The Horror...

In retrospect, we should have seen it coming. The Georgia game was not an aberration. In the last two games of the season, Jordan Jefferson either ran or passed the ball 50 times. In those 50 plays, he generated a grand total of 93 yards, a whopping 1.8 yards per play. His QB rating of 80.9 for those two games was abysmal.

Jefferson then has the audacity to tell ESPN’s Edward Aschoff that “…he [Jefferson] thought he played well tonight but the offense as a whole didn't execute.” You see why it is so easy to dismiss this guy as a complete idiot?

The good this is that Jefferson is gone and the QB controversy swirling around LSU the last four years is over. Fans should be optimistic about the future, specifically the offensive side of the ball.

Maybe.

Miles gave a press conference on January 17 wrapping up the 2011 season. He said he thought Jefferson’s mobility was valuable against the Bama pass rush. (Truth) Miles also said he considered playing Lee and has nothing against him personally. (Lie) Finally, Miles said LSU would throw the ball more in 2012. (Who knows?)

The point I am making is that as a fan, you cannot believe what Les Miles says publicly. I’m not saying he lies all the time, but when he says something, don’t take any meaning from it or put any weight into it. Multiple players stated that they were told Lee was going to play. Given Jefferson’s pathetic performance in the title game, clearly Lee was a viable option to turn to. It never happened; and if Lee couldn’t get on the field under those circumstances, the coaches (Miles) were never going to give him a chance.

The season broke in two parts for me, with the big win at Alabama to turning point. For the first 8 games, Jarrett Lee started and moved the offense. Games were enjoyable and the season had a feel good story to it for me. Jefferson’s reintroduction in the Kentucky game was frustrating and annoying, but if it made LSU better and his role was limited, I could live with it.

Once Miles benched Lee for the poor performance against Alabama, the season lost some of its luster for me. I thought it unfair to Lee and unwise for the success of the team. In the end, it may not have made a difference. LSU won the division, won the SEC Title and made it to the BCS National Championship game. Alabama was a great team and there should be no shame in losing to them.

But I will always wonder, had Lee remained the starter, could LSU have won it all. Obviously we will never know. Many “what ifs” are created by chance or fortune. This one was created by Les Miles. He owns the loss in the title game probably more than any other game he has coached at LSU. Let’s hope he uses it as a building block for a stellar 2012 campaign.

The Big Game

I’m not going to bore you with tons of analysis and position breakdowns and all that noise. What I will give you are the two stats you need to know.

Red Zone Scoring:

LSU is ranked 12^th in the nation in touchdown conversions in the Red Zone at 72.1%. Alabama is ranked 78^th in the nation in touchdown conversions in the Red Zone at 58.2%.

Turnover Margin:

LSU is ranked number 1 in the country in turnover margin at +22. Alabama is ranked 25^th in the country in turnover margin at +6.

I know the experts expect a higher scoring game that the first go round. The over/under (the betting line total number of points expected to be scored in the game) is 41. Many of the talking heads in the media are taking the over. It’s not going to happen. LSU has given up 18 points or more only twice all season, to Oregon and West Virginia. Bama does not have nearly that much firepower on offense.

Miles is 12-1 at LSU in season openers and bowl games. Give the man time and he is going to bring home VICTORY.

LSU 16 – Bama 10