To see a video of Miles’ press conference, click here.
Two disheartening losses are in the books for LSU, and questions loom about what answers coach Les Miles has for inconsistent quarterback play and defensive woes.Miles relayed confidence in his team and personnel Monday during his weekly press luncheon as he previewed this weekend’s 7 p.m. home game against Tulane.Miles opened with comments about redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee, who threw three interceptions in Saturday’s 52-38 loss to Georgia.He praised the team’s 497-yard total offensive performance and near-200 yards in rushing that came against the nation’s No. 1 run defense.But he said the coaching staff must work to “groom” Lee and perhaps even eliminate some plays if he does not feel comfortable executing the calls.”Offensively there are some good pieces there, but our young quarterback takes some time to develop,” Miles said. “I like the guy I’ve got, and I’ll have to make him better and kick him square in the butt when he needs it.”Miles generated plenty of buzz Sunday when he said he may play true freshman quarterback Jordan Jefferson, who played in a handful of snaps against North Texas and Mississippi State.”I think Jordan Jefferson probably comes into play here a little more readily,” he said. “I think we look to him to see if he can come in and at times give us some youth and some speed. We’re going to look at Jordan.”Senior wide receiver Demetrius Byrd said he remains “100 percent confident” in Lee but thinks Jefferson could offer a different look for the offense.”He’s a dual-threat quarterback, kind of like Hatch, but he has a stronger arm out of all of the quarterbacks,” he said. “Having him come in and play would add some more excitement to the offense.”Junior wide receiver Brandon LaFell said LSU’s offense will work in practice this week to simulate game-time situations for Jefferson. LaFell said he’s interested to see how Jefferson would respond to significant game pressure.”He’s a real[ly] good athlete,” LaFell said. “He can throw the ball. He’s got the legs to get out of the pocket and run.”CO-CONFIDENTMiles downplayed talk about co-defensive coordinators Doug Mallory and Bradley Dale Peveto and the system’s possible cause for defensive struggles. The two former position coaches replaced defensive coordinator Bo Pelini, who departed for the Nebraska head coaching job last winter.The 52-point allowance to Georgia was the highest opponent total in Tiger Stadium since 1993 and the highest Georgia total ever in the series.”We’ve had this scheme for four years now with these two coordinators, and frankly, they’re working hard to get this thing corrected, just as I am,” Miles said. “I think they are doing a great job. They are working hard at it. Hopefully we’ll get everybody’s attention. We’ll all get on the same page and move forward.”REVISITING THE RIVALRYThe Tigers aim to earn their 17th-straight win against Tulane and bolster their overall record, which stands at 66-23-7 in the series. The schools are in the third year of a 10-year contract that began in 2006 to play one another every season. The two teams played each other every year between 1911 and 1994, except in 1918 because of World War I, before suspending the series for more than a decade. The game will be broadcast on TigerVision.—-Contact Amy Brittain at [email protected]