LSU coach Les Miles has the daunting responsibility of preparing his team for something the Tigers haven’t faced since November of 2009 — returning to the field a week after losing.
“Our football team is certainly stunned a little about the outcome,” Miles said. “…The good news is that our football team has always really responded personally. They recognize that it’s not the feeling we’re used to having. They recognize that we work too hard to finish second.”
The last time LSU lost a regular-season game and didn’t have a bye the next week was against Ole Miss in 2009, and it followed up with a 33-30 overtime win against Arkansas.
Last Saturday, the Tigers produced their poorest offensive outing of the 2012 campaign, which will result in LSU starting its game against No. 3 South Carolina at its lowest ranking (No. 11) since playing Texas A&M in the 2011 Cotton Bowl.
When asked about any possible changes to his coaching staff — namely on the offensive side of the ball — during his Monday news conference, Miles stayed loyal to offensive coordinator Greg Studrawa, saying his staff has been doing the same thing for years now, and he sees no reason why any changes should be made.
“I’m not ready to say that we’re not going to be a really good football team here in the future,” Miles said. “It’s just that we need to do the things that we can do and do them extremely well. We need to execute them at a high level and make our opponents deal with it.”
Miles stressed the Tigers’ urgency to right the ship against South Carolina, especially considering the advantage of playing in Tiger Stadium, where Miles is 6-0 following a road loss.
“Our team will play their best in Tiger Stadium,” Miles said. “… For the first time in a year and a half, we are talking about a regular-season loss, and it is miserable for us. Our football team is not enjoying it and certainly our coaching staff, as well.”
The Tigers maintained their strong defensive campaign against Florida, allowing 200 yards of total offense, 142.6 yards below the Southeastern Conference average for the season.
The LSU linebacker corps took a major hit Saturday when freshman Kwon Alexander went down for the remainder of the regular season with an apparent ankle injury, according to Miles.
Miles alluded to the possibility of Alexander returning to the team come bowl season but didn’t give a definitive answer.
“That’s a shame, because he was really, really playing well,” Miles said. “…The time of Luke Muncie’s return is the opportunity to get some of the younger guys ready. They’ll have to be where we’re at.”
The defense isn’t the only place the Tigers are hurting on the depth chart.
Miles said junior right guard Josh Williford is listed as questionable for Saturday’s game, but he expects Williford to return to his duties on the offensive line after suffering a reported head injury against Florida.
“The good news is that [Josh] Dworaczyk has age, and he can fit into any spot there,” Miles said. “I think [Williford] is a little bit nicked, and hopefully he’ll be able to return this Saturday. If he doesn’t, we’ll have an able-bodied guy ready to step in.”
The University also announced that the South end zone renovations will affect pedestrians attending the game against South Carolina, and officials advise fans to arrive early Saturday.
There will be limited access to gates in the southeast corner of the stadium, with gates 11, 12, 14, 18 and 20 being the most impacted.
