The holiday season brings more to football players than rest and recovery.
The arrival of winter break signals the start of bowl season, during which eligible teams anxiously await the announcement of which bowl game and destination is in the cards.
For those toeing the line between receiving a bowl invitation or missing out, bowl games can be a mark of progress and a sign that things are moving in the right direction.
But since LSU coach Les Miles arrived to Baton Rouge in 2005, bowl games have been the minimum requirement at season’s end for LSU, and they’ve usually ended in victory for the Tigers.
The No. 22 Tigers (8-4) will try to continue their dominance under Miles in bowl games when they take on historic powerhouse Notre Dame (7-5) in the Music City Bowl at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Nashville, Tennessee.
In a marquee matchup featuring two of college football’s most recognizable programs, there should be no lack of motivation for the upcoming clash at LP Field.
“You don’t go into any game not motivated, and if you do, then the chances of you winning will probably be very low,” said LSU junior safety Jalen Mills. “Us practicing this hard and the way we do, going into a game like this against a quality opponent, we’re going to be highly motivated to come out and win this last game.”
Bowl games usually present a different challenge for players than does the regular season. The environment is different, the teams are more evenly matched, and the opponents are unfamiliar with each other.
However, Miles has typically found a way to rally his teams past the bowl game distractions. Excluding the BCS title games following the 2007 and 2011 regular seasons, the Tigers have gone 5-2 in bowl games under Miles.
In those seven bowl games, LSU has averaged more than two touchdowns better than its competition and outgained the opposition by 61.4 yards per game.
If the Tigers can replicate some of what Miles’ teams have done in past bowl games, the Irish may be out of of luck.
Scoring in bunches
Despite the scoring woes that have plagued the Tigers at times under Miles in the regular season, putting up points isn’t something they’ve struggled with in bowl games.
Since 2005, LSU has averaged 31.7 points in its seven non-championship bowl games under Miles. In four of those matches, the Tigers scored better than their season averages, including three 40-point outings in wins against Miami, Notre Dame and Texas A&M.
Most of LSU’s scoring comes midway in the game. The Tigers and their opponents have scored 45 and 37 total points, respectively, in the first quarter. However, LSU has doubled that mark with 90 points in the second quarter and 54 in the third.
Players said the extra practice time for the bowl game sure helps.
“A lot of teams don’t get the opportunity to do this,” said LSU sophomore quarterback Anthony Jennings. “It’s two or three more weeks of practice with the coaches that other teams don’t get.”
One of the reasons behind the Tigers’ proficiency on offense has been their play when they reach the 20-yard line. LSU has scored on 90 percent of its red zone opportunities in bowl games under Miles, including a perfect 5-for-5 in the last two.
One of the Tigers’ most efficient bowl-game performances under Miles was in the 2005 Peach Bowl against Miami, during which LSU jumped to a 20-3 halftime lead before cruising to a 40-3 victory.
While the Tigers have had little trouble building early leads in bowl games, the same cannot be said for their counterparts. Opponents averaged 5.3 points in the first quarter but scored a combined 36 in the second and third quarters, finishing with a meager 14.6 points a game.
Running to victory
A staple of any Miles-coached team is a sound running game, and the Tigers have annually carried that run-heavy approach into their bowl games.
LSU has eclipsed the 200-yard mark on the ground in four bowl games under Miles en route to an 189.4 clip per outing. Six Tigers have reached at least 100 yards during that span, highlighted by former running back Jeremy Hill’s 216-yard outburst in LSU’s 21-14 victory against Iowa in last season’s Outback Bowl.
But in standard Miles fashion, he has also utilized the running-back-by-committee approach.
In the 2010 Cotton Bowl against Texas A&M, former LSU running backs Stevan Ridley and Spencer Ware rushed for 105 and 102 yards, respectively, and the Tigers finished their 41-24 shellacking of the Aggies with 288 yards on 5.3 yards per carry.
The favorite to break 100 yards on the ground is LSU freshman running back Leonard Fournette, who’s 109 away from hitting the 1,000-yard plateau. The only true freshman to reach the century mark in a bowl game was Keiland Williams against the Irish in 2006, when he rushed 20 times for 107 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The Tigers’ dominance on the ground in bowl games has resulted in an overwhelming control of the clock. LSU has won the time of possession in five bowl games under Miles, and all five resulted in a victory for the purple and gold.
Suffocating defense
Fast, hard-hitting defenses have become the norm for LSU under Miles, as opposing teams have discovered in bowl season.
Junior linebacker Kwon Alexander, who’s played in two bowl games in his career, said the approach for the Tigers’ defense has been simple.
“Just go out there and have fun,” Alexander said. “Don’t be uptight. Try to get the victory of course, but go out there and have fun, play your best and give it your all.”
They’ve sure had plenty of fun. During Miles’ seven non-title bowl games, the Tigers have held their opponents to less than their season averages in points and yards.
LSU has yielded only 307 yards per game and 4.4 per play while giving up barely more than two touchdowns an outing.
Bowl-game opponents have struggled moving the ball in all aspects against the Tigers. With a seemingly NFL-bound defensive front every season, the Tigers have allowed 116.3 rushing yards per bowl game under Miles on just 3.3 yards per carry.
The only running backs to break 100 yards against LSU’s stout defense in the postseason were Darius Walker (128) for Notre Dame in the 2006 Sugar Bowl and Cyrus Gray (100) for Texas A&M in the 2010 Cotton Bowl.
However, the Tigers’ pass defense has been even more throttling. LSU’s secondary has held opposing quarterbacks to a 52-percent completion rate and nine touchdowns in seven bowl games. “DBU” has also snagged nine interceptions while giving up 190.7 yards per game and 5.7 yards per attempt.
Perhaps the Tigers’ most impressive defensive performance in a bowl under Miles came against the Irish and Heisman Trophy candidate Brady Quinn in 2006. LSU wreaked havoc on the future NFL signal caller, stifling him to a career-worst completion percentage (42.9) for 148 yards and two picks.