DUBOIS: Miles gives fans a different back end

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Tigers tie it with time ticking away, win it in OT

Josh Jasper, at left, was the difference-maker tonight versus Arkansas.

By CARL DUBOIS
Tiger Rag Associate Editor

Long before Josh Jasper’s field goal to send the game to overtime, long before the field goal to win it, there was plenty to digest Saturday night in Tiger Stadium.

Before we wade through some of it, credit Les Miles. The LSU coach took the Arkansas Razorbacks into overtime, where there is no game clock, so he had them where he wanted them.

LSU 33, Arkansas 30. Final.

But let’s rewind a bit first through the interesting day that was the last Saturday in November.

Mississippi State humbled Ole Miss 41-27 in Starkville to shake up the bowl picture and reopen the door for LSU to attract a Capital One Bowl invitation and a trip to Orlando with a victory against Arkansas.

Motivation for the Tigers? You betcha, although Miles said the chance to win against Arkansas was the real motivator for his 24 seniors and the rest of LSU’s team.

Joe Schad of ESPN told us LSU running backs coach, five-star recruiting ace and assistant head coach Larry Porter was headed to Memphis to become head coach of those Tigers. LSU running back Stevan Ridley told me later he heard it from Porter’s lips, that his position coach is gone.

There will be plenty of time to chew on the implications there, but suffice it to say Porter’s departure will leave a big void for Miles to fill.

Again before kickoff, we heard Tiger Stadium announcer Dan Borne make reference, during a promotional announcement, to a Ron Burgundy — leading everyone to suspect two things: Someone handing Borne the promo cards has a sense of humor, and Borne probably hasn’t seen “Anchorman: The Legend of (you know who).”

We found out, during a tribute to outgoing band director Frank Wickes, that the Golden Band from Tigerland won the marching band equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. That brings up a question: What pose does the winner of the band Heisman strike?

I’m picturing something similar to what Desmond Howard did in the end zone against Ohio State back in the day, with the trombone slide extended instead of the textbook forearm shiver.

The Tigers were halfway through pregame warm-ups, and I was still wondering, “When is LSU coming out of the locker room?” That’s when I remembered about the uniforms. That’s when I realized those were indeed the Tigers down there.

During the national anthem, I could have sworn I heard some Cajun a few rows below sing:

“Whose broad stripes and bright stars through dat Perrilloux’s fight …”

It was probably my imagination.

During the Senior Night ceremonies, it seemed almost a shame there wasn’t some new outfit Nike could provide Miles so he could blend in on the sideline, or at least look like another coach of another team, for a fresh start.

His players took the field disguised as — what? who? Washington? — but Miles was Miles. Same purple jacket. Same white hat. Same coast-to-coast microscope focused on his every move.

Funny how the game turned out to be in the balance in the final minute of the fourth quarter. Funnier still how that clock had 0:09 on it at a point in time I’m sure you recall.

We learned that when Chad Jones levels a receiver, it has a ripple effect. That is, the receivers seem to have a keen awareness of Jones behind them after that, and it affects their boldness.

We saw that sometimes the man delivering the hit is the last to get up, and the helmet-on-helmet shot Jones launched late in the game could easily be one of those plays dissected to death after a loss.

But LSU won.

Trindon Holliday is fast. We didn’t learn this Saturday night, of course. We knew, and we saw it again.

He goes from zero to 60 — or in this case, from the far-side 13 to the near-side end zone — in the blink of an eye of the Tiger. One of the local auto dealerships supplying LSU with a fleet of vehicles needs to talk to corporate headquarters about a new model. Would you buy a Nissan Trindon? You know you would.

Great acceleration. Precision cornering. But … hold on with both hands. Handling can be a problem.

We learned LSU fans can still boo a running play late in the first half with the Tigers clinging to a lead.

We learned Richard Dickson is still on the team. We learned Richard Dickson can still catch the ball.

We saw him set the LSU record for receptions by a tight end, and still we learned there’s room for Deangelo Peterson to get some snaps and catches at tight end.

Jasper, who didn’t get the chance to kick LSU to victory a week ago during the meltdown at Ole Miss, came through twice under pressure Saturday. He sent the game into overtime with a 41-yard field goal.

He won it with a 36-yard kick.

The Tigers answered the question about whether they would show up to play. They did.

Miles said his family could easily embrace a Disney vacation as 2009 becomes 2010.

He’d like to see nine wins become 10.

Thanks to Mississippi State and to Jasper and to everything else that led to an LSU victory, the Tigers and their fans don’t have to wonder what it would be like to go to a less satisfying bowl destination. It appears to be either the Cotton or the Capital One, and the temptation here is to say bank on the latter.

No worrying about the awkwardness of going to Memphis for the Liberty Bowl and having the distraction of Porter and his next school right there in your lap. No worrying about having to pretend to be happy to see the nice folks at Chick-fil-A.

There are concerns, to be sure, but you could hear the exhale Saturday night as Alex Tejada missed his try from 36 yards and LSU escaped with victory.

The concerns can wait. As finishes go, this game had a back end — as Miles would call it — that looks a lot better front and center on national television than the one a week earlier.

Tiger Rag Associate Editor Carl Dubois has covered LSU athletics since 1999. Contact him at carl@tigerrag.com.