More Like Bryant: Saban or Miles?
The SEC Riviera Roundup
By Chris Warner
August 5, 2014

Paul “Bear” Bryant is the SEC’s greatest football coach. Bryant’s 232 victories at the Capstone (323 overall), and the stoic manner in which he became college football’s greatest coach, have endeared him to countless fans, spanning multiple generations. Although it has been over 30 years since his death in January 1983, he remains the SEC’s standard-bearer. In his absence, two SEC Western Division field generals have emerged ahead of the rest of the pack—Nick Saban, who led LSU and then Alabama to multiple national championships, and Les Miles, who has won more games at LSU than any SEC coach in the last decade; and has annually fought Saban, his nemesis for the competitive subdivision crown, since he took over for the West Virginia native in 2005.

In this column we will for entertainment value unfairly compare each of these modern-day coaching icons to the man many still revere simply as, “The best there ever was.” Additionally, we will take our regular armchair quarterback tour through the nation’s toughest sub-conference, the SEC Western Division.

Bear Wrestling if you dare: Reflecting on the Words and Wisdom of Paul Bryant

“The first thing I do is find a kicker and a punter: If it wasn’t important, they would have called it armball.” – The Bear

Les Miles, the former Michigan offensive lineman, is known as a special teams guru. Miles, a protégé’ of Bo Schembechler, takes pride in the fact that his teams are well prepared to execute in all three phases. Miles’ teams always excel in punting, kicking and in the return games. Nick Saban, a defensive guru and protégé’ of Don James, has had difficulty in this area. A 2011 loss to LSU in Tuscaloosa occurred for the most part because his place kicker had a bad day. An Iron Bowl loss a year ago is blamed on his team’s failure to cover another missed field goal that was returned by Auburn’s Chris Davis for the game’s final, winning score.

“I don’t hire anybody not brighter than I am. If they’re not smarter than me, I don’t need them.” – The Bear

Although it has taken some time, Miles has surrounded himself on both sides of the ball with guys who could easily be SEC head coaches. Cam Cameron and John “Chief” Chavis are as good as it gets at their respective offensive and defensive coordinator positions. Conversely, Nick Saban has always been one to hire “Yes Men,” guys that will submit to him and faithfully execute his unyielding plan for victory. Current Florida Coach Will Muschamp, whose 2013 26-20 loss to FCS Georgia Southern was a UF first, is a former order-taker, as is current offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, who was fired midseason in 2013, at the airport after his 0-2 in the Pac Ten USC team lost 62-41 to Arizona State. At the time of Kiffin’s inglorious firing, the Trojans were last in the league in yards per game (380), points per game (26), passing yards per game (189) and third down percentage (27.7%).

“Show class, have pride and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself.”
–The Bear

In every game Les Miles loses as head coach, no matter how painful (Ole Miss), he always takes full credit. Miles, always a gentleman, is much like his former mentor, Schembechler, who also was a dear friend of Bryant, and attended his funeral. Miles has been called the quintessential players coach, and this certainly bolsters his reputation as one of the nation’s top recruiters. On the other hand, Nick Saban isn’t always as gracious, or classy. Earlier this year, in mid-May, he told a reporter to “kiss my arse,” and last fall, after the stinging Iron Bowl loss, he failed to congratulate the Auburn team or coaches in their monumental victory; and, to add insult to injury, he blamed the loss on his cornerback who was suckered on the “bait and throw” play, and on his placekicking unit, which failed to cover the missed field goal return for a touchdown.

Around the Nation’s Toughest Sub-Conference (In order of predicted finish)

Auburn – Gus Malzahn is the trendsetter. Bear Bryant said, “You want to be the trendsetter, not the one who follows the trend.” Well, Auburn has a trailblazer in Gus…and the bus is loaded and ready—for well, Bear. Watch out LSU and Bama.

Alabama – Jacob Coker is preseason, ranked either the second or third best quarterback in the league—without ever playing a down against SEC competition. This is all fine and good to sell ads, but Santa Claus is more believable, especially with Kiffin in charge.

LSU – Leonard Fournette, according to Coach Les Miles, is either “the fastest, or second-fastest” guy on the LSU squad. This doesn’t bode well for opposing defenses. It will be interesting to see if Miles allows the freshman phenom to get involved returning kickoffs.

Mississippi State – Dak Prescott gives State their best chance at beating LSU in 15 years. He is mobile, has a strong arm, and the experience necessary to lead the Bulldogs to one or two “signature” victories in 2014. Fans haven’t been this excited since sliced bread.

Ole Miss – Hugh Freeze has the most accomplished quarterback in the SEC. If he can find a running game and a little more depth, the Rebels might not only win the Egg Bowl this year, but challenge State for the title as the league’s most-improved ball club.

Texas A&M – Johnny Manziel is counting his long-awaited Benjamins in a club bathroom somewhere while the Aggies are looking to rebuild their offense and defense by the time their massive stadium expansion is completed next year. Good luck with that.

Arkansas – Coach Bret Bielema says he would prefer playing Auburn in the opener against starting quarterback, Nick Marshall, instead of second-stringer Jeremy Johnson. Bielema says that because Johnson is the better thrower of the two, and he knows it.

Until next time…

*Chris Warner is a double graduate of LSU in Baton Rouge, and of the University of New Orleans. He lives in L.A. (Lower Alabama). He is the author of over twenty titles, including “A Tailgater’s Guide to SEC Fooball, Vol. IV,” “Bushwhacked at the Flora-Bama,” with Auburn grad Joe Gilchrist, and “Saved at the Alabama-Florida Line,” a novel set in Perdido Key in 2010, the year of the BP oil spill. Find his books on Amazon.com or in the Kindle Store.