LSU coach Les Miles will look to reach the 10-win mark for the sixth time in eight seasons Friday as the No. 8 Tigers (9-2) take on Arkansas (4-7) and senior quarterback Tyler Wilson.
He’ll be getting a reinforcement back on defense.
“[Freshman linebacker] Kwon Alexander is likely to play in this game,” Miles said. “He’s certainly likely to travel depending on how this week goes for him.”
The Tigers’ defense will need any help it can get against Wilson, who had decent success against the Tigers last season, completing 14-of-22 passes for 207 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
“Tyler Wilson is a great quarterback,” Miles said. “It will be a challenge for us. The only way to take a guy like that is with coverage and, on certain down and distances, come after him. It’s an evolving strategy throughout the game.”
LSU will play the Razorbacks in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. This will be Miles’ first trip to Fayetteville, Ark., and the Tigers’ first trip to the stadium since 1992.
During his Monday news conference, Miles quickly commented on his rant following Tigers’ 41-35 victory against Ole Miss on Saturday night.
The LSU coach shouted everything from unending praise for his senior class to multiple obscenities, leaving the room both shocked and laughing all at once.
“I would like to ask your indulgence for my choice of language Saturday night after the game,” Miles said. “I thought it was impertinent and poor and not something I wanted to be.”
Miles said he was caught up in the moment, and his emotions flowed directly into his words. He also rebutted the notion that the rant was brought on by a local sports writer’s story.
“[I had] the opportunity to talk about my senior class and let them know that their contributions are greatly respected,” Miles said. “In no way can an article written by somebody that operates outside our building have any real effect or legitimacy in terms of opinion. I took a broad stroke there and spoke to it.”
The win was LSU’s 58th victory against the Rebels in school history. But winning the Magnolia Bowl wasn’t an easy task for the Tigers, who had to overcome another fourth-quarter deficit to down Ole Miss in Tiger Stadium.
“Ole Miss gave us their best shot,” Miles said. “It was certainly a tremendous game, and I enjoyed the fact that we finished the home season correctly, and we sent our seniors off with a victory. It’s one we enjoy having with the Magnolia Trophy, so our football team saw a very quality Ole Miss team, and it’s getting better.”
The offense appeared to regress against Ole Miss, as junior quarterback Zach Mettenberger threw two interceptions and sophomore wide receiver Jarvis Landry lost a fumble. As a whole, the squad committed six penalties for 56 yards.
“We can’t turn the ball over like we did in that game,” Miles said. “We’re still not perfect [with penalties]. We have things to correct. The good news is that we have time to do that.”
