Do what it takes to achieve victory. I’ve heard LSU coach Les Miles utter that phrase a thousand times.
It’s the staple of the LSU football program.
What better time to snatch victory out of your opponents’ hands than against hated Ole Miss on Senior Day?
Miles could care less about the 35 points or the 463 yards LSU gave up to the Rebel Black Bears. Walking off the field after a win and singing the Alma Mater arm-in-arm with his players is all that mattered to the Mad Hatter.
Saturday night exemplified just how much respect Miles has for his players and vice versa.
It would have been so easy for LSU to quit. So easy to give up on a season when the rest of the country had already written it off.
Not LSU. And definitely not on Senior Day.
“The moral of this game was things in life that don’t come easy but if you keep on fighting towards the end things will go your way,” said LSU junior defensive end Sam Montgomery. “Never give up. That’s something that our seniors, young guys, guys in the middle, never did.”
Saturday’s storyline wasn’t running back Jeremy Hill’s three touchdowns or Odell Beckham Jr.’s 89-yard punt return that reminded LSU fans of Billy Cannon’s run on Halloween Night in 1959. It was Miles’ opening statement of his post-game news conference.
I learned a quick lesson after listening to Miles speak for 10 minutes after the Tigers’ victory — don’t go after one of his seniors before his final home game.
The consensus among media members was Les’ emotional speech was in response to a column written by a Baton Rouge sportswriter about how big of a bust senior wide receiver Russell Shepard has been in an LSU uniform.
As much as Les likes to play the charade he doesn’t pay attention to what the media produces about his team, he reads it all.
So when Miles got his chance to take up for the former five-star recruit and the rest of his senior class, he made sure we wouldn’t soon forget it.
“I went to the field with 16 or 17 seniors, and everyone’s contributions to our team is noteworthy,” Miles said. “Every one of them, whether he is a scout team player or a guy that was highly recruited and played his butt off.”
The LSU football team is a family. If you go after one of them, you go after them all.
He has every right to back up the young men who have given him their all for their entire collegiate careers.
The 2012 LSU seniors have plenty to write home about. They were ranked in the top 25 every game and were a part of 22 straight wins in Tiger Stadium.
In his last game in Death Valley, sixth-year senior Josh Dworacyzk knew what needed to be done to get the approval of his head coach.
“We went out there and got the victory. That’s what he’s always all about, make sure you get the victory,” Dworacyzk said. “We made sure we sang as loud as we possibly could have in the locker room. It was special.”
Dworacyzk, Shepard, Lavar Edwards and all the 15 seniors on the Tigers’ roster need to be proud of their careers wearing the purple and gold. The fact that Miles got so emotional when talking about a group of players who laid everything on the line each Saturday shows every class is important and special to him.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a walk-on or a blue-chip. Miles will defend his players till the end.
I’d sure want to have Les in my corner. Wouldn’t you?
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LSU head coach Les Miles shakes Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze’s hand on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012 after the 41-35 victory over Ole Miss in Tiger Stadium.
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LSU head coach Les Miles waves to fans on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012 before the 41-35 victory over Ole Miss in Tiger Stadium.
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A child confined to a wheelchair enthusiastically greets LSU head coach Les Miles before the Tigers’ 41-35 victory over Ole Miss Saturday Nov. 17, 2012 in Tiger Stadium.
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LSU head coach Les Miles holds back his team at the mouth of the tunnel before the Tigers’ 41-35 victory over Ole Miss Saturday Nov. 17, 2012 in Tiger Stadium.
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LSU head coach Les Miles celebrates the Tiger’s 37-17 victory over Mississippi State University on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012 in Tiger Stadium.
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LSU head coach Les Miles talks to freshman linebacker Deion Jones (45) before the Tiger’s 37-17 victory over Mississippi State University on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012 in Tiger Stadium.
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LSU head coach Les Miles pumps up his team before the game against Mississippi State in Tiger Stadium on November 10. The Tigers would eventually defeat the Bulldogs, 37-17.
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LSU coach Les Miles walks off the field after the Tigers’ 21-17 loss to Alabama in Tiger Stadium.
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LSU head coach Les Miles and Alabama head coach Nick Saban shake hands Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012 after the Tigers’ 21-17 loss against Alabama in Tiger Stadium.
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LSU football coach Les Miles smiles during pregame warmups before the Tigers’ 41-14 victory against North Texas Sept. 1, 2012, in Tiger Stadium.
