It’s no secret LSU coach Les Miles loves to run the ball.
Throughout his 11 years of prowling the sidelines of Tiger Stadium, clad in his windbreaker, Miles’ squads average 530.1 rushing attempts, 2,392.5 yards on the ground and 27.8 rushing touchdowns per season.
Despite spearheading a premier program during the heyday of the spread offense and facing constant criticism from the LSU faithful for being predictable, Miles dependence on the fundamentals — strong run game, smothering defense and solid special teams — has yielded unprecedented success.
Along with capturing the Tigers’ third national championship in 2007 and two Southeastern Conference titles in 2007 and 2011, Miles tallied more wins than any other SEC coach between 2005-2014 with 103.
In spite of sophomore quarterback Brandon Harris rolling into the No. 2 Tigers’ showdown against No. 4 University of Alabama with 716 passing yards in the last three games, Miles is set to return to his hard-nosed run against the Crimson Tide behind sophomore running back Leonard Fournette.
“We enjoy the fact that there is a physicality to the style of offense that we run, that we’re going to challenge a defense and try to control the line of scrimmage and block them,” Miles said.
But Miles’ dependence on the run didn’t start with Fournette’s success or any of his other 1,000-yard rushers with the Tigers, it’s rooted in his time under the late University of Michigan coach Bo Schembechler.
As an offensive lineman at Michigan from 1974-1975 and as an assistant coach from 1980-1981 and 1987-1989 under Schembechler, Miles learned the importance of the run game, which translated into the Tigers’ offensive mentality.
“He played at Michigan,” said offensive guard William Clapp. “He was a tough guy. He knows what it’s like to be down in the trenches, so having his insight into that really helps when we go into practice.”
Since beginning his head coaching career at Oklahoma State University in 2001, Miles showcased the power run game.
The Cowboys posted just a 4-7 finish in his debut season, but Miles’ focus on the run produced three-straight bowl appearances in 2002, 2003 and 2004 and a 24-14 overall record.
During Miles’ last two seasons in Stillwater, Oklahoma, in 2003 and 2004, the Cowboys tallied the ninth- and 10th-most rushing touchdowns in program history, with 34 and 32, respectively.
Since Miles brought his talents to Baton Rouge in 2005, the Tigers’ depth at running back and along the offensive line propelled Miles’ run-first mentality into national prominence with its success against top-notch SEC defenses.
“We still run more of the old-school power eye,” Clapp said. “I know a lot of schools go to the spread now, but it’s just something that has been labeled as what LSU does. It’s something that works for us, and we love running it.”
During Miles’ tenure, the Tigers average 167.1 rushing yards per game against conference opponents.
LSU lost only five games out of 58 under Miles when a Tiger running back breaks the 100-yard mark, including three SEC games.
Miles’ dedication to the run game attracts highly-touted running back recruits and offensive linemen from all over the country, putting the Tigers into direct competition with Alabama.
“Two powerhouses, two teams that are going to contend for the national championship,” said junior center Ethan Pocic. “They’re very similar.”
Along with on the recruiting trail, the LSU-Alabama rivalry on the field has reached an unprecedented level of national prominence under the tenures of Saban and Miles.
In the duo’s nine head-to-heads, Saban and Miles combined for 659 rushing attempts compared with 541 passing attempts, demonstrating both coaches’ tendency toward the run.
Against the Tide, Miles-led offenses average 18.3 points and 363.1 yards of total offense per game, including 128.8 rushing yards.
Miles three wins against Saban came on the back of the run game with 87 yards in 2007, 225 yards in 2010 and 148 yards in 2011.
This year the rivalry will feature strength against strength with the Tigers sporting the nation’s fifth-best rushing attack against the Tide’s No. 1 SEC run defense.
“It’s going to be very physical, like what I call the ‘Clash of the Titans,” Fournette said. “Alabama’s defense is tremendous.”