To see an interview with LSU’s quarterbacks about the loss to UGA, click here.
It was essentially over when it started for LSU (5-2, 3-2) on Saturday afternoon in Tiger Stadium. Just 20 seconds into the first quarter, redshirt freshman quarterback Jarrett Lee threw a perfect pass – but to Georgia linebacker Darryl Gamble rather than intended LSU junior receiver Brandon LaFell.Gamble returned the favor 40 yards for a touchdown — setting the tone for a day of offensive headaches and defensive missteps in No. 13 LSU’s 52-38 loss to No. 7 Georgia (7-1. 4-1).”The story is the mistakes,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “You can’t make mistakes. When you play a quality opponent, you can’t give them turnovers.” The story of Lee’s performance was indeed a flurry of crucial mistakes accounting for 17 points in the Georgia column. He finished with three interceptions, two of which Gamble returned for Georgia touchdowns.”I take the blame for this one,” said Lee, who completed 14 of 28 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns. “If it wasn’t for the two picks that were returned, we would have been in the ball game.”Lee’s second interception resulted in a field goal to give Georgia a 24-17 advantage before the half.Miles said he entered halftime confident the Tigers could mount a scoring drive in the third quarter. But the LSU defense couldn’t stop the Georgia attack, giving up a 49-yard A.J. Green touchdown reception and 68-yard touchdown run by Knowshon Moreno.Moreno consistently shredded the LSU defense in his 163-yard rushing performance, averaging 7.8 yards per carry. Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 17 of 26 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns.”You can’t uncover people in coverage. You can’t let runs that should be tackled go untackled,” Miles said.The defensive lapses were consistent with LSU’s theme of the day: mistakes, mistakes and even more mistakes.”I can take a loss where a team plays well and we’re beat by a better team,” Miles said. “Certainly we were beat by a better team today, without question. But how do we know?  We gave the team that we played so many opportunities.”Remarkably, the LSU offense still had fleeting chances for a comeback late in the game. Lee’s six-yard touchdown throw to Keiland Williams narrowed the deficit to 14 points with 8:47 remaining.The subsequent Georgia and LSU drives stalled, giving the Tigers yet another chance to chip away at the 14-point lead.But Gamble, who started in place of injured Georgia linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, proved he wasn’t done reading Lee’s eyes when he returned an interception 53 yards to give Georgia a 21-point lead with 3:18 remaining.LaFell cut Georgia’s lead down to 14 with a 43-yard touchdown reception with 2:27 left but said the late efforts weren’t enough to overcome the early and frequent mistakes.”It’s hard to play catch-up when they’ve got an offense like they’ve got,” he said. “When it’s a great team like that, you can’t give up anything. We gave up 14 points in interceptions. That’s the game right there.”Although he was out-rushed and out-shined by Moreno, junior running back Charles Scott was an effective weapon for LSU’s offense.He averaged 6.9 yards per carry and racked up 144 yards and two touchdowns, marking the fifth game of the season he has rushed for more than 100 yards.Scott said LSU’s two tough losses to Georgia and Florida will challenge the team to find renewed motivation.”It’s a real deep gut feeling,” he said. “We have to turn around and look at ourselves and figure out who we really are. The season is not over for us.”