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A requiem and history of The Golden Era of LSU
Posted on 10/5/17 at 8:08 pm
Posted on 10/5/17 at 8:08 pm
This story has the makings of a Shakespearean tragedy.
A sleeping giant is woken by an unlikeable OCD perfectionist who wins a national championship for the school, its first in half a century, back when segregation was still the rule.
All the way across the country, a paper champ is claiming the same title. In that western cadre is a rambunctious, shirt-is-optional recruiting coordinator. He brought in some of the best classes in the nation. Along the way he also recruited such players as Frostee Rucker, who left Colorado State under, shall we say, dubious circumstances, and Reggie Bush, whose recruitment led to the revocation of USCs title and 20+ wins, not to mention the most severe sanctions in football since SMU.
2004 ends with joy for USC, blowing out OU and embarrassment for the Tigers with a last second Hail Mary like loss to Iowa. Saban decides to give LSU an unpleasant Christmas gift and test his toes in the NFL.
That same off-season, Ole Miss, LSU's perennial rival, decides to fire its most successful coach in some time, Cutcliffe, and go with Orgeron. Orgeron, who had no head coaching or coordinator experience, is seen as a coach with tremendous upside. Pete Carroll has nothing but praise and USC seemingly at the time is the dynasty du jour. Nothing at that time is known about the program's lack of institutional control, largely seen as a result of the recruiting in the early 2000s.
Meanwhile, LSU is also welcoming a new coach in the midst of the worst natural disaster in US history. Despite a less than well received maiden voyage at home, Miles leads LSU to an impressive 11-2 season, which many LSU fans saw as a disappointment, this even though it would have been his predecessor's second best season. The season includes a 40-7 win over Orgeron, already feeling the heat as Ole Miss skipper. Miles would go 3-0 against Orgeron before Orgeron is fired after accumulating a 3-21 SEC record at Ole Miss.
Saban, whose style doesn't translate in the NFL, and whose choice to take Dante Culpepper over future Hall of Famer Drew Brees, knows his days in Miami are numbered. He is courted by Alabama, a program in disarray, led by son of the legendary Dolphins coach. Alabama had already been turned down by their first choice, Rich Rodriguez.
As Miles leads LSU to another national championship in 2007, Saban struggles to rebuild a depleted Alabama program, including a humiliating loss to the University of Louisiana. A late season 2OT loss to Arkansas has some LSU fans bitter, knowing that LSU only made it to the title game thanks to a shocking upset of Rodriguez led West Virginia by unranked Pitt.
There remains a strong Saban contingent at LSU. Miles has his worst season in 08 at 8-5, including an OT loss to then #1 Alabama. Alabama is on the up and the program Saban built at LSU, Miles had then destroyed, according to the growing Saban faction.
A sleeping giant is woken by an unlikeable OCD perfectionist who wins a national championship for the school, its first in half a century, back when segregation was still the rule.
All the way across the country, a paper champ is claiming the same title. In that western cadre is a rambunctious, shirt-is-optional recruiting coordinator. He brought in some of the best classes in the nation. Along the way he also recruited such players as Frostee Rucker, who left Colorado State under, shall we say, dubious circumstances, and Reggie Bush, whose recruitment led to the revocation of USCs title and 20+ wins, not to mention the most severe sanctions in football since SMU.
2004 ends with joy for USC, blowing out OU and embarrassment for the Tigers with a last second Hail Mary like loss to Iowa. Saban decides to give LSU an unpleasant Christmas gift and test his toes in the NFL.
That same off-season, Ole Miss, LSU's perennial rival, decides to fire its most successful coach in some time, Cutcliffe, and go with Orgeron. Orgeron, who had no head coaching or coordinator experience, is seen as a coach with tremendous upside. Pete Carroll has nothing but praise and USC seemingly at the time is the dynasty du jour. Nothing at that time is known about the program's lack of institutional control, largely seen as a result of the recruiting in the early 2000s.
