“I don’t think there’s anybody that wants a rebuilding year,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “That’s not certainly something that I’ve ever said that we were going to encounter.”
LSU coach Les Miles and his team claim that 2014 is not a rebuilding year. Yet, when you play 17 true freshman on the first road game of the season and lose 41-7, where can the Tigers go from here?
“I actually think it’s an opportunity for us to come together and get stronger,” LSU junior cornerback Jalen Collins said.
“We just have to get back to work,” said sophomore cornerback Tre’Davious White. “We still have a chance, we still have a lot to play for.”
“You can tell no one’s really dwelling on the loss,” sophomore wide receiver Travin Dural said. “Everyone’s just ready to get back and get ready.”
“You hope that you can fix it with the personnel that you have because that’s fundamentally the piece,” Miles said. 
This season, Miles is being forced to ask his personnel of eighteen and 19-year-old kids to compete at the highest level of college football.
This coming as a result of LSU losing 18 players to the NFL Draft in the past two years alone, 13 of them underclassmen.
“As young players, as many as we have, we have to continue to let those guys mature and grow,” red shirt freshman wide receiver John Diarse said.
“I think as the weeks go on, the guys are starting to realize and understand that it’s a process. As long as we go out and have fun and not think so much, I think it’ll come natural and the mistakes will be at minimum.”
Miles is known for playing a lot of freshmen and that’s what attracts high-school talent to Baton Rouge. But that also makes coaching an even bigger challenge.
“You’ll be surprised how fast guys can mature,” Miles said. “Maybe it takes another week of coaching but we hope you’ll see better execution going forward.”
“You just have to come out each and every week and have the same mindset that, ‘Hey. This is LSU. This is what we do,’” Diarse said. “We know what’s up next and getting ready for the swamp.”
Miles can only hope for his Tigers to mature fast. Maybe as quick as one week with the Gators next on the slate.