LIKE IT IS : LSU program has come long way under Miles

WALLY HALL

Posted on Sunday, August 17, 2008

URL: http://www.wholehogsports.com/adg/234476/

BATON ROUGE — Les Miles stopped for a quick bite of watermelon on his way to the interview, but that gave a couple of visitors a chance to eyeball Herman Johnson.

You can’t really miss the starting guard for the LSU Tigers. He’s 6-8, 350 pounds (give or take 20 pounds ).

Johnson started all 14 games last season, 10 the year before and 1 during his freshman season.

“How big are you ? ’ he was asked.

“ Six-eight,” he said, before slapping the soles of his practice shoes together over a trash can to get rid of the grass.

It sounded like thunder. Then, with one final short glance at the visitors, he disappeared into the bowels of the LSU football facility.

Johnson is the largest baby ever born in Louisiana, coming into this world at 15 pounds, 14 ounces.

Miles walked up smiling as he was introduced to two Arkansas media guys, but asked: “Did you take a left turn, get lost and end up here ?”

It was explained we were on an SEC road trip, and he immediately wanted to know where all we had been. He shook his head when we told him we had driven almost 2, 200 miles in five days.

“That sounds great; are you guys having any fun ?” he asked.

When we tried to act like we weren’t, he laughed, saying, “If you aren’t having fun it is your own fault.”

During the course of the interview, he was asked if he thought, as defending national champions, the Tigers should have been the preseason No. 1.

“After the practice we just had, I’d probably vote us 101,” he said without a smile or laugh.

It has been written and said many times the biggest hurdle facing LSU this season is finding a replacement for quarterback Matt Flynn, who wasn’t a great quarterback but didn’t do things that got LSU beat.

Ryan Perrilloux was supposed to be the guy. Yes, that’s the same guy who said he was going to have a cup of coffee at LSU, pick up the Heisman Trophy and take the long green path to the NFL.

Instead he broke a school record of school rules, or at least it seemed like it, and is playing for Jack Crowe at Jacksonville State in Alabama.

That left Miles and LSU with Andrew Hatch and redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee. True freshman Jordan Jefferson is in the mix, too.

Hatch, from Nevada, started his college career at Harvard, where he played in a handful of junior varsity games. Yes, that’s the Harvard in Boston that’s never been called a football factory.

If this were a contest about who could best figure rocket thrust to the moon, you’d go with Hatch. But this is about figuring out defenses, providing leadership and moving the offense. And it is probably a bit of a concern for Miles right now that the quarterback competition hasn’t been settled.

Lee, from Brenham, Texas, was an outstanding passer in high school and was widely recruited. Yet, he hasn’t been able to separate himself from Hatch.

Miles, though, is not overly concerned.

The last two LSU national championship quarterbacks were good but not great. Neither were considered NFL prospects.

Actually, half of the SEC schools will start this season with a new quarterback and at least four other schools were still undecided as of Saturday.

Besides, LSU, ranked No. 7 in The Associated Press preseason poll released Saturday, has it going to the point that it is deep everywhere but quarterback, and mostly with homegrown products.

The Tigers offered scholarships to 14 in-state kids last season and signed them all.

They have three running backs in contention to be the starter and all of them are good enough.

Six starters must be replaced from a great defense, but again, Miles has the program at a place where he basically has to say next and some future NFL player steps up.

Miles was very friendly, cordial and helpful, and he had one surprise answer when asked if he were glad he wouldn’t see No. 5 (Darren McFadden ) this season.

“I actually wish Felix Jones and McFadden were back,” he said. “They got us last year and I’m a competitor. I’d like another shot at them.”

Then it was time for him to get back to work, so his return stop by the watermelon was brief.