certainty.It has been more than nine months since Miles survived a not-so-secret coup attempt that nearly cost him his job. With the Tigers mired in a three

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- One night last week, after even more rain fell here and forced LSUs football team into its indoor practice facility, Tigers coach Les Miles sat in his office, nibbling on a burrito bowl while pondering a reporters question.Has a college football coach ever survived an attempted coup and come back even stronger?As hard as Miles tried, he couldnt immediately remember an example. There were a few times in recent college football history when a group of boosters or an athletics director tried to overthrow a popular coach, but theyve been few and far between. And two of the more-high profile instances in recent history had mixed results.In November 2003, two days before Auburn played Alabama in the Iron Bowl, then-Auburn athletics director David Housel, university president William Walker and two trustees secretly interviewed Louisville coach Bobby Petrino about replacing Tigers coach Tommy Tuberville. Tuberville survived to guide his team to a perfect 13-0 record the next season and spent five more seasons coaching the Tigers.Recently, after Texas was up and down under former coach Mack Brown from 2010 to 2012, two influential UT boosters contacted Nick Sabans agent, Jimmy Sexton, to inquire about the possibility of Saban coaching the Longhorns. Brown made it clear he didnt want to retire and returned, but lasted only one more season. He was forced out after the Longhorns finished 8-5.Now, as Miles begins his 12th season at LSU with Saturdays opener against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field (3:30 ET, ABC), he finds himself in similar uncertainty.It has been more than nine months since Miles survived a not-so-secret coup attempt that nearly cost him his job. With the Tigers mired in a three-game losing streak heading into their 2015 regular-season finale against Texas A&M, there were widespread media reports that a group of disgruntled and influential boosters were prepared to pay $15 million to fire him.Only after the Tigers defeated the Aggies 19-7 at Tiger Stadium on Nov. 28 did someone in power at LSU finally end the speculation and say Miles was going to remain their coach. LSU president F. King Alexander informed Miles of the decision in the locker room immediately after the game, and then athletics director Joe Alleva broke the news during a postgame news conference.I think there are a lot of reasons for our play through that three-game stretch, Miles said. I felt like I was in good shape.The reports of his demise were so fast and furious during a two-week stretch before the Texas A&M game that he and his players werent sure what was true. Miles, who has guided the Tigers to a 112-32 record, two SEC titles and the 2007 national championship, insists he didnt spend much time figuring out who was conspiring to oust him.Absolutely not, Miles said. I didnt try to spend any time trying to figure it out. It wouldnt have done me any good anyhow. I want to enjoy the people I work with, and thats really the key piece. Did I hear rumors and innuendo? Sure, you betcha. But it doesnt do you any good.Miles couldnt have known at the time that it was only the beginning of what would become an offseason of survival in Baton Rouge. When No. 5 LSU kicks off against the Badgers on Saturday, the Tigers and their fans will finally have reason to cheer. Perhaps no place in the country needs a joyful distraction more.And the past couple of months showed LSU never needed its popular coach more.I signed every kid thats back there, Miles said. I hired every coach. Im at a place where the stadium fills up, and they believe the Tigers are fixing to kick somebodys behind, and Im right there with them. The community and the state have provided great opportunities for my family and this is home. I have never -- not for a second -- thought any differently.For the past two months, Baton Rouge has been at the center of the countrys racial tension. On July 5, Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, was shot and killed while being held on the ground by two white police officers. Sterlings death sparked massive protests in Baton Rouge and other cities around the country.On July 17, Gavin Long, a 29-year-old black man from Kansas City, ambushed police officers responding to a 911 call on Airline Highway in Baton Rouge, not far from Miles home. Three officers were shot and killed and three others were seriously injured. Miles knew one of the slain officers, Montrell Jackson, a six-year veteran of the Baton Rouge Police Department.We could hear the sirens from our home, Miles said.In the wake of the tragedies, Miles spoke out against violence. He talked to his players about the incidents and encouraged high school coaches across the state to do the same. Miles visited the families of slain and injured police officers, and urged his players to take a more active role in the community to help heal festering wounds.During Baton Rouges greatest time of need, the coach that at