Morris: Confidence again key for Miles

• By GEORGE MORRIS
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Sep 21, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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AUBURN, Ala. — They call Tommy Tuberville a riverboat gambler. More than anyone else in the Southeastern Conference, the Auburn coach has been the one you expected to stare across the field and make the other coach blink.

Not anymore. It’s not that Tub has gone soft. He’s just met his match.

There are times when Les Miles makes you wonder if he’s gone daft. Rolling the dice over and over again on fourth down? Trying to out-trick Steve Spurrier? Who would do stuff like that?

Miles, that’s who. He’s not always right — sometimes so wrong that LSU fans must want to run down to the sideline and try to talk some sense into him. But is there anybody in college football more supremely confident in his instincts?

For good reason. Once again, it was Miles doing the gambling, and Auburn blinking back tears.

LSU’s 26-21 win Saturday night may not get a memorable title like “The Earthquake Game.” But remember this as the one when Miles kept making decisions that few of his peers would dare to make.

Didn’t Miles play football at Michigan? Doesn’t he revere his coach and mentor, Bo Schembechler? Doesn’t Miles recall anything about how defense and kicking game and field position and limiting mistakes win football games?

Yes, yes and yes-yes-yes-yes. But he keeps rolling the dice. Even when they come up craps.

Surely, with 1:39 left in the first half at his own 27 and trailing 7-3, Miles heard his Inner Schembechler tell him to play it safe, go with (relative) experience at quarterback and keep the ball from danger. His defense was great. His punter was winning the field position war. Get to the half and there’s 30 minutes to make something happen. No offense, Bo, but Les wasn’t taking your call this night.

Jarrett Lee had missed all four of his passes. Not that Andrew Hatch was much better, but he could run and hadn’t appeared rattled by the Auburn defense. But Lee got the call to throw a swing pass to running back Keiland Williams — and lofted it softly so that defensive end Gabe McKenzie could step in front and make the halftime score 14-3.

But Miles didn’t blink. That trait seemed to rub off on his players.

When Hatch went out with a concussion, Lee seemed to have the lights come on, leading LSU downfield and hitting Chris Mitchell with a 39-yard scoring strike. Then a successful onside kick didn’t produce a score but sent a message. Then Williams’ halfback pass for a go-ahead touchdown. Then, when at the Auburn 18 and needing only a field goal to win, throwing instead.