BATON ROUGE -- LSU head coach Les Miles spoke to the media on Monday for his weekly "Lunch with Les" press conference. Watch on-demand video of the press conference for free in the Geaux Zone.
Miles and the Tigers will face Auburn on Saturday starting at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
Check back for the complete transcript of the press conference.
LSU HEAD COACH LES MILES
Opening statement...
“We got a lot accomplished, in my opinion, during the open date. Our guys came to work and worked awfully hard. The point at this point in the season is the team that improves the most from this point forward has every opportunity to be in the title game, and I think they went to work that way. We spent some time on the offensive side of the ball. We looked at some things and the way we throw it and the way we run it, and our guys worked hard. Defensively, we looked at some of things that we’re doing and made some adjustments there, but I really feel like the open date went well for us with possibly one exception. Russell Shepard was sick the entire time, and we really didn’t get a lot of snaps from him, but other than that, our football team will be healthy as we go to the Auburn game. I like what our team has accomplished at points. Certainly our special teams is No. 1 in the conference in kick-off coverage and third in net punting. Josh Jasper has done a great job in placing the ball on both kickoffs and field goals, and I think Derek Helton is again, proving his value.
“Auburn is a very talented team. They have a great scheme on offense and a great scheme on defense. I think coach (Gene) Chizik has done a great job there in his first year. Offensively, they’re currently ranked No. 2 in the conference in scoring, and they rush the football at 240 yards per game. They throw the football at 217 (yards per game), so they have good balance and two tremendously talented tailbacks. Those guys are averaging just under 200 yards per game as a tandem. It’s a very talented group of offensive guys, and (quarterback) Chris Todd does a great job of throwing the football. He’s thrown for 12 touchdowns and two picks and 1,400 yards, so they have balance both in the air and the way they run it, and we’ll have to play them well.
“The traditions between these two teams are steep. They are two of the more successful teams in our conference, teams that are used to playing in tight games, and this will be another great Saturday night in Tiger Stadium if history repeats itself.”
On what he thinks is wrong with the offense...
“I think we’re doing the right things. We need to execute a little bit better. The want to improve has taken on in really every phase of the offense. If there was just one piece, certainly we’d go wrestle with that. We’re trying to run the ball more efficiently, and if we do that, we feel like that will open up the opportunity to throw it. I think our ability to throw it down the field is coming. We spent a lot of time in the open week throwing the ball downfield, and our guy can do that. I think we have talented receivers, and we’ve practiced it a little bit more, and it’s been called, but it may be called a little bit more regularly.”
On if he is interested to see how Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis match wits...
“As a part of the game, absolutely. They (Auburn) are a very talented offense, and I like our matchup. I like our team, especially the defensive side. We will be challenged there. I think they will as well.”
On keeping the same intensity after coming off a game against top-ranked Florida...
“I think our football team is in position to improve and play very well. Our football team understands what’s in front of us, and we understand we have four very talented teams in our conference we have yet to play. The measure of this season will not be made on what we’ve done but what we’re about to do. I think our football team understands that, and I don’t think there are any thoughts or comparisons of last year in any way. It’s truly about playing well against Auburn. I don’t think our football team is looking past that in any way. We’re pointing it down hill. We know where we’re headed.”
On if OT Ciron Black is having the kind of year he’s expected out of him...
“I think Ciron Black has played well overall. I think he himself would have enjoyed playing better at times. I think there is not necessarily the view that he’s had a bad start to the season and certainly not in our office. We feel like he’s given us leadership, plays hard and is playing as a part. I wish that the entire team would operate as efficiently as he has.”
On Russell Shepard’s prognosis...
“We feel like he’ll be ready to roll this Monday. He practiced on Thursday. We had a scrimmage of about 120 reps, and he took some reps in that scrimmage but not a large number. We think he’ll be ready to go today, so we’ll have a nice, little practice today and see if we can get him greased up and call his plays and see if we can have him ready for the game.”
On if Shepard is still a valued part of the offense...
“Absolutely. Certainly it’s something that we have not gotten accomplished at this point and something that we desperately want to get woven into the thread of our offense.”
On if QB Jordan Jefferson needs to pull the trigger on potential deep balls faster than he has or there needs to be more deep ball calls made...
“I think it’s probably a combination of the two. I think there is a point in time when he is very efficient in certain aspects and really has a comfort there and wants to stay there. We understand that. We like to call plays that are efficient and are completed. The balls that he’s throwing, he throws well. There’s just another piece we’d like to get to, and we’d like to call some more deep balls. I don’t know that we called as many deep balls as we’d like.”
On the defense seeming to have benefitted from a more streamlined approach and if he has thought about doing that with the offense...
