William Short
October 12, 2010
Trial in Gulf oil spill cases postponed
October 14, 2010A wise man once said that a team with two starting quarterbacks ultimately has no starting quarterback.
That same wise man probably hasn’t seen LSU play the past two Saturdays.
That’s because the Tigers have turned the long football faux pas into a statistical success, with LSU’s “backup” leading the Tigers to game-winning touchdown drives in two-straight weeks.
The latest comeback came Saturday in front of one of the rowdiest environments in sports as junior Jarrett Lee drove the Tigers 62 yards in three minutes to secure a touchdown and to silence the Florida fans in the Swamp.
“I think they are handling it better than we are giving them credit for. I think we need to just let them get on the field and play,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “Again, we have to correct some things. We have to improve, but I like both guys, and I think they give us advantages.”
The need for the change has been due to junior quarterback Jordan Jefferson’s continued inconsistency.
Jefferson promised improvement in the offseason.
But so far in this season, there statistically has been regression, rather than progression.
Jefferson’s inability to consistently move the chains caused the LSU nation to turn on the Tigers’ offense.
Jefferson finished the 2009 campaign completing 182-of-296 passes for 2,166 yards, 17 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.
Those statistics were considered lofty by everyone on the Tigers’ staff because Jefferson was just a sophomore at the time.
But the quarterback has been unable to take his maturation and experience into the new season and has completed just 53-of-101 passes for 549 yards, two touchdowns and seven interceptions through five games of 2010.
That stat line shows a drop in his completion percentage, yards per game, touchdowns per game and efficiency rating.
The same stat line also shows an increase in his turnovers per game.
Miles didn’t take long to see the stats and know that he also wanted more from the LSU offense, calling on Lee in certain spot situations – a move he said has a lot less to do with Jefferson and a lot more to do with Lee’s progression.
“Frankly, it’s getting closer and closer, and we like [Lee],” Miles said. “It’s never going to be necessarily the fact that the other guy is just doing poorly … He’s worked hard at it and has continued to compete and has continued to improve, so my view is looking for opportunities to get him on the field.”
So far, Lee has answered the bell, completing 27-of-36 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns – and most importantly – two game-winning drives.
And Jefferson has excelled in the process, too, being used more as a rusher and less as a passer.
But the success is a long-time coming for the Lee who was forced into duty as a freshman once then-starter Ryan Perrilloux was kicked off the team.
Then, he struggled.
Now, not as much.
“I know I have been looking forward to that type of opportunity to get into the game and make some big plays for a long time,” Lee told reporters following LSU’s win against Tennessee.
Regardless of who LSU has under center, LSU is able to drive forward in the trenches thanks to a dominant rushing offense.
After struggling to get yardage on the ground a year ago, the Tigers have gashed opponents for close to 200 yards per game on the ground this season.
Leading the way has been junior halfback Stevan Ridley, who has averaged more than 100 yards per game on the season and is leading the SEC in rushing yards.
But instead of giving 100 percent credit to the junior, Ridley said he’d rather divide that 100 percent in five and show some love to the team’s offensive line.
Because they deserve the credit for any rushing success, according to Ridley.
The Tigers’ regular starters up front are left tackle Joseph Barksdale, left guard Josh Dworaczyk, center Patrick Longeran, right guard Josh Williford and right tackle Alex Hurst.
“They’re doing a great job up front,” Ridley said. “They’re doing all the dirty work.”
On the opposite side of the football, there’s the LSU defense – a unit that also ranks No. 1 in the SEC in virtually every statistical category, which will in theory keep LSU close no matter how much their offense sputters.
Solid rushing, dominant defense and now steadier quarterback play.
That’s a formula Miles is comfortable with – no matter what people might or might not be thinking about the Tigers.
“They didn’t like us too much when we were 5-0,” Miles said. “Hopefully, they’ll like us a little better at 6-0.”
