Per the Advocate: Bennett not talking about LSU coaching

quote:

---

Phil Bennett was back home in Texas Tuesday and had time to talk.

Not that he was about to do so.

Bennett, the former LSU defensive coordinator now holding the same spot at Pittsburgh, was in Houston on a recruiting trip.

Reached on his cell phone, Bennett called his LSU tenure from 1991-94 a “great experience,” and said he “loved his time there” and will always keep his options open.

After that, though, the 53-year-old native of Marshall, Texas, and former SMU head coach said he would not comment on LSU and any changes that might be made to the Tigers defensive coaching staff.

Eleven days have come and gone since LSU’s disappointing 2008 regular season ended with a 31-30 loss to Arkansas in Little Rock. That loss was partly because of another defensive meltdown by the Tigers and brought a cry from LSU fans for a change.

Doug Mallory and Bradley Dale Peveto were promoted to the roles of defensive co-coordinators in February after Bo Pelini left to become the Nebraska head coach.

The bottom-line results under LSU’s new defensive power structure weren’t good in 2008. The Tigers ranked last in the Southeastern Conference in pass defense (220.8 yards allowed per game), 11th in scoring defense (25.9 points per game) and ninth in total defense (326.5 yards per game).

Bennett is nearing the end of his first season at Pitt, and his arrival coincided with the Panthers going from 5-7 last season to 9-3 this fall. Pitt’s defense allowed 23 points a game and ranked fourth in the eight-team league in total defense (320.8 yards a game), rushing defense (127.8) and pass defense (193).

In six seasons at SMU, Bennett guided the Mustangs to an 18-52 record, highlighted by a 6-6 finish in 2006.

His biggest impact as a defensive coach came during tenures at Kansas State (1999-2001), Oklahoma (1998), TCU (1997), Texas A&M (1995-96), LSU, Purdue (1987-90) and Iowa State (1983-86).

At Kansas, State, Bennett oversaw a unit that ranked second nationally in total defense in 1999, fourth in 2000 and third in 2001. The Wildcats went 11-1, 11-3 and 6-6 with Bennett running the defense and surrendered an average of 14.8 points a game during his tenure.

He was LSU’s assistant head coach under Curley Hallman and in 1994 oversaw a defense that ranked eighth nationally in total defense and led the SEC, allowing only 291.9 yards a game.

Besides Bennett, others who have been mentioned include former Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis, New Orleans Saints defensive line coach and former Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron, former Syracuse head coach Greg Robinson, Auburn defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads and UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker.

According to media reports, Robinson claims that he has been contacted by LSU. Chavis, a South Carolina native, reportedly interviewed with Clemson coach Dabo Swinney last week. Orgeron said last week he would be interested in returning to the college level at either LSU or Tennessee, where Lane Kiffin was recently named the head coach. Orgeron and Kiffin coached at Southern California together.

When LSU coach Les Miles met with the media on Dec. 2, he opened his comments by saying “I’m not going to address other issues at this point. I’m just going to operate from the premise that there are going to be some adjustments made, without question. First and foremost attitude, first and foremost to doing the right things. And I think that we will in the short term.”

After that Miles deflected questions about the co-coordinators and hasn’t spoken about changes since then.

---