Les Miles comments on possible John Chavis departure after bowl loss-sds

Over the last several days, rumors of defensive coordinator John Chavis leaving LSU for Texas A&M have gathered steam. The whispers turned to a roar before kickoff in the Music City Bowl, when multiple media outlets reported that Texas A&M had made an offer to Chavis that exceeded the extension Chavis had sitting on the table from LSU.

After LSU’s 31-28 loss to Notre Dame in the Music City Bowl, in which the Tigers defense fell apart, Miles was questioned about Chavis’ possible departure. From the sound of it, the issue comes down to Chavis wanting more money. Miles’ comments on the defensive coordinator could easily be interpreted to mean Chavis is on his way to College Station.
Chavis was also available to the media after the game, a rarity for the LSU coordinator. As you would expect, Chavis said he did not want to discuss rumors surrounding the Texas A&M opening. After several media members asked him about it anyway, the man called “Chief” began to lose his patience.
Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin talked before his team’s bowl game about wanting to make his defensive coordinator hire within the week. With a reported offer out to Chavis, it could be just a matter of time now that LSU’s season is over.

Mark Richt discusses UGA’s 37-14 Belk Bowl win over Louisville-sds

UGA head coach Mark Richt spoke to the media following Georgia’s 37-14 win over Louisville in the Belk Bowl. Here’s some of what he had to say.

On coaching in the SEC

I coached for 15 years at Florida State and one year at ECU. Taking the Georgia job was an exciting opportunity for me and my family. You know it’s a rugged league. You look at Arkansas and they were 6-6 and look at the year they had … they had a couple of really close games, if they could have won a couple of those close ones they might have made it to the SEC Championship … the passion of our fans is by far the most exciting thing about our league
On Brice Ramsey’s performance
He came in really, really cold. That first throw he had, that’s a pick. We decided to take a shot … but he didn’t even have one opportunity to warm up. We were assessing Hutson [Mason]
at the last moment … so we were just scrambling to get him in the game. He did some good things. He made a couple of nice throws in some big moments … he made some mistakes, too. It was a big responsibility, but overall he secured the ball well. He did a good job.

On ending season with a win
It’s great to win, period. Losing stinks. Losing leaves a bad taste in your mouth … it’s not fun to lose, period. I’m glad for our seniors sake and our team’s sake that we had another game to play… It’s nice to finish a season with a victory and 10 wins is a pretty good benchmark for a season.
On rumors of stepping down
I have no idea [why those rumors were floating around].

On if he plans on returning
That’s the plan.
On if he envisioned running the ball as well as they did
We knew that was a big part of what we do. We weren’t going to shy away from it … before you know it you break out with a couple of big ones. You have to be patient when you run the football. We were successful all year and we were tonight.
On Nick Chubb and if he knew he was going to be this good
We know Nick is a good player. The timing of when Nick took over — you had Todd’s situation, Keith’s injury and a Sony Michel injury. So he had to carry the rock a bunch … but Nick having to do what he had to do and proving he could withstand the rigors of it — the pounding aspect of it and the conditioning aspect of it — it certainly wasn’t a mystery to us that he could do something like this.

SEC New Year’s Resolutions-sds

With New Year’s Eve upon us, we look at what SEC teams’ resolutions for 2015 will be. Now, will the teams be able to fulfill the resolutions, or will they forget them by the time spring practice rolls around?

Alabama: Win a championship

At this point, under Saban, there is nothing else.

Arkansas: Have a winning SEC record

Arkansas has shown signs of life in 2014. Razorback fans have fervently backed Bret Bielema, and while at times it seemed a little nutty to remain solidly in Bielema’s corner, it seems like they were proved to be right. Sure, Arkansas only won two SEC games in 2014, but it is almost guaranteed that no other SEC team is looking forward to playing the Razorbacks in 2015.

Auburn: Re-ignite the “Boom”

Will Muschamp is back as defensive coordinator at Auburn and he will no doubt be as animated as ever. Coupled with a high-powered offense, Muschamp should be able to parade around the sidelines chest-bumping his players and generally being a crazy person. Since he will be focused purely on defense and not on running a program, expect Coach Boom to be in full effect.

Florida: Find an offense

Speaking of Muschamp, the thing that ran him out of Gainesville is the same thing that Jim McElwain will be tasked with: having an offense fans can get behind. Of course, now fans will want to keep the strong defense that they’ve come to know. McElwain will surely be hitting the recruiting trail hard in an attempt to lure some more offensive talent to Gainesville. Florida fans have witnessed Spurrier’s “Fun and Gun”, Meyer’s spread, and soon they’ll get McElwain’s “Humane Society”.

