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Les Miles Hasn’t Seen The Supposed Struggles Of Leonard Fournette
LSU head coach Les Miles said he hasn't seen the supposed struggles of running back Leonard Fournette during the early part of this season.
September 21, 2016
LSU head coach Les Miles said he hasn’t seen the supposed struggles of running back Leonard Fournette during the early part of this season.
LSU running back Leonard Fournette has rushed for 285 yards and two touchdowns in two games so far this season. Some have questioned why the Heisman Trophy candidate has struggled, but head coach Les Miles doesn’t see it in that light.
“Leonard got injured in camp,” Miles said during the weekly SEC Coaches Teleconference. “That slowed his progress. He’s averaged, I don’t know, 130 yards a game, maybe a little bit more. I don’t know if that’s struggling. He’s come off of the injury pretty well. He’s returning to form. I don’t see the struggles.”
Fournette will hope to recreate his terrific game against Auburn from last season when he takes on the Tigers in Jordan-Hare Stadium this Saturday. The then-sophomore ran for 228 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-21 rout of Auburn, including some highlight reel plays that had Fournette making the Tigers look like children trying to tackle an adult.
Here are some other quotes of note from Miles’ time with the media.
On Brandon Harris’ attitude since losing quarterback job
“He has continued to work hard, learn and prepare and do things we need him to do at quarterback. Preparing as a starter in a backup position. He still has a tremendous skill set. We’re watching him improve. We enjoy the fact he’s taking the opportunity to improve his abilities and work hard as opposed to another route in another direction.”
On facing former defensive coordinator Kevin Steele
“He’s always run a very quality defense. He probably knows more about us than we’d like him, too. We probably know more about him than he’d like us to. When a guy knows your thoughts, that’s the most indicative advantage you can have.”
On starting quarterback Danny Etling
“He has all the characteristics we would like to have in our starter. We watched his Purdue tape and we recognized he could throw the football.”
On wide receiver coach Dameyune Craig
“He knows what the quarterback is looking for. He has personally challenged each guy in the (wide receivers) room. He’s a very competitive man.”
