The death of former University of Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler sent shock waves across the entire college football world Friday morning. LSU coach Les Miles was one of the thousands affected by the passing of the long time Wolverines coach. Miles played under Schembechler from 1974-75 at Michigan and served as his assistant coach from 1980-81 and 1987-89. Saturday in front of a packed Tiger Stadium, Miles’ LSU Tigers defeated Ole Miss 23-20 in overtime after being behind 20-7 with 9:00 to play in the game. A teary-eyed Miles talked about his coach after the game. “I can tell you that football has lost a great man,” Miles said. “I will miss him. He was my mentor. He gave me my first chance. I thought about him a lot today.” The team presented Miles with a game ball after the win to show their appreciation for what the coach had to battle through this week. “He earned it,” LSU senior wide receiver Dwayne Bowe said. “This whole week of practice everything’s been good, and after his coach died, he was kind of down.” LSU junior fullback Jacob Hester said Miles told the team all week to prepare for Ole Miss to play its best game despite being more than a 20-point underdog. “He deserves [the game ball],” Hester said. “He preached all week about what this team was going to come in here and do, and he was exactly right. They did everything they had to to win, so [Miles] gets credit for this one.” Athletics Director Skip Bertman said the fans added to the emotional atmosphere in Tiger Stadium. A sellout crowd of 92,449 fans filled the stadium to say goodbye to 22 seniors who played their last home game with LSU. “The fans stayed, and our kids responded,” Bertman said. “This is the first time we needed them this year, and they really came through.” Following the game LSU senior running back Justin Vincent presented the student section with its own game ball. Miles said the crowd helped his team overcome the large deficit. “The crowd was awesome,” Miles said. “The crowd was what we tell everybody it’s going to be when they come here… It was a great atmosphere, and we enjoy so much playing in front of them.” The LSU 2006 senior class improved its record to 42-8 with the win, a record that is the best in the Southeastern Conference since 2003, leading Auburn University by two games. The senior class also has a 27-2 career record in Tiger Stadium. Bertman said the Tigers’ home success also could be traced to fan support. “This team is only the fourth team to leave undefeated at home,” Bertman said. “And we only lost one game in three years at home, so the fans really make a difference here in our ballpark.” Despite having a clouded mind from all the events that have occurred since Friday morning, Miles said he never doubted that his team would win the game. “Our football team understands how to come from behind,” Miles said. “At halftime there was never a question. We lost some possessions, but we were going to get it. The defense was going to go out there and stop them, and we were going to have enough time to come from behind and win it.” Even in victory the next few days will be difficult for Miles as he still mourns the loss of Schembechler. “There won’t be another like him,” Miles said. “He had it. He was unique. I was very fortunate to be coached by him. If I look back, everything I have in my personal and professional life is in some way tied to Michigan and that man.”
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