re: Did Miles cost Fournette the Heisman?

Miles and circumstances cost him a shot at the Heisman. The Bama game was on the biggest of stages but that only allowed the field to catch up with him. The Arkansas game is where the Heisman was lost and that team was ill-prepared to play and that IS on the coach.

Circumstances come in to play also. Obviously with the McNeese State game you presume Fournette rushes for 150 yds at least. Now he's sniffing 2000+ yards in a season. You have to invite someone to the ceremony of his caliber who breaks the 2000 yard mark.

But there is also the "next" mentality that creeps up with fans and the coaching staff. Next year, next game, etc. Fournette should have clearly been allowed to run a little more in the Cuse game and break the LSU record on his way to a 300 yard day but for some reason was held out. Next game he'll get it,let's wait till he's in front of the home crowd. You allow him to run that game and what he would have done in the Mcneese game, he's working on 2100+ yards, a 300 yard game, several 200 yard games, Heisman highlights, and a great backstory. Would have been very hard to keep him from the ceremony then AND Henry would have ended up having to run the ball 57 times a game the last 2-3 games to eclipse Fournette's numbers.

So yes, Miles cost Fournette by not having the team ready to play Ark (if I can say that without being called a negi-tiger...it still is the coach's job to have a team ready to play, right?). But it was also circumstances that contributed to Fournette not having a chance to win the trophy.