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Ole Miss 25, LSU 23. It's generally bad form to undermine a tight, dramatic game by dwelling on a mistake in the closing seconds, but occasionally the comedy of errors is too staggering to ignore. So LSU coach Les Miles, grab your $3.75 million salary and step right up for the full-frontal clock management gaffe of the year, as narrated by CBS Sports' Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson:

Miles has made his reputation as one of the SEC's elite coaches by being aggressive, flying by the seat of his pants and occasionally flouting conventional clock management, and what's ironic about the closing flub in Oxford is that he was on his way to confirming that reputation. Down 25-17 with three-and-a-half minutes to play, LSU drove for a touchdown to pull within 25-23 with 1:23 on the clock, and recovered an onside kick to give itself a chance to win in the final minute. After hitting a 26-yard pass from Jordan Jefferson to Brandon LaFell to move within range of the winning field goal, it looked like a miracle in the works.

Instead, the Tigers went backwards on consecutive plays, first on a sack for a loss of nine yards (followed by LSU's second timeout) that knocked them out of field goal range, and then on a third down screen pass for a loss of seven that backed LSU into a desperate, 4th-and-26 hole. And instead of following Clock Management 101 by calling their final timeout immediately after the third down play ended in-bounds, though, the Tigers let 16 seconds tick off before finally expending the last TO with only nine seconds and no timeouts remaining to get off the fourth down play and any other snaps that followed it.

So when Jefferson improbably completed a 42-yard pass to Terance Tolliver at the Ole Miss six on fourth-and-forever as the clock ticked down to one second, LSU had two options: a) Rush the field goal team (which should have been waiting on the sideline for just this situation) on for a winning attempt before the officials were able to move the chains, set the ball and begin the clock again; or b) With such little time to get a new 11 men on and the current 11 men off, hurry the offense up to the line to take a final shot into the end zone. It had to be kick or throw into the end zone, and the decision had to made pronto -- in fact, it should have already been made, during the timeout preceding the fourth down heave. Clock Management 101, Section 2: With almost no time and no timeouts, you must have two plays ready in the if the first play doesn't score.

The one option the Tigers definitely did not have at their disposal was spiking the ball to stop the clock: With only one second left, once Jefferson took the snap and put the ball into the turf, there would be no time left to kill.

Naturally, Jefferson and the offense scurry to the line, looking at each other and to their sideline in confusion as the officials set the ball, start the clock and ... end it. Jefferson inexplicably attempted to spike the ball, anyway, but the Tigers didn't even get off the snap before the clock hit all-zeroes.

So, coach: Why'd you let 16 seconds tick off before calling timeout after the loss on third down, leaving the team with no time to execute the two or three more plays it would need to convert the fourth down and get the field goal team on? What was the plan for the final play after those precious seconds were wasted? There ... was a plan, wasn't there?

Paraphrased: "We knew we were going to run out of time if we tried to attempt a field goal, so we were trying to attempt a field goal."

Basically, then, there was no plan. We read you, coach, loud and clear. Good luck with the oh-so-forgiving Louisiana media this week.

[UPDATE, 9:15 p.m. ET] Ah, I see, there was "a want for more time on the clock." Now it's all becoming clear.


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372 Comments

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  1. moinllieon
    1. Posted by moinllieon Sat Nov 21, 2009 9:28 pm EST

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    Les Miles has shown again and again he's the type of coach that NEVER thinks things through and is NEVER prepared for these situations. He's an "aggressive, flying by the seat of his pants and occasionally flouting conventional clock management" type of coach not because he's ballsy but because his mind never turns fast enough to think through all of the ramifications of his decisions. At LSU, he's lucky enough to have great players that make those stupid decisions pay off, most of the time. But Les Miles is an overrated coach and I'd never want him to coach at my school.
  2. bobby
    2. Posted by bobby Sat Nov 21, 2009 9:29 pm EST

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    the play before that was the error they let almost 20 seconds tick off before they called the time out
  3. hazlehurst48@...
    3. Posted by hazlehurst48@... Sat Nov 21, 2009 9:58 pm EST

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    Ole Miss was the stronger team. Fluke plays kept LSU in the game. You can only ride that horse so far.
  4. CARL
    4. Posted by CARL Sat Nov 21, 2009 10:00 pm EST

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    I don't care that he was the coach on the national champ. team two years ago, he should be FIRED immediately for that unbeliavably inept coaching. Not just the final few seconds, mind you; I'm also referring to the fact that LSU had FIRST AND TEN on the Ole Miss 30 yard line, and promptly turned that into FOURTH AND 26???? That was horrible play-calling, and someone should answer for it. WITH HIS JOB!!!!
  5. patrick a
    5. Posted by patrick a Sat Nov 21, 2009 10:04 pm EST