Meanwhile, LSU is also welcoming a new coach in the midst of the worst natural disaster in US history. Despite a less than well received maiden voyage at home, Miles leads LSU to an impressive 11-2 season, which many LSU fans saw as a disappointment, this even though it would have been his predecessor's second best season. The season includes a 40-7 win over Orgeron, already feeling the heat as Ole Miss skipper. Miles would go 3-0 against Orgeron before Orgeron is fired after accumulating a 3-21 SEC record at Ole Miss.
Saban, whose style doesn't translate in the NFL, and whose choice to take Dante Culpepper over future Hall of Famer Drew Brees, knows his days in Miami are numbered. He is courted by Alabama, a program in disarray, led by son of the legendary Dolphins coach. Alabama had already been turned down by their first choice, Rich Rodriguez.
As Miles leads LSU to another national championship in 2007, Saban struggles to rebuild a depleted Alabama program, including a humiliating loss to the University of Louisiana. A late season 2OT loss to Arkansas has some LSU fans bitter, knowing that LSU only made it to the title game thanks to a shocking upset of Rodriguez led West Virginia by unranked Pitt.
There remains a strong Saban contingent at LSU. Miles has his worst season in 08 at 8-5, including an OT loss to then #1 Alabama. Alabama is on the up and the program Saban built at LSU, Miles had then destroyed, according to the growing Saban faction.
This post was edited on 10/6/17 at 7:09 am
28
Posted on 10/5/17 at 8:09 pm to LSUgal1988
quote:
LSUgal1988
Posted on 10/5/17 at 8:09 pm to LSUgal1988
The Sabanistas expect a continued fall of the LSU program under Miles: the success of 05-07 (34-6) and decline in 08 haunts their thinking throughout Miles' LSU years. Strengthening their resolve is Alabama's national championship in 09 and Alabama's win over LSU. This win was largely due to the failure of SEC officials to award Patrick Peterson a clear interception. Highly questionable to blatantly bad calls in the LSU-Bama series would sink LSU several times over in the following years.
The Miles-destroyed-Sabans program narrative is dealt a bad blow in in 2010 as the Tigers finish 11-2 for the third time in six seasons under Miles. Miles's Tigers moreover beat the Saban Tide and finish ranked higher.
2011: the rubber match season. Miles and Saban are 2-2 against each other. The "Game of the Century" will settle once and for all who is the greatest coach in college football. In the greatest game in college history with more future NFL stars in any other game, save perhaps the Miami-OSU championship game, #1 Bama hosts #2 LSU. We all know what happens.
Case closed. The matter is settled. Miles is the superior coach. LSU goes on to defeat 8 ranked teams, including 3 teams that finished in the top 5. It is the greatest regular season in college football history.
Along the way, Saban, with the help of ESPN and the SEC, politiks his way to the championship game. The only reason Bama squeezes in is a result of that 2003 season when USC led to a charge to destroy the BCS system. The BCS remained, but its system of objectivity was neutered. No longer did computers or objective criteria have any power. The voters essentially hand picked the top 2 teams. In the old BCS system, LSU would have faced Miles' previous employer and Big 12 champ, Oklahoma State. But the Saban campaign was successful and a team that didn't even win its conference division was gifted a pass to the championship game.
What remains as a result of that fateful championship night is so horrific that LSU fans to this day simply refer to it as 1/9/12.
The Saban is the greatest narrative take a death grip of the Tiger Nation. Miles will never recover. Heart breaking losses to Bama in 2012 and 2014, aided by SEC officiating, distort many fans' perception of the program. 10 win seasons are simply a failure if they include a loss to championship winning Bama.
The true final straw for Miles was 2015 Bama. Undefeated #2 LSU travels to future national champion Bama. It was never a game, much like 1/9/12. The memories of that date are never fresher than after this game.
