaching, but there are also games he won because of his uncommon play-calling.
Calling Saban the better coach is a reasonable opinion, but calling Miles an idiot or a bad coach because he isn’t Saban is maddening. Almost any school in the country would die to have Miles and his all his quirkiness lead the team.
Miles’ quip on the radio wasn’t just a release of frustration about losses the last two seasons. It’s also a small outburst at fans who judge his personality instead of his record.
Tommy Romanach is a 22-year-old mass communication senior from Dallas, Texas. You can reach him on Twitter @troman_92.