Tigers Begin Chick-fil-A Bowl Prep
BATON ROUGE -- After being out of action for over two weeks, the LSU football team went back to work on Monday as the Tigers began their on-field preparations for Georgia Tech with a lengthy workout here at the indoors at the Charles McClendon Practice Facility.
Monday?s workout was the first of eight practices scheduled for the Tigers over the next week. LSU will practice through the morning of Dec. 22 before taking a break for Christmas. The Tigers will depart for Atlanta and the Chick-fil-A Bowl at 2:30 p.m. on Christmas Day.
LSU will face 14th-ranked Georgia Tech in the 41st annual Chick-fil-A Bowl on Dec. 31 at 6:30 CST at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The game will be televised by ESPN. LSU goes into the game with a 7-5 overall mark, while the Yellow Jackets are 9-3.
In addition to Monday?s practice, LSU coach Les Miles spent a portion of his day in Atlanta taking part in the annual Chick-fil-A Bowl Head Coaches Luncheon at the Marriott Marquis. Miles was joined at the luncheon by Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson.
After his four-hour trip to Atlanta, Miles returned to Baton Rouge in time to put the Tigers through a spirited workout, one that saw the LSU head coach lose in voice during the final stages of the practice.
?That (losing my voice) was a byproduct of the first practice,? Miles said. ?It was an extended first practice. It was good to get back to the field and play football. It looked like a first practice. There was a lot to be re-accomplished and re-introduced.
?The players worked hard. They need to pay more attention to detail, but their attitude is really good.?
Listen to coach Les Miles' full post-practice interview now for free in the Geaux Zone.
Miles said the Tigers wasted little time in starting their preparations for Georgia Tech?s triple-option offensive attack.
?We are working against offense and defense about 20 minutes of the practice of actually ?good? versus ?good?,? Miles said. ?A great majority of it is against Georgia Tech (schemes). The difference of option offense and how to prepare for it is night and day.
?It is no ball. It?s assignment. It?s individual drills. It?s a complete scope. It is much different than rush the passer and bat the ball down.?
Miles is no stranger to the triple option as he was part of a staff at Colorado that featured the offense under head coach Bill McCartney.
?I coached in it, which was the last time I saw it,? Miles said. ?I coached in this offense at Colorado. That is the last time I saw it in a game that I played. I?ve witnessed it in games, but haven?t played against it since.?
Monday?s workout also had the Tigers back at full strength in terms of health for the first time since the season started back in August. The only player absent from practice was that of backup quarterback Andrew Hatch, who continues to nurse a lower leg injury.
LSU will return to practice on Tuesday afternoon.