In a move to start afresh, Joe Alleva, backed by powerful forces in LSU to lead a poorly organized coup. Leaks lead to national press incredulity: how can you fire a coach who has averaged over 10 wins a season for a decade? Some say emotion won the day after the A&M game but it was actually reason.
By this point, Alleva and the Louisiana press are ready to pounce: one screw up by Miles and it's over. That screw up came by way of a call I still can't understand. An SEC replay official rules the game is over. Auburn beats LSU and Miles walks off the field for the last time as a loser even though the last play he coached was a game winning TD for the Tigers.
No LSU fan or staff member is willing to question the ruling. They want the blood of Miles. The narrative that Miles is an inferior whose time was up 5 years ago wins the day.
Somehow, Ed Orgeron, who was brought in by Miles two seasons earlier, finds himself promoted to interim coach. Orgeron finishes 6-2, his wins only coming against teams that finished unranked. He is given the head coaching position under what, as we learn more, are shocking circumstances.
Orgeron inherits a program whose talent has been ranked as #2 in the nation and promises in an immediate return to championship glory. An offseason of hope and expectation follows. This is followed by two historic losses, national ridicule, and internal strife.
The sudden turn against Orgeron by nearly all LSU fans is met by a more gradual awakening by many LSU fans: LSU is not entitled to greatness. Greatness was a gift Miles gave to the program. It may be many decades before greatness returns.
R.I.P. LSU Golden Era
Who is to blame? The easy answer: F King, Alleva, and Orgeron. While these three certainly have responsibility, they were not the ones who created the toxic environment. None was present in 2005 as for sale signs showed up mysteriously in the night in Miles' front yard.
Hidden in the Trojan Horse of Baton Rouge are two destructive forces: envy and delusion. These traits lay in the heart of most of the LSU fans. And it is the inability of LSU fans to reason and to control their envy that led to where we are today.
Look no further than yourself: your ingratitude to Miles and your desire to be a program that wins a title every year. You destroyed LSU football.
The Miles-destroyed-Sabans program narrative is dealt a bad blow in in 2010 as the Tigers finish 11-2 for the third time in six seasons under Miles. Miles's Tigers moreover beat the Saban Tide and finish ranked higher.
2011: the rubber match season. Miles and Saban are 2-2 against each other. The "Game of the Century" will settle once and for all who is the greatest coach in college football. In the greatest game in college history with more future NFL stars in any other game, save perhaps the Miami-OSU championship game, #1 Bama hosts #2 LSU. We all know what happens.
Case closed. The matter is settled. Miles is the superior coach. LSU goes on to defeat 8 ranked teams, including 3 teams that finished in the top 5. It is the greatest regular season in college football history.
Along the way, Saban, with the help of ESPN and the SEC, politiks his way to the championship game. The only reason Bama squeezes in is a result of that 2003 season when USC led to a charge to destroy the BCS system. The BCS remained, but its system of objectivity was neutered. No longer did computers or objective criteria have any power. The voters essentially hand picked the top 2 teams. In the old BCS system, LSU would have faced Miles' previous employer and Big 12 champ, Oklahoma State. But the Saban campaign was successful and a team that didn't even win its conference division was gifted a pass to the championship game.
What remains as a result of that fateful championship night is so horrific that LSU fans to this day simply refer to it as 1/9/12.
The Saban is the greatest narrative take a death grip of the Tiger Nation. Miles will never recover. Heart breaking losses to Bama in 2012 and 2014, aided by SEC officiating, distort many fans' perception of the program. 10 win seasons are simply a failure if they include a loss to championship winning Bama.
The true final straw for Miles was 2015 Bama. Undefeated #2 LSU travels to future national champion Bama. It was never a game, much like 1/9/12. The memories of that date are never fresher than after this game.
In a move to start afresh, Joe Alleva, backed by powerful forces in LSU to lead a poorly organized coup. Leaks lead to national press incredulity: how can you fire a coach who has averaged over 10 wins a season for a decade? Some say emotion won the day after the A&M game but it was actually reason.
