LSU football coach Les Miles spoke to the media on Monday as his team prepares for its 2:30 p.m. CST matchup against Ole Miss on Saturday in Oxford.
Miles' comments:
“We recognize this league as a dominant league to play in, and certainly we are looking forward to returning to league play. In terms of injuries, Jordan Jefferson returns to practice today. We’re excited to get him back and throwing and moving around. Richard Dickson should return to practice today. I suspect T-Bob Hebert will return to practice today. We thought Dickson hurt his knee, but we found out later he tore something in his thigh, so it was very sincerely a thigh contusion. When I tell you stuff like that, sometimes I’m deceptive, but sometimes I’m right to the point. The good news is they’ll be back.
“Jarrett Lee is our second-team quarterback and competing like heck. He goes into the game and does not play well and certainly not as well as he would like to play. He was 7-of-21 for a little over 100 yards and a touchdown. He was our quarterback that piloted the team that won the game. He’d like to play better. I think he understands how to, but again, we’re fortunate that he competes and fights for us. I think you’ll find that he’ll play better as we go forward.
“In the first half, I thought the defense played with a ‘somebody else will make that play’ mentality. I didn’t think that they were as intense to start the game as they needed to be, but they came to life. I think the opponent gained 220 yards in the first half, and in the second half, they gained 100 yards. It was really a tale of two halves for our defense, but when they turned it on, they played like the defense we are used to seeing. I think Rahim Alem had a big day. It appeared to me that when his motor got turned on, it ran hot for the rest of the night. I recognize that we’re the fourth-ranked defense in the league, but we can be better
“On special teams, I think our punter (Derek Helton) had another good night. I think our punter is becoming more and more consistent. Josh Jasper is proving to be very consistent in field goals and kick offs. We had a mishap at the holding spot. We have to do better there. Helton is very sure-handed, and we expect him to continue to hold there and get better as we go forward. Trindon Holliday leads the conference in punt returns, so our special teams, in my opinion, are improved now.
“We’re into a two-game season. Certainly each game will be a different challenge. This Ole Miss team is a very, very talented team. I think coach (Houston) Nutt does a great job preparing them. I think they will come to play. I think their offense with Dexter McCluster, Jevan Snead and Brandon Bolden is a very talented offense. They can run it and throw it. They’re very balanced. Jevan Snead, in my opinion, can do everything that you want a quarterback to do. The combination of Dexter McCluster’s and Brandon Bolden’s power and speed and perimeter and tough-to-touch, and their a very, very talented offense.
“Their defense is third in the conference in sacks. They’re allowing just 15 points a game with 313 total yards. They are a very talented defense. They play a very physical brand of football. On special teams, they have a very dangerous kick returner, again very much like our opponent a week ago. We understand this is going to be a big contest. We are looking forward to it. Our football team looks forward to playing in these games. We’re looking forward to getting back into the league. We are looking forward to getting some of our nicked guys back. We’re really ready to look to the last two games of the season.”
New Orleans Saints
Saints coach Sean Payton said on Monday he expects cornerback Tracy Porter to return before the season is over.
Porter suffered a sprained media collateral ligament in Sunday's victory over the St. Louis Rams. Payton refrained from from putting a timetable on Porter's return. but said he expects the second-year player to return to the roster this season.
"the good news is that it's not an injury to his ACL," said the coach. "The injury to his knee was the MCL."
Three Saints defensive starts missed the game with injuries, but are expected back for their game with the Buccaneers on Sunday at Tampa. Cornerback Jabari Greer (groin), safety Darren Sharper (knee), and defensive tackle Cedrick Ellis (knee) missed the game and Porter was lost when he suffered the knee injury. Greer and Sharper are expected to play against the Bucs.
Payton said his confidence in quarterback Drew Brees is unshaken because the Saints have turned the ball over 13 times in their last four games.
"There's a big reason we're 9-0 and it starts with Drew Brees," said Payton. "he's his own worst critic. If you asked who's hardest on Drew Brees, it would be Brees. He has made a ton of plays for us. His throw to Robert Meachem for that touchdown was unbelievable."
Former Zephyr is National League rookie of year
Chris Coghlan, who began the 2009 season in the Zephyrs’ infield, has been named National League Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Coghlan, a supplemental first round pick (36th overall) by the Florida Marlins in 2006 out of Ole Miss, became the third Marlin to win the honor, beating out Philadelphia pitcher J.A. Happ. Coghlan received 17 first-place votes, while Happ received 10. Atlanta pitcher Tommy Hanson finished third in the voting.
The 24-year-old native of Palm Harbor, FL was batting a team-leading .344 in 25 games for the Zephyrs when he was promoted to the Marlins on May 8.
He went on to hit .321, sixth-best in the NL and the highest mark ever for a Marlins rookie, with nine home runs and 47 RBI in 128 games as Florida’s left fielder. He collected 47 hits in both August and September, becoming the first National League player to amass 94 hits in a two-month span since 1978.
The Zephyrs will open their 18th season in the CrescentCity on Thursday, April 8, 2010 against the Round Rock Express. For more information, contact the Zephyrs at (504) 734-5155.
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