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    Can you say roll over and died. The coaches gave up and let the team down. The most novice of fans would have stopped the clock sooner. Get a new quarterback; Jefferson may be a great athlete but he is not a quarterback. He holds on to the ball too long, has marginal decision making skills at best, can't feel pressure, is weak scrambling to his left, has poor leadership skills on the field and recovers poorly when rattled. It was a miracle play and then he spikes the ball with one second left. WTF Any QB should know better. That game should have been a win and once again the offense lost a game. To much talent is being wasted with Jefferson at the helm. I bet he would be a great wide out, but a very poor QB at this level.
  6. Michael W
    6. Posted by Michael W Sat Nov 21, 2009 10:11 pm EST

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    Les Miles needs to be fired. He has plenty of playmakers and can't manage a game at all. It has happened time and time again and if it werren't for all the play makers he has that can make up for his mistakes the team would have a lot worse record.
  7. douglas
    7. Posted by douglas Sat Nov 21, 2009 10:13 pm EST

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    Doh!
  8. trav
    8. Posted by trav Sat Nov 21, 2009 10:16 pm EST

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    sad that a team with that much talent and potential is 8-3 and could easily be worse.. heads should roll in the offseason
  9. The World Famous Butt Pirate
    9. Posted by The World Famous Butt Pirate Sat Nov 21, 2009 11:07 pm EST

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    One might say the end of the game was a McClusterf*ck.
  10. Justin D
    10. Posted by Justin D Sat Nov 21, 2009 11:14 pm EST

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    The fact that LSU was even in the game was a fluke. Blocked FG for a TD??? How often does that happen? LSU had 1/2 the yards of Ole Piss with a QB that completed 50% of his passes. The fact that it came down to the wire was so much more Tiger luck that skill. If Ole Piss would have lost this one to LSU, it would have been a shame. Because clearly Ole Piss was much better than LSU today.
  11. William
    11. Posted by William Sat Nov 21, 2009 11:57 pm EST

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    What you need to remember is, these guys aren't in college because they're smart.
  12. iamme
    12. Posted by iamme Sat Nov 21, 2009 11:57 pm EST

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    wow i have never coached a college team and i could have won this game 5 times in that final drive lol, COACH your fired n dont try out for are you smarter than a fifth grader you couldnt have beat a 2 yr old today!!!!!!!!!
  13. Bruce
    13. Posted by Bruce Sat Nov 21, 2009 11:59 pm EST

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    Wow. Give that coach a raise!
  14. somebody
    14. Posted by somebody Sun Nov 22, 2009 12:00 am EST

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    Les miles is a horrible coach. If saban hadn't pulled a benedict arnold we'd still be on top.
  15. Ucant
    15. Posted by Ucant Sun Nov 22, 2009 12:13 am EST

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    I can't imagine Coach Miles having to address the fans when they do the live show this week on WWL. It's gonna be a must listen to event. I never thought I'd see him in such a stupid situation. It just one of those.......I can't believe I saw that............kinda moment.........Duh?????
  16. bourredog@...
    16. Posted by bourredog@... Sun Nov 22, 2009 12:16 am EST

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    Really bad coaching. Luck made up for the touchdown that was called back earlier in the game. And, at the end of the day, a W is a W. Hotty Toddy!
  17. Doug
    17. Posted by Doug Sun Nov 22, 2009 12:29 am EST

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    Wow les miles today made Bill belichick look good!!!!
    That was horrible clock management,and play calling!
  18. smartrthanu
    18. Posted by smartrthanu Sun Nov 22, 2009 12:29 am EST

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    Sure... the spelling error is what you should be focusing on. I'm sure you are voting Miles for coach of the year "too".
  19. kmbrowning4@...
    19. Posted by kmbrowning4@... Sun Nov 22, 2009 12:35 am EST

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    Les Miles is an idiot!!! I am not an LSU fan but I still can't believe what I saw. The dude should be fired!!
  20. smartrthanu
    20. Posted by smartrthanu Sun Nov 22, 2009 12:36 am EST

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    I feel sorry for Brandon LaFell! Beautiful catch to give them a chance to win. Too bad Miles either didn't have enough faith in his team to pick up the first and prepare for the next play, or is just too stupid to know what to do with 1 second left. One word... FIRED!
  21. Tiggey81
    21. Posted by Tiggey81 Sun Nov 22, 2009 12:38 am EST

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    Complete and utter coaching fiasco!
  22. Ray
    22. Posted by Ray Sun Nov 22, 2009 12:42 am EST

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    Way to Geaux Ole Miss!!
  23. william
    23. Posted by william Sun Nov 22, 2009 12:43 am EST

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    Ole Miss dominated the game it would have been a shame for them to lose at the end.... Plus I believe we have had a few finishes from hell at LSU ... Could be the beginning of something amazing. Ole Miss did not live up to the hype and the primary reason was the strange collapse of Jevon Snead... he has come on strong at the end of the year and Ole Miss is rolling.
  24. jonathan
    24. Posted by jonathan Sun Nov 22, 2009 12:49 am EST

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    I feel their pain. I sat out injured in one of my high school games and our coach did the same thing letting the other team win when we actually had a full 24 seconds left. Just heartbreaking.
  25. milton
    25. Posted by milton Sun Nov 22, 2009 12:50 am EST

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    too much talent not to be winning football games ,coaching might be the problem as it was today.

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