After a three-game losing streak and weeks of speculation, all of the rumors were put to rest after the LSU Tigers defeated the Texas A&M Aggies 19-7 on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva announced after the game that head coach Les Miles was not going anywhere and would remain on board to coach the Tigers.
“I want to make it very clear that Les Miles is our football coach and will continue to be our football coach.”
After the game was over, LSU players hoisted Miles up on their shoulders and carried him across the field. He was let down only to sing the alma mater with his players and the fans, but it would not be the last time that he does that with everyone in Baton Rouge.
As reported by ESPN , Miles is not going to be fired and there will not be any $15 million buyout of his contract. Speculation has been running wild for weeks now, but he’s not going anywhere.
Once the game was over, Miles was first told that he would be staying on as head coach by ailing school president F. King Alexander. After that, it was Joe Alleva’s turn to let Miles know that he would remain head coach of the LSU Tigers football team.
Before Saturday’s game, Les Miles stepped out onto the field at Tiger Stadium to a gigantic ovation. There were signs all over the place showing their love and adoration for Miles and the hopes that he would still be LSU’s coach after the game was over.
As Yahoo Sports reported, you could hear the support for Miles throughout the entire game as his family walked out with him and then met up with him after the game. Heisman hopeful Leonard Fournette expressed his gratitude and love for Miles after the game was over.
LSU finished the season 8-3 and 5-3 in the SEC with a bowl game upcoming, but it’s not known which one just yet.
When the first College Football Playoff rankings were revealed, LSU was 7-0 and sat second in the nation. From that point, the Tigers lost three in a row in rather lopsided games, and the speculation began getting louder and louder that Miles’ time in Baton Rouge was just about done.
Saturday night’s game was back and forth as the Aggies held a one-point lead for much of the first half and then it was all LSU in the final two quarters.
Fournette had another great game with 159 yards on 32 carries and one touchdown. It was a night when he had set an LSU single-season rushing record with 1,741 yards and 17 touchdowns. Quarterback Brandon Harris had an off night, but the LSU defense stepped up and held on for the win.
Still, the story wasn’t so much the game but what was going to happen after it was over.
When you defeat Texas A&M, Chavis, the administration, and the media all in the same night pic.twitter.com/Q8XTGwGfxM
— The LSU Logo (@LSU_Logo) November 29, 2015
Earlier this week, rumors came about that LSU had already made the decision to fire Miles after the game, no matter the result. Another rumor came about on Friday saying that Miles had told LSU’s booster club that Saturday night would be his last game in Tiger Stadium.
Neither of those ended up being true at all.
Now, the LSU Tigers football team can take a bit of a break until next week when they learn what bowl game they will be playing in. Les Miles is going to coach them in that game and for likely many years to come now that the speculation of his firing is not in question anymore.
[Image via Getty Images – Chris Graythen]