Les Miles is unbelievable! A Yankee seemingly sent to infuriate the Epicurean masses with more wins than any other coach out of the gates in LSU Football’s modern history, he is the veritable grim reaper of Cajun football, driving fans madder than hot beer, boring politics and bland boudin! The Bengal Tigers are 4-0, possess the nation’s scariest defense, a fantastic special teams unit and quite possibly the Heisman Trophy winner in cornerback/kick returner Patrick Peterson; but they are struggling on offense. Nevertheless, ironically you could probably pass a hat around the economically hard-hit (moratorium on gulf drilling) State of Louisiana to raise enough money to buy out The Hat. Spoiled LSU Tiger football fans just can’t tolerate imperfection--and Les Miles, unlike the Tuscaloosa savior, is imperfect. Despite the progress his team made a year ago, his undefeated record heretofore this season, and his remarkable recruiting (LSU should have the nation’s number one class in 2011) most fans want to help Miles pack a U-Haul, as they are certain his replacement will break all of the winning records he’s set.

In this piece we’ll evaluate LSU’s heretofore undefeated season as they prepare for the University of Tennessee. We’ll discuss the job Coach Miles is doing as the LSU head coach. Moreover, we’ll take our regular hard look at who’s hot and who’s not across the rest of the nation’s toughest football conference, the ultra-competitive, tradition-rich, SEC.

Finding an Offense

LSU won the 2007 National Championship and immediately afterward Defensive Coordinator Bo Pellini bolted for a head coaching gig at the University of Nebraska, leaving a gaping hole in LSU Football’s coordinator pool. Instead of hiring a proven commodity as Pellini’s replacement, Miles, in an unprecedented move, promoted two defensive coaches on his staff to co-defensive coordinator status. The results were as questionable as the dual promotion, as LSU’s 2008 defense floundered en route to an 8-5 season. Fast forward a couple of years to the present. In a brilliant move in 2009 Miles replaced the co-coordinator tandem with the singular presence of John Chavis. Then, in an uneasy move Miles chose to keep the embattled Gary Crowton, and bring in wide receivers and quarterbacks coach Billy Gonzales from the University of Florida, to help coordinate the passing game. Upon second thought, Gonzales’ hire sounds a lot closer to being a dual coordinator scenario than anyone would please to admit. Les Miles, for whatever reason, likes to give people under him more than a fair chance to succeed. However, in this case, Gary Crowton may simply be an old dog with little fight left in his game, as the LSU Offense appears rudderless under his purported tutelage, even with Gonzales’ assistance.

I said in my last column that LSU is a vertical passing game away from being a national championship contender. I stand by that claim. The Tigers’ defense is statistically one of the nation’s best, but it is also one of the most intimidating in terms of its size, speed and athleticism. When LSU’s defense and special teams and Patrick Peterson are clicking, it creates an unusually short field for the offense, which has to be kicking itself for not being able to take advantage of more scoring opportunities. One would think that the offense should improve. At least that appears to be the mindset of Les Miles, who said he ostensibly “expects to get better quarterback play.”

The problem with that statement is that it appears, since Miles will not start Lee against Tennessee, that Jordan Jefferson is the only quarterback actually playing, and he has struggled mightily. Therefore, if the LSU passing game is to improve, Jordan Jefferson must improve.

Many Tiger fans cannot understand Miles’ reasoning. They feel as if he is purposely playing Jefferson just to antagonize them. This is ridiculous. Miles knows this team has the potential to be special. His defense is freakishly athletically talented and John Chavis, his number-one recent hire, looks like a seasoned conductor for the philharmonic orchestra—he’s stroking it. In short—Miles is extremely close to putting it all together. The Hat has a plan, it’s just that “Tiger fans” don’t want to give him credit for it. And while Jarrett Lee is an alternative at quarterback, he apparently isn’t a viable one at this juncture, or he would be playing. Despite his detractors, Miles isn’t playing to lose. His record indicates as much.

While my belief in the enigmatic Miles is steadfast, Jordan Jefferson’s game is equally perplexing. At times last season he played much better than he is now. As hard as it is to believe, Jefferson has regressed as a quarterback. He has gotten worse, instead of better, despite his workouts. Jarrett Lee, his heir apparent, has noticeably improved his body—he is much lighter than he was, but evidently he still cannot evoke the confidence of Crowton, Miles and/or Billy Gonzales. One can only wonder what is being said by the coaches behind the scenes during some of these late-night film-watching sessions, because Crowton assuredly knows his days are terminal if something doesn’t give.

Steve Spurrier was once quoted as saying, “I believe every team only plays as good as they are coached.” LSU’s special teams and defensive units are playing lights out and are making their coaches look like experts. If Jordan Jefferson turns it around with a breakout performance against Tennessee, Gary Crowton and Billy Gonzales will again be considered respectable coaches who have futures in college football. Such is the heavy pendulum of public opinion. In essence, for a coach or a player, you’re only really as good as your last performance, which leads us to another issue.

Modern LSU Fans

When the ESPN commentator Saturday night against West Virginia remarked in the fourth quarter that thousands of LSU fans had left the game early, the camera panned across the sparsely attendant crowd showing what could have only been the seats of fair-weather fans. It was bad enough that the fans had left the game early, but to leave just before the game’s climax is a bit telling. These must have been the fans responsible for the many mounds of debris and refuse left by careless tailgaters. What an embarrassment!

LSU administrators and Board of Supervisor members should take note of the empty seats. It should serve as powerful evidence regarding any further debate of expanding Tiger Stadium, because as it is LSU can’t fill Tiger Stadium in its current capacity when the team is undefeated and leading the Western Division race. And for the fans who felt it necessary to trash LSU’s campus—please remember that it is a place of higher learning, and that littering is a trait hardly found among the self-actualized.

Tiger fans that left the game early Saturday hopefully aren’t among those calling for Miles’ head. You lose that privilege when you aren’t willing to stay to the end of a close game against a ranked team. If you did so you are undoubtedly a faux LSU fan and probably still long for the return of Alabama’s sanctimonious head coach. Quite frankly, LSU could do without the likes of you.

Around the League

Alabama – The Crimson Tide was made human by Arkansas. Everyone now realizes that they are beatable—and certainly by the pass. However, Bama’s run defense isn’t nearly as good as it was a year ago, evidenced by the early defensive rushing totals. Nevertheless, Alabama is going to stick to its plan of running the football and playing solid defense. However, it is evident they are not the complete team they were a year ago. Furthermore, Greg McElroy should enjoy his undefeated college football run, because his cleats will be hung up for good after the season