Alabama offensive tackle Barrett Jones said in the weeks leading up to the BCS National Championship that the Crimson Tide had been given a second chance at “restoring the order” in college football.
It’s safe to say the 4.0 student knew what he was talking about.
LSU simply did not show up. Alabama appeared more motivated and determined, shutting out the Tigers in the very same venue where LSU won its two most recent national titles.
Give all the credit to Nick Saban and his coaching staff, especially offensive coordinator Jim McElwain, who called the game of his life despite having one foot out the door as he accepted a head coaching job at Colorado State in December.
The Crimson Tide made the most of its second shot to overthrow undefeated LSU after the Tigers snuck out of Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Nov. 5 with a 9-6 victory in overtime.
Some will say Saban and his team should not have made it to New Orleans, but that is beside the fact. Regardless of whether Alabama deserved to be in the title game, LSU should have been better prepared to face the Crimson Tide again.
They weren’t.
The usually potent LSU offense that averaged 35.7 points per game during the regular season put up a goose egg and only managed 92 yards of total offense.
While Alabama mixed up its offensive attack with play action roll-outs that utilized quarterback A.J. McCarron’s strengths, LSU used the same barely effective option attack and bubble screens from the first meeting. The conservative play-calling made me wonder at one point if Gary Crowton had slipped into the coaches’ box and took the headset from offensive coordinator Greg Studrawa.
The chip on LSU senior quarterback Jordan Jefferson’s shoulder during the regular season vanished in the postseason games against Georgia and Alabama. Instead he returned to the quarterback that LSU fans have loved to hate over the last four years.
He fumbled snaps and missed throws, and after a flick-of-the-wrist interception directly into the hands of C.J. Mosley in the 3rd quarter, the “Jarrett Lee” chants began.
So how did Alabama get another chance to defeat LSU while Lee, as WWL radio host Bobby Hebert so eloquently put it in the post-game press conference, sat on the sideline?
The answer is simple — Les Miles has been living and dying by Jordan Jefferson for four years.
What made anyone think he would buck that trend?
I’ve seen Jefferson put together much worse performances in his career than he did in the title game, and Les still stuck with him.
Lee is a standup guy who persevered at LSU after one of the worst freshman seasons a quarterback could have. In his final season he led LSU to a 9-0 record as a starter.
A month was more than enough time for Alabama’s defense to prepare for the option and Jefferson’s scrambling ability.
The Tigers would have never gotten the chance to give such an uninspired effort in the BCS game without Lee leading the team in the first nine games.
He should be applauded for the leadership and dependability he showed on the field this year and for never running his mouth (cough, Russell Shepard) about playing second fiddle to Jefferson the last three games.
Tiger fans should not fret at the one loss LSU had at the end of the season. They should celebrate a great season and how much the team accomplished during the year.
After all, Zach Mettenberger and the 2012 home opener in Tiger Stadium against North Texas is a mere 228 days away.
Micah Bedard is a 21-year old mass communication senior from Houma. Follow him on Twitter @DardDog.
 
 
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Contact Micah Bedard at [email protected]