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Per the Advocate: Bennett not talking about LSU coaching
Posted on 12/10/08 at 12:29 am
Posted on 12/10/08 at 12:29 am
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.
Posted on 12/10/08 at 12:56 am to SPEEDY
Its slowly starting to look like he might be the guy, I wouldnt mind, he seems like a good guy and about as good as Koenning, plus he has some pretty good connections in Texas which also helps.
Posted on 12/10/08 at 1:21 am to Joe Mantegna
quote:
Its slowly starting to look like he might be the guy,
Based on what?
Posted on 12/10/08 at 1:50 am to HOUbengal
Good read ....I think that would be a good hire IMO
Posted on 12/10/08 at 5:23 am to WDcajun
well how good was he while he was here at lsu??? Under curly??
Posted on 12/10/08 at 6:21 am to dreaux
LSU's defense under Curley was actually really good. The offense is what really sucked.
Posted on 12/10/08 at 6:23 am to DrEdgeLSU
quote:
LSU's defense under Curley was actually really good. The offense is what really sucked.
Lynn Amadee was the OC...that might tell you something.
Posted on 12/10/08 at 6:49 am to LSUDad
quote:
Lynn Amadee was the OC...that might tell you something.
Some of my lasting images of those years -- the annual "promo poster" with players and the schedule NEVER had offensive players on it; my slightly inebriated father yelling insults at Amadee by name when things went wrong (no blame on the shitty players); the culminating LSU-Auburn game in 1994 when it seemed like the whole LSU coaching staff was just begging to get fired; going into a game with Arky at 5-5 with bowl aspirations only to get destroyed...
Fun times!
Posted on 12/10/08 at 7:11 am to DrEdgeLSU
I remember the infamous Auburn game where Bennett's LSU defense absolutely shut down the War Eagle Tiger-Plainsmen, but we lost b/c they kept calling for Jamie Howard to throw down the middle and he threw something like 4 pick 6s in the 2d half. After the game, Bennett said something to the effect of, "go tell Little Bowden (Terry Bowden was Aub. coach at the time) he got his butt whipped.) I liked Bennett ever since then.
Bennett, Rhoads, Chavis -- Miles could not go wrong hiring any one of those 3. Of course, we want the right fit.
Bennett, Rhoads, Chavis -- Miles could not go wrong hiring any one of those 3. Of course, we want the right fit.
Posted on 12/10/08 at 7:22 am to TigerJeff
the fact that anyone on here thinks this old vagabond retread is the missing key to LSU is scary. i would lose all hope if Miles brought this dolt to LSU.
Posted on 12/10/08 at 7:27 am to 47Tigers
i guess Gary Crowton was a vagabond retread too
Posted on 12/10/08 at 7:33 am to TigerJeff
quote:
i guess Gary Crowton was a vagabond retread too
no, Crowton was a guy who had record breaking offenses every where he went and was the reason Oregon was a top 10 team.
Posted on 12/10/08 at 7:34 am to 47Tigers
that vagabond coach is the one of the reasons that Pittsburgh is where they are now. He also has had success everywhere he is gone as a DC. Thank god you're not making decisions.
Posted on 12/10/08 at 7:53 am to 47Tigers
quote:
the fact that anyone on here thinks this old vagabond retread is the missing key to LSU is scary. i would lose all hope if Miles brought this dolt to LSU
its pretty obvious from your posts that if LSU doesn't bring in the guy you like, then you won't be happy, so don't worry about this guy everyone, he's narrow-minded.
Posted on 12/10/08 at 8:05 am to Hello Newman
quote:
that vagabond coach is the one of the reasons that Pittsburgh is where they are now.
swing and a miss. Pitt got better because they went 92nd to 31st in scoring (22 points a game to 30). on D they actually got worse under Bennett.
quote:
He also has had success everywhere he is gone as a DC.
yeah the D at SMU was ruthless when he was the head coach from 02-07.
Posted on 12/10/08 at 8:10 am to 47Tigers
quote:
yeah the D at SMU was ruthless when he was the head coach from 02-07.
It's SMU 47!
SMU has always been bad. It's a coaching death bed.
King on Rivals says Bennett is the right guy for LSU..FWIW.... He said that a couple of weeks ago.
Isn't Bennett a synder disciple? All his coaches from his coaching tree are pretty good from what I have read
Posted on 12/10/08 at 8:12 am to 47Tigers
quote:
yeah the D at SMU was ruthless when he was the head coach from 02-07
wtf do you not understand about the fact that head coaching is a completely different animal than being defensive coordinator, plenty of great defensive minds suck as head coaches, but are still good DCs. Good examples, Marvin Lewis, Romeo Crennel, Greg Robinson, etc.
Posted on 12/10/08 at 8:13 am to 47Tigers
quote:
47Tigers
you fricking suck.
Posted on 12/10/08 at 8:18 am to DW6pack
oh hell go look at the other thread that 47 started. This guy is a moron. It's actually funny.
Posted on 12/10/08 at 8:28 am to 47Tigers
quote:
Crowton was a guy who had record breaking offenses every where he went and was the reason Oregon was a top 10 team.
I'm almost positive Oregon was never top 10 while Crowton was there.
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