The LSU football team picked up its first Southeastern Conference win against rival Florida on Saturday, 30-27, giving the Tigers a much-needed boost in a seemingly roller-coaster ride of a season.
While sophomore kicker Colby Delahoussaye ultimately won the game, the LSU defense came up with a huge turnover late in the game to give the Tigers a shot at the 50-yard game winner.
LSU sophomore Rickey Jefferson snatched a batted ball out of mid-air on Florida junior quarterback Jeff Driskel’s throw up the middle and returned it 23 yards to the Gators’ 36-yard line.
Jefferson up to that point had one career interception in a win against Sam Houston State, but it was the one he missed that stuck with him the most.
Jefferson missed an opportunity against Auburn to pick off senior quarterback Nick Marshall, which haunted him all throughout preparation for Florida.
“I remember last week, I missed a pick in Auburn,” Jefferson said. “I’ve been thinking about it all week, I got to get me one. And that’s what I wanted to do, and I was able to do that and put in that position to help my team setup Colby for that field goal. It was a very great feeling.”
Jefferson’s biggest motivator heading into the Florida game was sophomore receiver Travin Dural.
Dural pushed Jefferson all week in practice to step up to the occasion and come up big for the team, and Jefferson took it to heart and made the key play in a Tigers victory.
“He was telling me all week, ‘Man you don’t want to be great,’” Jefferson said. “I kept it in the back of my mind because I had to get better from it, but it’s something I definitely thought about. I mean missing a pick in a big time game, it haunted me. To get that out of my system it felt good.”
Players react to Miles’ 100th victory
One of the biggest storylines to come from the Tigers victory Saturday was LSU coach Les Miles winning his 100th career game, putting him second all-time on the LSU wins list behind long-time coach Charles McClendon.
Jefferson reflected on his relationship with Miles, who he has known for seven years, and what it meant for him to be a part of Miles’ milestone.
“It was definitely amazing [to be a part of 100 wins],” Jefferson said. “He’s a genuine person and a guy like that everybody loves to play for. He’s just cares about his players and takes care of us, and it was just amazing for me to be a part of that. I feel some type of ownership with that, and to watch him get that game ball on his 100th win, it was nice.”
Junior offensive lineman Vadal Alexander also took time to reflect on Miles’ accomplishment and what he has taught him and many other throughout their careers.
“Coach Miles is a great man and great teacher,” Alexander said. “He’s one of the greatest teachers I’ve known, and it’s definitely a big thing to tell young guys he knows what he’s doing. He has been successful doing it, there’s a reason he’s doing it; just trust him. We were so excited when he got that 100th win.”
Offensive line gets the monkey off their back
A big issue concerning the Tigers’ bumpy start to the season was the lack of production in the running game due to noticeable struggles on the offensive line.
The Tigers offensive line played arguably one of its best games against Florida, allowing the running backs to rush for 195 yards and 3 touchdowns against a stout Florida front seven.
The line struggled to be consistent in establishing the run against Mississippi State and Auburn, and Alexander said game week against Florida was about fixing the kinks in chemistry and focusing on the little things.
“As an offensive line, the technique and fundamentals, the little steps and hand placement and foot placement are one of the most important things you can do,” Alexander said. “We needed to keep improving on that. That makes the biggest difference on a fourth and one, or a pass protection play … we’re starting to do that I like the way we’re doing things.”
Sophomore offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins said after last week’s struggle against Auburn, the offensive line took its performance personally and worked all week to ensure a better performance against Florida.
“The film from Auburn, it was like little inches off of little things like footwork and first steps,” Hawkins said. “Those little things that cost us yards, and we just had to focus on that and fix those things up and we did.”
Alexander said it felt good to get the first SEC win on the year, and have the taste of victory again.
“We look forward to having many more, and we feel good about our team and just look to keep getting better,” Alexander said.
You can reach Jack Chascin on Twitter @Chascin_TDR.
LSU sophomore defensive back Tre'Davious White (16) congratulates sophomore saftey Rickey Jefferson (29) for grabbing an interception late in the fourth quarter Saturday, October 11, 2014 during the Tigers' 30-27 victory in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
