Just when you think LSU is done, Tigers prove they won’t go away

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By Ben KerchevalOct 14, 2012, 12:09 AM EDT

The always quotable Les Miles said it right after the game. “This is truly a place where opponents’ dreams go to die.”

For No. 3 South Carolina, that would be the dream of an undefeated season, though we should make an amendment to Miles’ proclamation after his ninth-ranked Tigers held off the Gamecocks 23-21 Saturday night. South Carolina can still win the SEC East.It can still win the SEC championship and it can still in theory compete for a BCS championship with a little bit of help.

All of those goals are still within sight, but the path to Miami for the 2013 BCS title got a tad fuzzier for the Gamecocks. For LSU, there’s still hope after a 14-6 loss to No. 4 Florida in the Swamp in Week 6. Not much really changes for both of these teams, but yet another win in Death Valley shows that, no, you can never count out LSU no matter what happens to be ailing the team that week.

In fact, Miles has nearly a perfect record following a loss. Rebounding is as much a tradition for Miles and LSU as Mike the Tiger and tailgating. Not to mention the tradition of a great defensive line. South Carolina ran all over Georgia a week ago, but was only able to put up 34 yards on the ground against the Tigers tonight. In fact, LSU’s offense outgained South Carolina’s by almost 200 yards (406-211) on almost 20 more plays.

It was a tight game, but LSU controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides.

The Tigers’ next three games don’t provide any time to celebrate. Next up is surprising Texas A&M, which is currently taking care of business against Louisiana Tech. Then comes the Nov. 3 home game against top-ranked Alabama before another home game against Mississippi State. LSU then ends the year with two rivalry games against Ole Miss and Arkansas.

Based on all of that, nothing would seem guaranteed for LSU, but Miles’ team is nevertheless in a position to get back to Atlanta for the SEC championship; a loss to the Gamecocks would have put a major damper on those goals.

Speaking of USCe, a critical game at Florida awaits next week. Though Georgia is still in the mix for a SEC East title, Week 8’s match-up in the Swamp could prove critical for the two East division favorites.

Tonight was no doubt a huge win for LSU — it was certainly a bigger win for the Tigers than it was a loss for the Gamecocks — but with the overall level of football these two teams are playing, mainly on defense, it may not be the last time they meet this season.

Fire up the Les Miles rumor mill at Ole Miss, even if just for fun

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By Kevin McGuireJul 24, 2017, 11:48 AM EDT

The head coaching vacancy that has opened up at Ole Miss has gotten the ball rolling on a number of potential coaching rumors for some notable names on the coaching free agent market. As noted this weekend, the betting favorites have been listed, and they include SMU head coach Chad Morris as the betting favorite, followed by former Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley. Former LSU head coach Les Miles has been given some decent odds to land the job as well, and he is now one of the most interesting names being debated by those monitoring the situation at Ole Miss.

When Miles was pushed out of the way at LSU last season, he made it perfectly clear he was still looking to coach and win. It was just a matter of finding the right opportunity and having the right offer come along. He had his name attached to various coaching rumors during the last go around the coaching carousel last season, but remained a free agent when all was said and done, for whatever the reasons may be. But with a job in the SEC West suddenly on the market, Miles reportedly has expressed his interest in the job.

This should hardly come as a surprise, as Miles has made it known he wants to continue coaching, and the Ole Miss job could be in need of a coach who can weather the storm. The unknown and cloudy future Ole Miss has to navigate through makes the job less desirable on the surface, but a questionable outlook as far as the NCAA is concerned does not mean the job will be without its potential suitors. After all, it may not be Alabama or LSU, but a job in the SEC West will always be worth checking out regardless of the program.

One of the most popular questions asked during a handful of recent radio interviews since the firing resignation of Hugh Freeze has been where will Ole Miss turn next for its head coach? It may be too soon to accurately answer that question, although I have suggested we should not rule out the possibility of Ole Miss landing a good coach, even if that coach is flying well below the radar right now. It may be popular to suggest the Ole Miss job is toxic right now, but if Penn State and Baylor could end up finding decent coaches to take over their programs (and admittedly, Penn State got lucky with hiring Bill O’Brien and we’ll see if Matt Rhule works out at Baylor), then there is no reason to believe nobody would have any interest in the Ole Miss job.

