Les Miles is anxious.
The head man of the No. 10 LSU football team is ready for his team to get back on the playing field following a bye week.
And he should be. When Miles has more than a week to prepare for a game, he is an astounding 13-3 at LSU.
“As a coach, when you sit there and watch football Saturday, and you don’t have a game to play, you wonder where you are at,” Miles said. “You feel like there is somewhere you need to go.”
Sophomore wide receiver Russell Shepard said he believes the extra rest with the time off is what aides the Tigers coming off a bye.
“Playing in the [Southeastern Conference], injuries plague a team,” Shepard said. “You get time to heal, and you get time to freshen everything up. Last week we had relaxed practices but ones that focused on execution.”
Though Miles has been stellar with extra time for a game, this week poses a new threat.
Besides addressing its own struggles, Miles also must have his team in full preparation mode to overcome the challenge they will face in Saturday’s colossal clash with No. 6 Alabama, who also had a bye last week.
But Miles is not treating the two issues with any separation.
“I think both are done in the same fashion,” Miles said. “I don’t think it’s something you can prioritize because, frankly, you have to be prepared to play your opponent. Along those lines during that time you have to improve your team, and that’s what we did.”
On the home front, LSU must look to address the problems in the passing game, in which it ranks 113th out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in passing yards per game, averaging 138.8.
“We worked on the little things,” said senior wide receiver Terrence Toliver. “We had a lot of drops, especially me, during the Auburn game. If we can catch the ball and block the perimeter and get the running game right, we’re going to be good.”
Shepard also emphasized the need for the Tigers to use their speed to make plays on the perimeter of the field.
“The teams that have beaten them have made plays on the perimeter,” Shepard said. “They made tough catches. They’ve broken tackles. So we have to go out and play this team.”
The Tigers must also look to slow down a potent rushing attack after being thrashed by Auburn quarterback Cam Newton and the Auburn rushing attack for 440 yards in their 24-17 loss on the Plains.
Making plays this week will not be any easier as Alabama features reigning Heisman Trophy winning running back Mark Ingram and fellow running back Trent Richardson. The two double as a two-headed monster of a rushing attack that averages 186.9 yards per game.
“It’s a power running game,” said freshman defensive end Barkevious Mingo. “They have multiple backs that can break any time they want. We just have to contain them and put multiple hats on them and put them on the ground.”
To shore up the defensive game, the defense went back to fundamental football.
“Tackling and getting off blocks and reading what the defense was giving us [were our keys during the bye week],” Mingo said.
With the changes made to the team during its short hiatus, Miles has full confidence in the Tigers’ ability to take on the Tide.
“Our football team realizes that this is going to be a very competitive game,” Miles said. “I don’t know that getting over the hump is the view. I think it’s more of doing things that we are capable of doing and letting the game be decided in that way. I think we are capable of defending this team.”
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Contact Rob Landry at [email protected]