Georgia: Put together a full season

Some Georgia fans will see this as a slight, while others will nod in agreement. Every year, Georgia is poised to win the East and contend for a title. Seemingly, the Bulldogs lose a game or two that derails their season. The team also manages to win a few games after people have written them off. Easily one of the most confusing teams in the conference, the Bulldogs will look to win the East in 2015 and at least be in the discussion for a playoff spot.

Kentucky: Build on 2014’s hot start

Kentucky’s 2014 season was like getting into summer shape only to gain back all the weight in the fall. You feel real good about yourself for a while, but then by the end of the year, you are back to what everyone knows you as. Kentucky looked like the surprise team of the SEC early, but fell back to earth by the end of the season. With Mark Stoops coming off of a contract extension, he will certainly be looking to add a few wins to the 2015 season and make it to a bowl game with a winning record in 2015.

LSU: Retain John Chavis

There are multiple reports flying around that Texas A&M is pursuing Chavis to coach the Aggies defense. LSU fans seem to have Les Miles on a short leash, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they were ready to show Chavis the door after a bowl loss to Notre Dame. LSU has consistently posted some of the best defenses in the country during his tenure. While the Tigers had a bit of a disappointing season, it is no fault of the defense. Texas A&M may be able to offer more money than LSU, which could be a determining factor, but LSU should do everything it can to keep John Chavis on their sideline.

Mississippi: Find a QB with great hair

The Dr. Bo Flow will be gone from Ole Miss in 2015. While there is a debate whether that is a good or bad thing for the offensive production, one thing is certain, that flow will be tough to replace. Ole Miss will certainly strive to remain in the national spotlight in 2015, and finding a solid QB to lead the Rebels will be paramount. While the play on the field is the most important thing, having a quarterback that the media can latch onto for whatever reason, well, that helps.

Mississippi State: Win the West

Should Dak Prescott return to Mississippi State, there is no reason the Bulldogs can’t compete for a SEC West title. Granted, the road will not be easy, but after a solid 2014 campaign, it would be the next step in the Dan Mullen era. Mississippi State was a great story for a large portion of the 2014 season and they will no doubt look to remain in the spotlight in 2015. In order to do that, they must not regress in any aspect.

Missouri: Drop the “no respect” line

Many Missouri fans like to remind us at SDS, as well as anyone else, that the team gets no respect from the media or even the conference. While that may be true, and I’m sure the Tigers won’t be favored to win the East again next year, it’s time to go ahead and leave that narrative behind. Missouri has shown they can compete in the SEC at a high level, so no need to bellyache about the lack of respect. If people don’t give you the respect you think you deserve, just keep on winning.

South Carolina: Find a defense

The South Carolina offense certainly had some sparks to it, but was held back by a defense that couldn’t stop anyone when it mattered. The Head Ball Coach will definitely want to to improve upon 2014’s 7-6(3-6) record, especially after garnering such high expectations from around the country prior to the season. After dispelling any sort of retirement talk, Steve Spurrier will look to re-build the 2015 recruiting class to get a jumpstart on next season. Even the offensive minded coach will have his eye on the other side of the ball, no doubt.

Tennessee: Move on from bricks

Butch Jones has long uttered the mantra “brick by brick”, and it has served him well to this point. At some point though, you’ve got to move on from bricks and start adding some other aspects to a building. With the 2015 recruiting class, the bricks are in place, and it’s time to show off some window dressing in the form of a winning conference record.

Texas A&M: Settle on a QB

It looks as if Kyle Allen has solidified his role as the starting quarterback for Texas A&M, which could be a good thing. If nothing else, it would provide a little bit of stability in moving from this season into next. If spring practice rolls around and he isn’t the clear cut starter, then obviously the waters will remain slightly muddled. Coupled with an improved defense, having a leader solidified will go a long way for the Aggies in 2015.

Vanderbilt: Be competitive

No one really expected Vanderbilt to contend for the East crown in 2014 with the departure of James Franklin. First-year head coach Derek Mason struggled to get his team on track in 2014. The Commodores have cleaned house and brought on both a new offensive coordinator as well as a new defensive coordinator. Again, 2015 will most certainly not see Vanderbilt at the top of the East, but if the team can be more competitive and more consistent, that will be a step in the right direction.

Last-Minute Magic Fails as LSU Goes Down-tsk

But a bad call by the Pac-12 officials calling the game helped cost the Bayou Bengals what could have been their ninth victory of the season, dropping the SEC to 3-1 on the bowl season

Click to expand...