New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - No timetable for new defensive coordinator

Glenn Guilbeau
gguilbeau@gannett.com

BATON ROUGE - LSU coach Les Miles is apparently not in a major hurry to hire a new defensive coordinator. He still has Bo Pelini in that position for the national championship game against Ohio State on Jan. 7 before Pelini leaves for his other job as head coach at Nebraska.

"I am operating there with my own timetable and not wanting to really change things at this point," Miles said. "I have a way I would like to go. I am going to let it play out slowly and take my time and do the right thing."

Pelini was a somewhat late hire by Miles in 2005 after several other interviews.

Speed not everything

Ohio State likely has a speed disadvantage against LSU, particulary on the fast turf track in the Louisiana Superdome. But Miles knows LSU has to do many other things in addition to running.

"If we were racing, it would be an advantage," he said. "I bet that I have one guy (Trindon Holliday) who might be faster than any of their guys, but we're not racing. I promise you I watched that team, and there is no appreciable difference. They're as capable and talented as any team. If anybody wants to race us 60 yards, my entry will be Trindon Holliday, and if there is a chance it was worth points, we'd like to do it a lot. I don't know if I have that opportunity."

Injury report

Backup tailback Keiland Williams (knee) practiced for the second straight day Tuesday, though he wore ice on his injured knee after practice.

"Oh yeah, most definitely I'll be 100 percent," Williams said.

Williams gained 34 yards on five carries in LSU's win over Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference championship game, but he suffered a minor knee injury when tackled in that game. For the season, Williams is second on the team in rushing with 458 yards on 68 carries and six touchdowns. Starting tailback Jacob Hester leads the Tigers with 1,017 yards on 204 attempts.

Starting QB Matt Flynn, who missed the SEC title game with a shoulder injury, has continued to practice. Asked about both players' status for the game, Miles said, "I don't expect that there will be any issues there."

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