By this point, Alleva and the Louisiana press are ready to pounce: one screw up by Miles and it's over. That screw up came by way of a call I still can't understand. An SEC replay official rules the game is over. Auburn beats LSU and Miles walks off the field for the last time as a loser even though the last play he coached was a game winning TD for the Tigers.
No LSU fan or staff member is willing to question the ruling. They want the blood of Miles. The narrative that Miles is an inferior whose time was up 5 years ago wins the day.
Somehow, Ed Orgeron, who was brought in by Miles two seasons earlier, finds himself promoted to interim coach. Orgeron finishes 6-2, his wins only coming against teams that finished unranked. He is given the head coaching position under what, as we learn more, are shocking circumstances.
Orgeron inherits a program whose talent has been ranked as #2 in the nation and promises in an immediate return to championship glory. An offseason of hope and expectation follows. This is followed by two historic losses, national ridicule, and internal strife.
The sudden turn against Orgeron by nearly all LSU fans is met by a more gradual awakening by many LSU fans: LSU is not entitled to greatness. Greatness was a gift Miles gave to the program. It may be many decades before greatness returns.
R.I.P. LSU Golden Era
Who is to blame? The easy answer: F King, Alleva, and Orgeron. While these three certainly have responsibility, they were not the ones who created the toxic environment. None was present in 2005 as for sale signs showed up mysteriously in the night in Miles' front yard.
Hidden in the Trojan Horse of Baton Rouge are two destructive forces: envy and delusion. These traits lay in the heart of most of the LSU fans. And it is the inability of LSU fans to reason and to control their envy that led to where we are today.
Look no further than yourself: your ingratitude to Miles and your desire to be a program that wins a title every year. You destroyed LSU football.
This post was edited on 10/6/17 at 6:40 pm
Posted on 10/5/17 at 8:10 pm to LSUgal1988
Did not read.
Posted on 10/5/17 at 8:10 pm to LSUgal1988
I'm already done
Posted on 10/5/17 at 8:10 pm to LSUgal1988
TWHS
Posted on 10/5/17 at 8:11 pm to Stellytiger
Not a chance in hell im reading that.
Posted on 10/5/17 at 8:11 pm to LSUgal1988
I saw the name saban one too many times
Posted on 10/5/17 at 8:11 pm to LSUgal1988
Awesome read. I appreciate a literary effort like that! 
This post was edited on 10/5/17 at 9:32 pm
Posted on 10/5/17 at 8:13 pm to LSUgal1988
__________________________________________________________________
I mourn
_________________________________________________________________
I mourn
_________________________________________________________________
Posted on 10/5/17 at 8:15 pm to LSUgal1988
Your post is a bit redundant.
Posted on 10/5/17 at 8:27 pm to LSUgal1988
Best post on this site in awhile. Nice work.
Posted on 10/5/17 at 8:28 pm to LSUgal1988
Your full of shite
Posted on 10/5/17 at 8:28 pm to LSUgal1988
It wasn't Saban's decision to take Culpepper over Drew Brees.
Posted on 10/5/17 at 8:29 pm to Delmore1951
quote:
Your full of shite
You're* you fricking millennial
Posted on 10/5/17 at 8:31 pm to LSUgal1988
quote:
LSUgal1988
Born in 1988 or graduated in 1988? Asking for a friend
Posted on 10/5/17 at 8:51 pm to LSUgal1988
Outstanding. Superlative.
Posted on 10/5/17 at 8:58 pm to LSUgal1988
damn nice post...too much verbiage for one read, but very well written. I appreciate the effort
Posted on 10/5/17 at 9:01 pm to LSUgal1988
quote:
LSUgal1988
Good post.
This post was edited on 10/5/17 at 9:02 pm
Posted on 10/5/17 at 9:14 pm to Bestbank Tiger
Thank you
I made more words in the conclusion
I made more words in the conclusion
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