Schiefelbein: Miles gets name-brand coordinator

• By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Jan 6, 2009 - Page: 1C - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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“The resumé is obvious,” was what LSU coach Les Miles said in passing, on his way to another thought.

Hold right there. In there is a big part.

The hiring of longtime Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis provides the splash missing 11 months ago when Miles promoted Doug Mallory and Bradley Dale Peveto into co-coordinator-ship.

Though Miles played this out in a gentlemanly fashion, sticking by his guys throughout the season and then going so far as not cutting them loose, officially, until they had another job, LSU is swapping out its defensive staff. This is the reality to a season that went sour in large measure because the defense that was supposed to be a strength often was a liability.

That the Tigers clamped down on No. 14 Georgia Tech 38-3 on New Year’s Eve in the Chick-fil-A Bowl is duly noted.

That the Tigers twice gave up a school-worst 50 in two games (albeit helped by an interception-prone quarterback) and closed the season by allowing 31 points in three straight games is also equally on the record.

The idea nearly a year ago was to maintain continuity (and provide a promotion), plus LSU’s time frame to hire coaches took a big backseat to preparing for the BCS national title game.

The idea now is to hire a big name with a proven track record who can get this defense right and right in a hurry.

“If you’re going to go with a new coordinator and two guys are not going to stay, I think this was time,” Miles said.

Trying to pinpoint where the defense went awry is murky stuff.

There was youth in the secondary and at linebacker, especially with Darry Beckwith not at full speed. The front, which was supposed to be one of the best in the nation, never found continuity and, thus, never lived up to that hype.

As for theory, Southeastern Conference foes may have gotten used to what LSU ran (although they’ll surely have a good book on Chavis by now, too). And the two-coordinator system may have posed problems previously unseen.

Chavis, who was courted by Clemson, brings in both a reputation Miles has known and a product he’s seen firsthand across the field.