“We think about the pros and cons to that as well, but the opportunity to know what the defense is doing certainly is at times something that we don’t want to forgo. A quarterback who is having a call for him can take a mental break and just execute the play called, which is what we’re trying to get accomplished. At times, it’s a tempo issue when you’d like to get it up and get it going, and at other times, you’d like to have the time when you see the defense that is being displayed. I think we’ll mix and match. I think we’ve given thought to a number of ways we can streamline our offense and make it better.”
On if he sees QB Jarrett Lee coming in and getting a series or two to see what he can do for the offense...
“I like the development of our quarterback who is currently our starter. I think Jarrett Lee is competing everyday. I think he competed extremely well in the open week. I think the opportunity for him to come in and play certainly may arise. There is no preconceived notion at this point.”
On LSU’s linebackers versus Auburn’s offense...
“There is so much misdirection in this offense. There is a number of ways to play it, and different calls will dictate different responsibilities for those linebackers. One is to stay at home and play your half of the formation, and two is read your key, scrape fast and get to it and certainly the opportunity to cover play-action, so yes, our linebackers will have a number of things that they have to do in this game and will be key in this game as well as our secondary and certainly our front four. It always goes to play as 11 guys on defense.”
On LSU’s pass rush against Auburn...
“The reason that so few people get to them is the style of passing that they do. They move the pocket. They are out of the pocket a lot, their play-action, on-the-run, and the opportunity to get rid of the ball while you are on the run certainly is there. I think our team will pressure them as much as any. I don’t necessarily think that is as key in a game like this as you might think. If they sit in that pocket, you’ll find that our guys will be in there very quickly.”
On the defensive tackle rotation...
“I think Drake Nevis, Charles Alexander, Al Woods and all those guys are playing extremely well and are guys that we count on to give us great push in the front. They’re thinner. Charles Alexander has lost weight and is probably playing the best football of his career. The same goes for Al Woods. The threesome, in my opinion, is one of our strong points on the defensive side of the game.”
On DT Drake Nevis...
“Drake is improving. He’s a guy that’s in his first real year as a starter and a full-time player. He’s relied on. He’s physical. He plays pad under pad, and he’s looking to make plays.”
On LSU’s big plays to Brandon LaFell...
“Well, we called a couple of those plays that were sacks. They were the exact same play. Maybe it’s calling it too much is the issue. Maybe we need to call it fewer times and not get as many sacks, but that’s one of many that we are pretty successful at. It’s just one that you happen to notice.”
On if Russell Shepard is in “any unlit wing of the coach’s doghouse” after his fumble against Georgia...
“No, he is not in any unlit wing of the coach’s doghouse. The issue is trying to get him in a comfortable spot where he can play and at quarterback, an opportunity to throw it and run and an opportunity to catch it, certainly something that we’ve tried to do. We’re trying to get him comfortable at a receiver spot as well. Sometimes, trying to get a lot accomplished with just one person, it slows his progress in a number of spots. We’re trying to speed that up, but it can only happen in time.”
On the exciting game with these two teams two years ago in Tiger Stadium...
“It’s an Auburn-LSU game. It’s just the way it is. You get into a game where it comes down to the end. It’s a very competitive game, and in that particular instance, we were biding our time to kick a field goal with the opportunity to win on the last play as well. Certainly, Demetrius Byrd will be remembered in that stadium as a pretty significant contributor in that game.”
On how he thinks the receivers are playing right now...
“I think our receiving corps is pretty talented and playing well. I think there are some drops we’d like to eliminate. I think they are blocking well by and large. I think the one thing we need to do is throw the football down the field a little bit more, and I think those guys are more than capable to make those plays.”
On if there is some point when he would like his quarterback to progress to the point where he doesn’t have to check to the sideline for changes...
“I think in time that happens. I think our quarterback, with experience, will be very comfortable making those checks, but at this point, we are trying to take that off his plate and off his area of responsibility if we can and just let him play.”
On if any players took advantage of the open week and may see some more playing time this week...
“I think our health is as good as it could be. I don’t think that there’s been any marked improvement and status. I think some young guys have made some movement in teams, and I think you’ll see some different numbers lining up for us in special teams spots, but I don’t think that there is anybody that took a giant leap and will make a splash on a Saturday.”
On RB Keiland Williams seeing fewer snaps in recent games...
“We’ve given him some snaps, and the snaps that we’ve given him, he’s been productive to a point. There were times we’d like to say maybe that was worth a little bit more yards. We think Keiland is coming and is a part of our need to get better on offense. Certainly I think that will happen.”
On what grade he would give the defense...
“Incomplete at this point. We would like to get beyond and look back and improve significantly. I like our defense’s progress to this point, but that’s like saying grade the race after it’s half-way through. We’ve got a ways to go.”
On if QB Jordan Jefferson needs to improve on his internal clock to get rid of the football...
“We’ve instructed him in ways that lets him know where he should be throwing the football and the timing of those throws. He’s improved, and I don’t know if that’s the issue.”
