Taking heat: LSU football coach Les Miles is being criticized nationally for the Tigers’ late meltdown against Ole Miss. Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated notes that a lot of LSU fans were critical of Miles’ coaching ability—despite his leading the Tigers to a BCS Championship in 2007. “LSU’s final possession gave them even more ammunition,” he says. Read the column here. Stewart Mandel, also of Sports Illustrated says Miles and Michigan Coach Rich Rodriguez are in the same boat in terms of fan criticism. Rodriguez got the Michigan job two years ago after Miles decided to stay at LSU. ” Miles, like Rodriguez, isn’t in danger of losing his job any time soon, but the fact that it’s even become a point of discussion shows just how rapidly a coach’s stock can deteriorate,” says Mandel. Read the column here. Chris Low of ESPN.com, who follows the SEC, says the Tigers butchered the end of Saturday’s game. “Even in the postgame press conference after all the chaos had ended, Miles seemed as lost in trying to explain it all as he did when it was all melting down around him on the sideline. The truth is there isn’t any explaining this one,” he says. Read the full story here.
B.R. native does good: Former LSU basketball star Tyrus Thomas is one of 10 athletes named as a finalist for the Jefferson Award for Public Service. Thomas, a native of Baton Rouge and McKinley High graduate who plays for the Chicago Bulls, will be honored at a luncheon in New York next month. Thomas was selected for his work in establishing the Tyrus Thomas Foundation, which, in cooperation with the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, provides educational and recreational programs to children. This year, he launched Tyrus Thomas, Inc., to fund a program called C.A.T.C.H. (Caring and Actively Teaching Children Hope), which targets at-risk children. Other Jefferson Award winners include Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, tennis star Venus Williams and Nnamdi Asomugha, a defensive back with the Oakland Raiders and a native of Lafayette.
New look: LSU will be one of 10 college football teams wearing new superlight uniforms from Nike for Saturday’s games. The new uniforms, which feature a dark gold helmet, are 37% lighter than the standard gear. They’re made of a special material that doesn’t hold sweat or water. For a gallery of the new uniforms, click here. LSU plays Arkansas in a game that kicks off at 6 p.m. Saturday and will be televised by ESPN.
