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Miles still stunned by record comeback

03:16 PM CST on Monday, November 17, 2008

Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Two days after watching his team put together the greatest comeback in school history, LSU coach Les Miles was still stunned.

Associated Press

Charles Scott rushes against Troy Saturday night.

The Tigers found themselves trailing Troy 31-3 in the third quarter Saturday but scored a touchdown late in the third and 30 points in the fourth for a 40-31 victory.

"I've been around these kinds of games," said Miles at his weekly media luncheon Monday afternoon. "I've enjoyed the memory of that game and said 'Wow' to myself. Great teams find ways to win."

Miles had been on the opposite end of such a game while coaching at Oklahoma State. His 2004 Cowboys team had a 35-7 halftime lead against Texas. The Longhorns scored seven second-half touchdowns for a 56-35 victory.

The game against Troy came one week after the Tigers lost in overtime to top-ranked Alabama and former LSU coach Nick Saban. That set the stage for Saturday's near upset.

"One plays a very, very emotional game in front of a record crowd," Miles said. "You give a maximum effort, but fall short. Then, your next opponent is not a well-known name and the coaches do a poor job in telling the players that this is a good team.

"You take the field and it's cold. There's a good crowd there, but it dwindles. You play less inspired. Also, you set out to control your quarterback. That plan falls into the hands of the opposition. For 30-plus minutes, the game didn't look much like our Tigers."

According to Miles, the result of those issues was a 31-3 Troy lead. But, LSU scored on six of its last seven possessions -- five touchdowns and a field goal -- to rally for the victory.

"I've seen teams in all sports make great runs and just can't get over the hump," Miles said. "But, it was full bore for this team. I liked the momentum of our finish. I like how we came off this game. I like the position of our team right now."

A team that has been used to playing for divisional titles in November will be competing with its opponent this Saturday for second place in the Southeastern Conference Western Division.

LSU and Ole Miss are tied for second in the West with 3-3 records. The winner of the game at Tiger Stadium will have a leg up on a bid to the Cotton Bowl.

"I think we'll be very focused on our next opponent," Miles said. "That team beat Florida in Gainesville. Our team understands what that means."

The Rebels edged the Gators 31-30 earlier this season. LSU was crushed 51-21 on its trip to The Swamp. Miles hopes the players take something out of the historic comeback against Troy.

"The issue is the matchup with the next opponent and the want to improve," Miles said. "But, the team that played in the second half against Troy and how it executed and how it went down the field, I don't want to lose that."

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)