It was second down and 10 on the LSU 28-yard line, and the Crimson Tide trailed 17-14 with one minute remaining in a rivalry game riddled with national title hopes.
Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron took the snap out of the shotgun, dropped back, and with a Tiger defender in his face, tossed a screen pass to then-freshman running back T.J. Yeldon. Yeldon rumbled forward into the end zone, proving to be the dagger in a 21-17 victory for the Tide.
After the game, LSU coach Les Miles said there was a “young player” who blew an assignment on the touchdown.
That player was then-freshman cornerback Jalen Mills, and it is a memory that still burns deep in his brain as Saturday approaches with his first chance at redemption.
“I didn’t [want to get over it],” Mills said. “It’s like going to your dream job and getting fired for something. It’s something that sticks with you to motivate you to get back to the spot you were at.”
Before the snap, Mills showed blitz, but he was also responsible for Yeldon coming out of the backfield. McCarron recognized the package, and the Alabama offense made the perfect play to silence the Tiger Stadium crowd.
In a season where both Mills and then-freshman cornerback Jalen Collins were thrown into the fire early in the schedule, the play displayed Mills’ inexperience.
Mills took the mishap to heart, and two people helped him cope following the loss.
“It was actually [former LSU safety] Brandon Taylor and [LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis],” Mills said. “Those guys really came to me at a time when I needed them most. They really just loved on me the way I needed to be loved — tough love.”
A year has passed since the blown assignment, and the sophomore and his teammates are looking for redemption when they battle the top-ranked Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday.
Mills has contributed to a defensive back corps that ranks third in the Southeastern Conference in pass defense, and he said he wants to continue to be a force against the eighth ranked passing offense in the SEC.
The DeSoto, Texas, native said last season’s game is over, and he won’t have the missed assignment on his mind Saturday.
“I’m actually controlling my emotions going into this game,” Mills said. “I don’t want to go into this game thinking about that one play or any play that happened in any game. Then it turns into something else. I just have to play my ball. When any play comes to me, I have to be ready for it.”
The 2013 campaign brings two more LSU freshman corners who will get their first taste of the Tiger-Tide rivalry.
Both Tre’Davious White and Rashard Robinson stepped into primary roles this season, and Alabama could try to expose their inexperience as they did with Mills in 2012.
LSU’s veteran defensive backs have spent the week offering White and Robinson advice, and senior safety Craig Loston said he thinks the freshman duo is ready.
“Those guys have played in a lot of games, so you can tell them to approach it like any other game,” Loston said. “Don’t get caught up in the Alabama-LSU [rivalry] and how big it is. Just go out there and do your job and have fun with it. Just be loose.”
LSU sophomore linebacker Lamar Louis said he expects Mills to be fired up and redeem his mistake Saturday.
“We told him to have a short-term memory,” Louis said. “I remember that game [last season], and I remember what it did to him. He took it to heart. He had a chip on his shoulder since the beginning of this season. He remembers it. I’m pretty sure he won’t make that mistake again. Jalen is ready.”
“He had a chip on his shoulder since the beginning of this season. He remembers it. I’m pretty sure he won’t make that mistake again. Jalen is ready.”