Second chances are hard to come by in sports.
One wrong move, and an athlete could forever be remembered for his gaffe rather than his glory.
For many in Baton Rouge, the name Jarrett Lee brings back haunting images of a struggling young quarterback thrown into the spotlight as a freshman with the task of leading the No. 6-ranked football team in the nation.
Tiger fans aren’t the only ones with that fateful season on their minds.
“I know in 2008 there were some things that happened that I still keep in the back of my mind because I don’t want those things to happen again,” said Lee, the now-senior quarterback who will get his shot at redemption Saturday night against No. 3 Oregon. “I knew I needed to make some player.”
After leading LSU to a 7-3 record in the regular season through the first 10 games, Lee suffered an ankle injury against Ole Miss and missed the rest of the season.
While watching from the sidelines as fellow freshman Jordan Jefferson became LSU’s starter, Lee said he debated transferring but let that thought vanish.
“A few years ago [transferring] did cross my mind,” Lee said. “But it was only a thought. It was nothing I continued to talk about or wanted to do. I didn’t come to LSU to transfer. I came here because it’s a great tradition and a great staff and great people. I want to finish out here at shoes.”
Now the reins are back in Lee’s hands, and the outlook seems a bit brighter.
His sprinkled contributions last season induced discussions and disagreements on whether Lee or Jefferson was the answer to the offense’s struggles, which finished 86th in total offense and 107th in pass offense.
Most notably, Lee played vital roles in wins against Tennessee when he passed for 185 yards and marched the Tigers 68 yards down to the two-yard line on the final drive of the game; at Florida when he led a 63-yard drive and hit former wide receiver Terrence Toliver for the game-winning touchdown with six seconds left; and at Alabama when Lee completed a 47-yard pass on third and 13 to allow LSU to drain the clock against the Tide.
“I think in the three games that he played significant football a year ago he showed poise,” said LSU coach Les Miles. “We felt that he was really throwing the ball well and that the style of football that we would use with him in the game was the style of football needed to win that game. That depicts a guy that plays in pressure stuff.”
Even if question marks still surround the passing game, sophomore running back Spencer Ware assured Lee that the running backs have his back.
“I had a talk with Lee,” Ware said. “I said, ‘We’ve got to do this, whatever we’ve got to do. You’ve got to make the throws.  You’ve got to make the reads. You’ve got to make the checks. We’ve got to rise to the occasion, not just you, but all of