ENGSTER: Statistically Speaking
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| Always a thrill, Miles’ Tigers know how to keep it close
By JIM ENGSTER
Tiger Rag Featured Columnist
In his five seasons in Death Valley, Les Miles has gained a well-earned reputation for leading his teams to finishes that could test the heart rhythms of marathon runners. There is always drama when a Les Miles club takes the field. For fans who relish cheap thrills, this is your dream man.
The 2009 season was not a boon year for Miles, but traffic was increased significantly in cardiac units in Louisiana.
The Tigers played in a record nine games decided by ten or fewer points. The only foes that LSU defeated by more than ten points were Vanderbilt (23-9), UL-Lafayette (31-3), Auburn (31-10) and Tulane (42-0).
The nine games in 2009 decided by ten points or less were against these opponents:
Washington 31-23
Mississippi State 30-26
Georgia 20-13
FLORIDA 3-13
Alabama 15-24
LOUISIANA TECH 24-16
Ole Miss 23-25
ARKANSAS 33-30
Penn State 17-19
LSU went 5-4 in the closest games-confirming Miles is a more than competent coach in the outings that the late Marquette Basketball Coach Al McGuire referred to as “white knucklers.”
This is how LSU has fared in games in which the margin of victory did not exceed ten points in the last 30 seasons.
Year Number Record Coach
2009 9 5-4 Les Miles
2008 6 4-2 Les Miles
2007 5 3-2 Les Miles
2006 4 3-1 Les Miles
2005 6 5-1 Les Miles
2004 6 4-2 Nick Saban
2003 3 3-0 Nick Saban
2002 3 2-1 Nick Saban
2001 3 2-1 Nick Saban
2000 4 3-1 Nick Saban
1999 4 1-3 Gerry DiNardo
1998 5 0-5 Gerry DiNardo
1997 4 3-1 Gerry DiNardo
1996 5 5-0 Gerry DiNardo
1995 4 1-2-1 Gerry DiNardo
1994 5 1-4 Curley Hallman
1993 3 3-0 Curley Hallman
1992 5 0-5 Curley Hallman
1991 5 3-2 Curley Hallman
1990 6 4-2 Mike Archer
1989 6 1-5 Mike Archer
1988 4 3-1 Mike Archer
1987 4 3-0-1 Mike Archer
1986 6 4-2 Bill Arnsparger
1985 5 4-0-1 Bill Arnsparger
1984 7 4-2-1 Bill Arnsparger
1983 4 0-4 Jerry Stovall
1982 6 2-3-1 Jerry Stovall
1981 3 1-1-1 Jerry Stovall
1980 4 3-1 Jerry Stovall
LSU coaching records in games decided by ten points or less since 1980:
Coach Record Pct Overall Pct Pct of Close Games
Nick Saban 14-5 73.7 48-16 (75) 29.7
Bill Arnsparger 12-4-2 72.2 26-8-2 (75) 50
Les Miles 20-10 66.7 51-15 (77.3) 45.5
Mike Archer 11-8-1 57.5 27-18-1 (59.8) 43.5
Gerry DiNardo 10-11-1 47.7 32-24-1 (57) 38.6
Jerry Stovall 6-9-2 41.2 22-21-2 (51.1) 37.8
Curley Hallman 6-11 35.3 16-28 (36.4) 38.6
Total 79-58-4 57.4 62.9 39.4
Saban’s teams played in the lowest percentage of games decided by fewer than eleven points while Miles has won six more close games than any of his contemporary cohorts.
Despite the mishaps by LSU and its coaches in the Ole Miss and Penn State games this past season, the record is clear that Miles is an overachiever in close encounters.
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Sunday, Jan. 10, marked the 30th anniversary of the plane crash that killed LSU football coach Bo Rein and pilot Lewis Benscotter. Rein was had been coach at LSU for six weeks.
If he had lived, Rein would be 64 and might still be a presence in Death Valley. The record of the eight coaches since Rein is 223-130-4. The 30 seasons from 1980-2009 have provided a plethora of highs and lows.