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LSU football coach Les Miles watches his team during pregame warmups before the Tigers’ 41-14 victory against North Texas Sept. 1, 2012, in Tiger Stadium.
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LSU head coach Les Miles watches the replay of a Florida touchdown Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012 during the Tigers’ 14-6 loss to the Gators in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville.
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Alabama head coach Nick Saban and LSU head coach Les Miles greet each other after the BCS National Championship game in New Orleans in January. Saban seems pleased that a four-team playoff won’€™t be limited to conference champions. (AP photo)
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LSU coach Les Miles and LSU sophomore fullback Connor Neighbors (43) watch warmups Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012 before the Tigers’ 24-19 against Texas A&M at Kyle Field in College Station.
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LSU football coach Les Miles congratulates Texas A&M freshman quaterback Johnny Manziel (2) after the game on Saturday. Oct. 20, 2012.
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LSU football coach Les Miles pumps his players up on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012 before the LSU vs Texas A&M game at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.
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LSU head coach Les Miles celebrates with his players after the 23-21 victory over South Carolina on October 13, 2012. Pictured from left to right: junior defensive tackle Bennie Logan (18), Les Miles, sophomore tight end Nic Jacobs (84) and freshman cornerback Jalen Collins (32).
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LSU head coach Les Miles watches after South Carolina scored a touchdown Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012 during the Tigers’ 23-21 win against South Carolina in Tiger Stadium.
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LSU head coach Les Miles talks to junior safety Eric Reid (1) Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012 after the Tigers’ 23-21 win against South Carolina in Tiger Stadium.
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LSU head coach Les Miles, sophomore tight end Nic Jacobs (84) and freshman running back Jeremy Hill (33) sing the LSU alma mater Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012 after the Tigers’ 23-21 win against South Carolina in Tiger Stadium.
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LSU head coach Les Miles, sophomore tight end Nic Jacobs (84) and freshman running back Jeremy Hill (33) sing the LSU alma mater Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012 after the Tigers’ 23-21 win against South Carolina in Tiger Stadium.
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LSU head coach Les Miles cheers after the Tigers’ second touchdown Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012 during the Tigers’ 23-21 win against South Carolina in Tiger Stadium.
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LSU head coach Les Miles greets fans Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012 before the Tigers’ 14-6 loss to the Gators in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville.
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LSU head coach Les Miles and sophomore wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (3) watch the replay board after Beckham fumbled the ball Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012 during the Tigers’ 14-6 loss to the Gators in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville.
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LSU head coach Les Miles watches the replay board after sophomore wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. fumbled the ball Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012 during the Tigers’ 14-6 loss to the Gators in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville.
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LSU head coach Les Miles cheers on the players Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012 during the Tigers’ 14-6 loss to the Gators in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville.
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LSU head coach Les Miles walks to greet Florida head coach Will Muschamp Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012 after the Tigers’ 14-6 loss to the Gators in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville.
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Coach Les Miles walks through the field at the end of the Sept. 29 game against Towson University.
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LSU head coach Les Miles sings the alma mater with his team on Saturday Sept. 8, 2012 after the Tigers’ 41-3 victory over the Washington Huskies in Tiger Stadium.
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LSU football coach Les Miles sings the Alma Mater with players Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012 after the Tigers’ 41-3 win over the University of Washington Huskies in Tiger Stadium.
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LSU coach Les Miles sings the Alma Mater with (78) La’El Collins and (18) Bennie Logan after the Tigers’ 38-22 victory over Towson. Check out the KLSU Sports LSU Football Podcast to get our thoughts on the win.
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LSU head coach Les Miles clowns around before the Tigers’ 12-10 victory over Auburn on Saturday Sept. 22, 2012 in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
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LSU head coach Les Miles clowns around before the Tigers’ 12-10 victory over Auburn on Saturday Sept. 22, 2012 in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
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LSU head coach Les Miles sings the alma mater with his team after the Tigers’ 12-10 victory over the Auburn Tigers on Saturday Sept. 22, 2012 in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
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Les Miles swaggers like a boss down Victory Hill prior to the Tigers’ 63-14 win over Idaho Saturday, September 15, 2012 in Tiger Stadium.
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LSU Coach Les Miles, his daughter Macy Grace, and the football team sing the alma mater following the team’s 63-14 victory against Idaho on Sept. 15, 2012, in Tiger Stadium.
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LSU football’s head coach Les Miles makes a guest appearance on Friday for Fall Fest. Friday, Sept. 14, 2012.
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