Injuries hamper Tigers’ offensive performance

The clock may have officially run out on LSU’s season.

With a senior class that has preached the importance of finishing strong all season, the Tigers have again limped to a poor November and have lost two of three games this month, taking the team’s Southeastern Conference title and BCS aspirations off the table.

In LSU’s most recent loss – a heartbreaking 25-23 setback against Ole Miss, the Tigers were just a second short – literally as poor clock management on LSU’s final drive left the Tigers six yards short of victory.

Like all losses at a major program, the finger pointing has begun, but LSU coach Les Miles is pointing the finger at just one man – himself.

“I can only tell you that the management at the back end of the game was the issue,” Miles said following the game. “It’s my fault that we didn’t finish first in that game.”

It all started when the Tigers squandered valuable seconds on a third-down screen pass to sophomore halfback Stevan Ridley.

Instead of taking a timeout when the play ended with 26 seconds to play, Miles burned the timeout with nine seconds in the game to set up the team’s fourth down play.

Those 17 seconds would have been needed as LSU completed a Hail Mary pass the following play, but didn’t have enough time to run another play or kick a field goal that would have won the game.

“We were unprepared for the situation that came up,” Ridley said. “If we would have done things differently, maybe we would have had a different outcome.”

Miles agreed with his halfback’s assessment and said taking the timeout later would have probably won the game for the Tigers.

“Those seconds that ticked off before would have certainly made a difference because if we [spike] the ball, we then have the opportunity to kick the field goal to win.”

With the loss, the Tigers have slipped to No. 15 in the Associated Press poll.

The Tigers have also dropped to third place in the SEC Western Division and could fall to fourth with a loss against Arkansas this Saturday.

The Tigers were slated prior to the loss to play in the Capital One Bowl, but with Ole Miss currently sitting in the No. 2 spot in the West, they may have sealed that destination.

The Cotton Bowl and a trip to Dallas could be in the future now as they have they usually field the No. 3 team from the Western Division.

Cotton Bowl officials have also been to LSU games this year in hopes of luring the team to their Jan. 2 game in Dallas – a scenario that could be beneficial to the Tigers, because of LSU’s heavy recruiting base in Texas and the allure of playing on national TV in the massive new Cowboys Stadium.

A loss against Arkansas could plummet LSU to either the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, Music City Bowl, Papajohns.com Bowl or the Liberty Bowl.

To correct their November woes, the Tigers must find a way to find an offensive rhythm on a beat up offensive unit.

Sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson (ankle), senior halfback Charles Scott (collarbone) and senior tight end Richard Dickson (knee) have all been bitten by the injury bug in recent weeks and LSU’s offense has taken a hit.

Senior halfback Keiland Williams joined the walking wounded on Saturday and has an apparent broken bone in his ankle, which will likely put him on the shelf for the remainder of the season with Scott.

The Tigers rank No. 11 in the SEC in total offense. Against the Rebels, LSU mustered just 295 yards.

One area of concern was the Tigers’ passing attack.

Jefferson returned to the lineup last Saturday and had an impact, completing 19-of-37 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns.

But Jefferson’s mobility was nowhere near its usual self against the Rebels and he hobbled off the field in pain several times throughout the game and it remains to be seen if the former Destrehan High School standout will be able to finish the season injury-free.

Williams said regardless of who is in or out of the lineup, LSU has to prevent the season from spiraling out of control like it did last season.

“That was something we talked about last week, how the leaders need to step up and not let things go south and realize we still have a lot to play for,” Williams said. “That’s something that all the seniors and leaders on the team wanted to do.”