As for Miles, if he wants to have one more chance at winning a championship, Ole Miss may not be the most desirable option. But if scoring revenge against LSU is the motivating factor, then Ole Miss can still work out. Ole Miss hiring Miles may feel like a reach and it feels like a combination that doesn’t quite fit at this point in time, but it would be advisable for Ole Miss to at least make the phone call to Miles and have a discussion.

And all of this may be for nothing. Maybe interim head coach Matt Luke will prove to be a solid coaching option for the Rebels moving forward. We can at least watch him coach a game or two before diving too deep into the coaching future of Ole Miss.

But having Les Miles back on a sideline somewhere will be fun if and when it happens.

UAB adds former Tennessee DE Mykelle McDaniel

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By Kevin McGuireJul 23, 2017, 3:16 PM EDT

UAB is returning to the playing field this fall after a brief absence from the world of college football, and head coach Bill Clark is working hard to build a program once again. This weekend, Clark was more than happy to announce the latest addition to the program in the not-so-subtle ways college football coaches tend to do on Twitter.

A couple of hours after that tweet was posted by Clark, former Tennessee defensive end Mykelle McDaniel announced on his Twitter account he had committed to the Blazers, followed by a retweet of Clark’s previous post.

McDaniel will be forced to sit out the upcoming 2017 season due to NCAA transfers. He will be eligible to play again in 2018 with three years of eligibility remaining. McDaniel sat out the 2016 season at Tennessee as a redshirt.

Get an early look at those brand new $10,000 Texas lockers

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By Kevin McGuireJul 23, 2017, 1:59 PM EDT

One of the fun headlines from this offseason has been focused on the amount of money Texas is spending to upgrade its lockerroom, complete with a full redesign of the individual lockers. Longhorns football players will now have fancy HD TVs fixated above their locker showing off their profile. The season may still be a month away, but we now have an early look at how those new lockers look.

And it looks like it was worth the money.

It is just a brief glimpse of the new lockers, but it falls in line with locker renovations being seen around the country at schools capable of investing in the resources to do so. The locker setup itself appears to be similar to lockers used at some other programs, but the burnt orange looks smooth in these lockers.

Chad Morris, Derek Dooley among betting favorites to be next Ole Miss head coach

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By Kevin McGuireJul 23, 2017, 12:46 PM EDT

It did not take long for people to start talking about who the next head coach at Ole Miss will be following the Thursday night resignation of Hugh Freeze. And somehow, one of the betting favorites has quickly become former Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley.

As noted by Rocky Top Talk, the Tennessee blog on SB Nation, the former Vols coach and current assistant with the Dallas Cowboys is listed as the second most-favored coach to take over at Ole Miss, listed at +500 according to BetOnline. SMU head coach Chad Morris is the current betting favorite on the betting website, with Morris listed at +300 to be the next coach of the Rebels.

Other names on the board include former LSU head coach Les Miles (+800), and former Oregon head coach Chip Kelly (+1400). FAU head coach Lane Kiffin has been having fun trolling about the Ole Miss fallout on Twitter, yet he is also on the board at +1600.

For what it is worth, interim head coach Matt Luke has also been given odds to keep the job, and he is listed at +1200.

Here are the latest odds as listed by BetOnline;

  • Chad Morris +300
  • Derek Dooley +500
  • Blake Anderson +700
  • Les Miles +800
  • Mike Norvell +1000
  • Brent Venables +1200
  • Scott Frost +1400
  • Chip Kelly +1400
  • Neal Brown +1600
  • Lane Kiffin +1600
  • Mike MacIntyre +1600
  • Charlie Strong +1600
  • Willie Fritz +2000
  • Bryan Harsin +2000
  • Bobby Petrino +2500

So place your bets wisely. But if you choose to place your money on Dooley, you might as well just send me your money instead.