Drama, drama and more drama.
 
Those LSU football fans who expect anything less from a LSU coach Les Miles-coached team were pleasantly surprised during the 2010 regular season.
 
The [No. 10] Tigers notched 10 wins this season and came a few plays away from winning 11 games for the first time since 2007.
The Tigers also earned a berth in the Cotton Bowl, which was announced Sunday.
 
But it didn’t come without controversy.
 
LSU had near colossal meltdowns against North Carolina and Tennessee, needed a last second touchdown catch from senior wide receiver Terrence Toliver against Florida and a come-from-behind win at home against Ole Miss to get to 10 wins.
 
The Tennessee game was the most memorable as LSU appeared to lose the game on a wild and frantic finish. With the clock running down and LSU at the Tennessee 2-yard line, Miles signaled to substitute from goal line formation to a spread package. LSU frantically snapped the ball while junior quarterback Jordan Jefferson wasn’t looking as time expired, giving what appeared to be a 14-10 Tennessee victory.
 
During LSU’s substituting mess, Tennessee inexplicably had too many men on the field, allowing the Tigers to run one more play. Junior running back Stevan Ridley plunged into the end zone to seal the game, 16-14.
 
Despite many near hiccups, LSU still had a chance for a possible BCS berth heading into the final regular season game against nemesis Arkansas.
 
“We didn’t finish like we wanted to,” a disappointed Miles said following a 31-23 loss Nov. 28 at Arkansas.
 
Entering the season with one of the tougher schedules in the nation, no one, including fans, knew how the season would turn out. Many predicted the Bayou Bengals to finish anywhere from 7-5 to 9-3, with the latter being a stretch.
 
LSU burst out of the gate, defeating then-No. 18 North Carolina and then-No. 22 West Virginia to start out the season with an unblemished 7-0 record.
 
Then came Cam Newton.
 
Auburn’s junior quarterback thwarted any national title or Southeastern Conference championship hopes Oct. 23 by singlehandedly running past LSU, 24-17. Newton galloped for 217 yards and two touchdowns, including a highlight reel run in the third quarter when he eluded five tackles and dragged LSU junior cornerback Patrick Peterson into the end zone for a 49-yard touchdown run.
 
“He’s one of the best,” Peterson said. “He definitely came out and proved it to us today. We knew what those guys wanted to do. We knew they couldn’t beat us passing. We knew they were just going to try to run the ball down our throat, and that’s what they did.”
 
LSU woke up from its Auburn hangover just in time for Alabama, knocking off the Crimson Tide in Saban Bowl IV, 24-21, which gave Miles some breathing room from the hot seat he started on in August.
 
Late game heroics aside, the biggest controversy came at the quarterback position the entire season. Jefferson started the first four games but strung together four straight games where he threw for less than 100 yards. The lack of production led to splitting time with junior Jarrett Lee by the fifth game of the season.
 
“I just hope the fans will really be realistic,” Jefferson said. “I’m a college player. I’m still working. I’m still learning. I’m trying to do my best to help this team improve. … I would just hope they keep faith in me and still have time. Just have time to wait for me to help the offense.”
 
The dual-quarterback system proved semi-effective, sporting a 5-1 record. The system was a common theme in every Miles news conference as media and fans sat on the edge of their seats, wondering who would start and who would play the most.
Miles eventually went away from a time-share and gave Jefferson complete control of the reigns for the last two games against Ole Miss and Arkansas.
 
Jefferson finished the regular season with 1,253 passing yards, four touchdowns and nine interceptions, while Lee compiled 573 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
 
 
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