In his weekly Wednesday evening news conference, LSU coach Les Miles honored baseball legend Yogi Berra and updated the media for the last time before Saturday’s matchup at 11 a.m. against Syracuse University in the Carrier Dome.
Miles dug deep into his childhood for his opening statement, recalling memories as a Yankees fan, growing up. Miles mentioned Berra’s accomplishments on and off the field but lamented the loss of one of his childhood heroes.
“I’m a Yankees fan,” Miles said. “It’s a shame that life is so short. I’m sad that he is gone.”
Apart from his Berra sentiment, Miles took questions about football.
Miles said senior safety Jalen Mills and senior tight end Dillon Gordon will travel to Syracuse with the rest of the team. Mills went down in preseason practice with an ankle injury and has not suited up for the Tigers so far. Gordon suffered an achilles injury in the Tigers’ 45-21 win against Auburn on Sept. 19.
Miles and the Tigers will depart on Friday for their Saturday morning matchup against an unfamiliar opponent.
Syracuse coach Scott Shafer named sophomore quarterback Zack Mahoney the starting quarterback on Tuesday. Mahoney, a junior college transfer who enrolled in January, played in one game this season, throwing for 19 yards in four attempts.
On preparing for the Syracuse offense, Miles seemed to know what is expected from the Orange’s offense.
“We have a lot of film on what they do best,” Miles said. “They are 3-0. They will execute. They have a very diverse and efficient offense.”
Miles also expects Saturday to be a good for his offense, looking to establish balance between passing and rushing plays, which hasn’t come this season because of the offensive success behind sophomore running back Leonard Fournette.
“There’s a point and time when it will come,” Miles said. “We will throw the ball [on Saturday]. This weekend will be the opportunity to establish the balance we have been looking for. I wouldn’t be surprised if we threw the ball more than we rush it in this game.”
Sophomore quarterback Brandon Harris was limited to only 31 passing attempts in two games for the Tigers — a part of the offense Miles said “will come with time.”
Regardless if the Tigers decide to throw the ball more than what was seen in the first two games, they will still have Fournette and a powerful running game as a fail-safe.
“We’re going to try to throw the ball,” Miles said. “But, it depends on what they are going to do.”