Since 1980, LSU has won five SEC titles and two BCS crowns while also posting ten losing seasons.
If Rein were still the coach in TigerTown, he would have needed to avoid so many losing campaigns to retain his job. He might be on his way to surpassing Joe Paterno as the biggest winner in major college football. Instead, Rein was dead at 34.
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Jim Engster is a featured columnist for Tiger Rag and the general manager of Louisiana Network. Contact him at jim@la-net.net.
Nonsense! You can’t give the man credit for winning close games in games where the outcome should never have been in doubt. Do you think Miles a good coach because he won a tight games against Louisiana Tech, Washington, Mississippi State and Arkansas?
I agree with Scott’s comments. Engsters theory would be understandable only if it was against teams of equal caliber, but not shoo-in games of which LSU should have won by 20+ points.
Let’s try again next year and see if our staff can manage the clock, utilize players to the best advanage, coach the offensive and defensive lines and get us atop the SEC where we belong. I do have a lot of patience….but only for one more year.
And Scott–you can’t pick one game, which is the worst team in the group, to make your point which is nonsense as well. The vast majority of Miles’ close ones are SEC and top ranked teams. Find a valid reason to show your Les Miles dislike.
What was Cholly Mac’s record?
Les Miles is just lucky! With all the talent he has had, most of those close games should not have been close. Les Miles is not a great coach period. No matter how you try and spin it, he is one of the luckiest coaches in America. Lucky he fell in a gold mine by getting the LSU job. God know there were a lot better choices.
You Miles-haters are all idiots. PLEASE, just all move to Alabama and worship at the alter of Sat…err…Saban. Leave us Tiger fans alone so we can enjoy our team. We’ll be fine; us loyal fans, our loyal coach and our team will still be challenging for championships when Tricky Nick leaves Bama in the lurch for his next challenge. Don’t go away mad…but just GEAUX AWAY!
Miles cant coach a monkey to eat a banana
Tom
CHARLEY WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN A HEAD COACH IF NOT FOR DIETZEL.. MARANATHA!!! PS… I SAID AFTER CHARLEY TOOK OVER, WE HAD BUILT SUCH A STRONG RECRUITING OPERATION THAT IT WOULD TAKE CHARLEY AT LEAST FIFTEEN YEARS TO RUIN, AND THAT WAS ABOUT WHAT IT TOOK!!! GOD BLESS!!! I DO NOT WANT, AND I REALLY LIKE LES, TO PAY A COACH FOUR MILLION TO LOSE FOUR OR FIVE CLOSE GAMES EACH YEAR. HE DOES A GREAR JOB AS RECRUITER, I PROPOSE THAT HE HIRES A GREAT HOT SHOT OC, GIVE HIM THE BALL ON OFFENCE RUN HIS OWN SHOW, MAYBE FRANK WILSON, THE CHIEF IS GOING TO ALWAYS HAVE A VERY GOOD DEFENCE, SO MILES BECOME THE CEO, AND LET THE OC AND DC RUN THE BALL CLUB, GIVE THEM A MILLION A PIECE OUT OF YOUR PAY, YOU WILL STILL HAVE TWO MILLION AND REPLACE THE NOW OC WITH WILSON OR ANOTHER FIRST CLASS OC FROM SOMEWHERE, AND LETS GET THIS LSU BALL CLUB SHARP, THAT THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING, GET SHEP INTO ALL THE GAMES, HE IS BETTER THAN JJ AND I DO NOT LIKE THE WAY YOU RUN THE CLUB, AND I AM ONE OF THE OWNERS…MARANATHA!!!
Keeping’ em close is one thing. But if Miles keeps ‘em close in 2010 and goes 6-6 or 7-5 he is out of here.
Jon, I totally agree. I’m glad someone else feels the way I do. Some LSU fans are just really ignorant. Like as if they could do better. Yes, I know you’re not getting paid 4 mill to coach but you’re criticizing someone about their job. How would you like it if Les came to your job (no matter how much you make) and tell you he could do better and that you stink at your job. You so called fans are pathetic.