GeauxTo
12-01-2005, 10:17 AM
Although it's true Les Miles had more talent on his roster than any team in the league, his ability to keep the Tigers focused in spite of the one-two punch of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita is Belichickian.
As a team, LSU had every reason to cave. Against Tennessee, the Tigers did cave. But faced with one must-win game after another, LSU won. No team guts out overtime victories over Auburn and Alabama without the feeling of oneness that good coaching creates.
Not only that, Miles persuaded a team top-heavy with upperclassmen to buy into what he coached. That's no small accomplishment. The road to the BCS is littered with teams that fail to reach their potential. The Tigers are one game away from the Sugar Bowl. They leaned on one another in a difficult season. That sort of leadership begins at the top.
The whole read: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=maisel_ivan&id=2241984
As a team, LSU had every reason to cave. Against Tennessee, the Tigers did cave. But faced with one must-win game after another, LSU won. No team guts out overtime victories over Auburn and Alabama without the feeling of oneness that good coaching creates.
Not only that, Miles persuaded a team top-heavy with upperclassmen to buy into what he coached. That's no small accomplishment. The road to the BCS is littered with teams that fail to reach their potential. The Tigers are one game away from the Sugar Bowl. They leaned on one another in a difficult season. That sort of leadership begins at the top.
The whole read: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=maisel_ivan&id=2241984