Tame for a game
Miles: Tide washout will not define Tigers
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema was relieved to hear LSU is only 48- 5 in night games at Tiger Stadium under Coach Les Miles.
“Good,” Bielema said Monday. “I thought it was 54- 3.”
Miles and LSU ( 7- 1, 4- 1 SEC) look to bounce back at home against Arkansas on Saturday night after the Tigers lost 30- 16 at Alabama.
“We didn’t play our best,” Miles said at his Monday news conference. “Our players and coaches know it.
“Credit Alabama, they played very well.”
Miles stressed that LSU’s season isn’t over because it lost to Alabama for the fifth consecutive time, a streak started when the Crimson Tide beat the Tigers 21- 0 in the 2011 Bowl Championship Series national title game.
“To let that game define us is certainly not something that I’m going to let happen,” Miles said.
LSU, ranked No. 2 in the first College Football Playoff poll released last week, will drop when tonight’s second poll is announced, but the Tigers may stay in the top 10 considering Alabama was ranked No. 4.
“We had a bad game,” LSU sophomore tailback Leonard Fournette told reporters Monday. “That’s all that happened.
“It’s only one game. Everybody acts like it’s the end of the world. My main focus is to keep us together.”
The Tigers haven’t given up on their SEC or national
championship hopes.
“We’re a team that, if you stay once defeated, that at the back end of this thing you just never can tell,” Miles said.
Fournette said the Tigers are hopeful of winning out
against Arkansas, Ole Miss and Texas A& M.
“That would be spectacular, but in these roads you have a couple of bumps,” he said. “It’s all about how you come back from them.”
Fournette came into the Alabama game averaging 193.1 rushing yards per game, but the Tide held him to 31 yards on 19 carries.
His longest run was for 18 yards and he scored on a 1- yard touchdown run.
“They came out to play,” Fournette said. “I can’t take anything away from their front seven, man.
“Great group of guys and even better people. After the game, gave us words of encouragement, stay focused. Overall, they had a great team effort.”
Fournette continues to
lead the nation in rushing, averaging 172.9 yards despite his 31 yards on Saturday. He has 195 carries for 1,383 yards and 16 touchdowns.
“It certainly wasn’t his fault in any way,” Miles said of Fournette’s rushing totals against Alabama. “We didn’t get him loose.
“Safeties were making tackles and they were making them very close to the line of scrimmage.”
LSU sophomore quarterback Brandon Harris wasn’t able to take advantage of Alabama loading up to stop the run. He completed 6 of 19 passes for 128 yards and 1 touchdown and threw his first interception of the season.
Harris had a streak of 137 passes without an interception to tie Alan Risher’s
LSU record before his first pass of the second half was intercepted by Alabama linebacker Dillon Lee to set up a touchdown that gave the Tide a 20- 10 lead.
“I think there was some learning that took place offensively, and at the quarterback spot as well,” Miles said after the game. “We all know he’s talented and capable. I think there’s some things that we need to improve on.”
Harris has completed 81 of 147 passes for 1,226 and 10 touchdowns for the season.
LSU’s defense is led by junior middle linebacker Kendell Beckwith ( 62 tackles), senior outside linebacker Deion Jones ( 60 tackles, 2 interceptions) and junior end Lewis Neal ( 7 sacks).
The defense was on the field for 39: 27 at Alabama and
allowed 434 yards in total offense on 79 plays; the Tiger gained 182 yards on 45 plays and were 3 of 11 on third conversions.
“Too many three- and- outs. Too many quick drives,” LSU senior offensive tackle Vadal Alexander told The Advocate of Baton Rouge after the game. “We can’t expect our defense to get a three- and- out every drive.
“If we get three- and- outs and force them on the field every two minutes, that’s not how we’re going to win as a team.”
Miles said the Tigers have done a good job of job of following his 48- hour rule and putting the Alabama behind them to focus on Arkansas.
“It’s all about the next week,” he said. ‘ It’s never going to be any different.”