Lee to start QB for LSU, but Jefferson to play vs. Tide
LSU can get its signature win of 2008 by upsetting No. 2 Alabama this week, even if the Tide are still likely to win the SEC West ahead of the Tigers.
The Tide, who are 3.5-point road favorites this week, are preparing for a few new wrinkles from LSU, specifically it using true freshman QB Jordan Jefferson. Jefferson has participated in three games this season and attempted only one pass. Nevertheless, he could play a major role during Saturday’s game at Tiger Stadium.
That’s because incumbent starter Jarrett Lee has struggled lately, and opening day starter Andrew Hatch has a leg injury.
LSU coach Les Miles said that the Tigers are “preparing to play” Jefferson, albeit not as a starter. “We’re going to stay with Jarrett Lee.”
Of Jefferson, Miles added: “I think that he’s a guy that we will play in this game. We look to play him in this game in certain situations, maybe the first half, maybe not the second half.”
Lee’s 1,427 passing yards averages out to 178.4 yards per game, which ranks fifth in the Southeastern Conference. His pass efficiency rating of 129.9 is third, and 168.4 yards per game ranks fifth. He also has 12 TDs, but it’s the 10 interceptions that are a problem. And Lee is also coming off an underwhelming 8-for-20 effort for 99 yards against Tulane this past weekend.
A good chunk of the LSU crowd rained boos on Lee as he came off the field Saturday following a Green Wave interception returned for a touchdown. The boos intensified when Lee trotted back onto the field with the LSU offense on the ensuing series. It was the fifth time an opponent had scored on Lee pickoff, including two by Georgia the previous week.
Lee downplayed the crowd’s reaction Monday, saying he blocked it out.
“That’s just part of the game,” Lee said. “It’s going to happen and you have to move on from it. Fans, if something happens they don’t like, it’s going to happen. You have to move on and improve.”
To help his quarterback, Miles is considering streamlining the playbook so Lee doesn’t feel overloaded, and may speed things up a little on the field.
“I think that Jarrett Lee is a lot like any redshirt freshman who’s playing in his first season,” Miles said. “The things that he got away with in high school are not necessarily just easy for him.”
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