Les Miles Is Why LSU Is Doomed for Mediocrity

Yearning like the rest of you for football season to start, I watched a replay last night of the LSU-Arkansas game from last year. 

It's been a few months and of course, I already knew the score, so I watched the game differently.

I wanted to know how a team with far superior talent lost to a team that shouldn't have won.

The answer is Les Miles.

Several months ago, I wrote an article When Alabama Goes Into LSU's Stadium, The Last of The Saban Magic Will Evaporate

In that article, I talked of how the Nick Saban magic was finally gone from LSU.  I warned that hot dogging, penalties, and trash talking...In so many words, I was saying that LSU was losing their composure.

Boy did those words come home to roost in that final regular season SEC game.

Arkansas stormed out to a quick lead 14-3, and then LSU's superior talent finally woke up and started a comeback.  By the end of the half, LSU had a 23-14 lead.  And, in the third quarter, they had a comfortable 30-21 lead and momentum on their side.

All they had to do was stop Arkansas on just one drive, score just one more time, and the game would have been all but over.

Let me replay the details of that fateful quarter and half, and you can be the judge.

LSU punts the ball and Arkansas takes over on their own five yard line.  With 95 yards to go, backup quarterback Casey Dick takes the field.

7:23 on the clock, on the first play LSU jumps offsides, 1st-and-5. This gives Arkansas a short first down to make, and they do so two plays later.

Next LSU lets the SEC's slowest and least nimble quarterback run for seven yards to give them another short field for yet another first down.   This breakdown of containment was sad because the defensive backs all had their men covered.

The next play was a six yard run and another first down at the 30.  Two big mistakes let Arkansas climb out of the hole and now get a little breathing room.  With a timeout called, the clock stood at 3:22 in the third.

The next series showed both how LSU was the better team athlete-wise and the worst coached team.

Dick was sacked for a nine yard loss back to the 21.  Arkansas was then caught holding and backed up to the 11, followed a missed a slant pass and a now with 3rd-and-29, and all Arkansas could muster was a feeble one yard draw. 

But wait, a stupid personal fowl penalty after the play not only gained them 15 yards, but also a crucial first down. 

With time running out in the third quarter, LSU had just given away a chance to end a drive and force a punt deep in their own territory with the wind in their face.

Arkansas was given a fourth chance at this drive and wasted no time making the most of it.  This time Dick did not miss the same slant pass he had missed just minutes before. 

It was now first down on the 47 yard line.

You could feel the momentum begin to swing and see Arkansas' confidence gain.

The next play, the comedy of errors continued. 

LSU, caught for holding, gave them the ball at the LSU 43.  That was followed by a short pass and a short run that left Arkansas with a 3rd-and-1.

The third quarter ended with LSU still holding a two score lead, but seemingly keeping Arkansas alive with stupid penalties and total composure failure.

Dennis Johnson gutted out a one yard run and, only on extra effort, eked out the first down.  This was quickly followed by a nine yard crossing pass.

Now on the 24 yard line, Dick threw incomplete, but yet another unsportsmanlike conduct put the ball on the 12.  LSU held to force a chip shot field goal.

Arkansas now just needed a touchdown and an extra point to win.  The clock had only seen about three minutes come off the clock.

All LSU had to do was come up with one more score, and it was over.  It appeared they were on their way when, following the kickoff, Jordan Jefferson muscled 10 yards to an apparent first down, but a holding penalty brought it back.

LSU was quickly four and out.

One more penalty not only stopped a drive, but kept valuable time from being clicked off.  The offense was simply mimicking the penalties of the defense.

LSU's defense returned the favor and after a four and out, Arkansas punted the ball back to LSU.

LSU continued it's ultra conservative play calling and went four and out again for the second time in a row.  They punted and Arkansas took over the ball with 8:19 to go.

It was time for LSU to finally put and play like the team they are capable of, or continue to show their total lack of composure and common sense.

With the ball on their own 43, Dick started moving the ball with an 11 yard pass.  That was followed by a seven yard run and a couple of two yard runs that put the ball on the LSU 35, but what's that?

Yet another personal foul penalty moves the ball the 20. 

Is LSU actually trying to give this game away? 

It certainly appears so.

But LSU holds for three downs and when the Hogs go for it on fourth down and fail, one believes that surely they can run out the last 5:31 on the clock and get out with a win.

It certainly seemed so when two running plays and a short pass get the Tigers a first down on the 34.  Keeping the ball on the ground, they grind out five more yards.

But, on 3rd-and-5, Jefferson is sacked for a nine yard loss.

LSU would have to punt the ball into a stiff breeze, and the Hogs took over their last drive at the 36 with just 2:22 on the clock.

Would the LSU defense make one more stop, or continue it's medley of penalties and finish giving the game away?

On the sidelines, coaches have been yelling about penalties and how the game would be over if the Tiger players would just quit getting stupid penalties. 

The players start worrying more now about making penalties than making plays.

Dick completes two of three passes to the 42 and a first down, and then came a short four yard pass play and two incompletions. 

This was it, with the game on the line, all LSU had to do was stop a 4th-and-6 and the game was over, but Dick hit a 20 yard pass and moved the ball to the 34 with 1:25 left on the clock.

The game would have already been over had the clock not been stopped for just the penalties called in the third and fourth quarters that stopped the clock.

Dick then completed a six and three yard pass, but an incomplete pass made it 4th-and-1 the 25. 

With everyone on the LSU team and coaching staff looking for a short run or pass and a quick downing of the ball, the staff of Arkansas simply out coached the Tiger staff and took advantage of one on one coverage, as Dick dropped a pass into the open arms of Crawford for a touchdown.

Of course the extra point was good, and with 21 seconds to go or just the time that could have been run off for just one of the many incredibly stupid penalties, LSU found themselves behind.

And could Les let the game end without one more bonehead decision? 

Apparently not.

Following an inspired run back and the ball near midfield, Jefferson throws two incompletions with two seconds left and a time out to think it over.

Miles decided to go for a 63 yard field goal.  

Yes, that's right, a 63 yard field goal.  Even though the kicker has never kicked one of those even in practice with the wind at his back, he attempts one now with a stiff wind in his face.

A hook and lateral, a Hail Mary, or one of those silly continuous lateral plays all have higher odds, but Miles goes for a kick that has zero chance. 

It was a fitting end to a game that was filled with stupid mistakes.  The personal foul penalties were all after the play and all so unnecessary.

It was once said that teams eventually take on the personalities of their coaches. 

LSU fans thought early in Les' career that this would be a good thing, but just as I said in When Alabama Goes Into LSU's Stadium, The Last of The Saban Magic Wil Evaporate  , once the players that remembered the discipline and accountability of Nick Saban were gone, they did indeed take after their new coach.

And this game was the shining example.

Get ready for mediocrity LSU, you have great players, but they have taken on the personality of their coach.