One play from Saturday’s 30-26 victory at Mississippi State was particularly enjoyable to the No. 4 LSU football team when it gathered to watch the film Monday morning.”Everyone was joking and clowning around about it,” junior safety Chad Jones said about his 93-yard punt return for a touchdown.Jones said he and his teammates laughed about sophomore cornerback Patrick Peterson’s role in the return as he waves Jones along the sideline and into the endzone.   “Coach said he was like a traffic man,” Jones said. “He said, ‘If he didn’t play football, he could be a good traffic man.’ [Senior defensive lineman] Charles Alexander is one of the biggest people on our defense, and he was my lead blocker. It was a good, fun thing to watch.”The team enjoyed watching the return, not just because it was funny, but because it was a good showing from a segment of the Tigers waiting for its breakout game — special teams. Special teams has not been LSU’s most dominant unit, but special teams play was essential to Saturday’s victory as Jones’ first career punt return touchdown gave the Tigers the lead.   “When I came here, doing that my freshman year, I was always saying that ‘I’m going to run one back, I’m going to run one back.'” Jones said. “I never thought it was going to be 93 yards.”It was the Tigers’ first punt return for a touchdown since Trindon Holliday returned a punt 92 yards for one against North Texas. Jones’ return was also the second longest in LSU history.   The punt return helped LSU climb from fifth in the conference to third, raising the punt return average from 7.1 yards a return to 13.5 yards return.Jones’ teammates were not surprised the play was so effective.Senior running back Charles Scott said he thinks they caught the Mississippi State off-guard with the play.The Tigers were in their punt safe defense, which meant the Tigers’ defensive starters were on the field instead of the punt return unit.   “I don’t know if they were just thinking, ‘Oh this is the defense. They are not really trying to get a return,'” Scott said. “Coach is always preaching, ‘Hey, you guys, bust your butts on this defense, because they are not really expecting you to try and return the ball, and if you do, we can make a big one.'”Senior running back Keiland Williams said the defense worked a lot on the punt safe defense. “It was just a matter of time before something good happened,” he said.He also got some help from the kickoff returners who have struggled. Trindon Holliday had some big runs which set the Tigers up with some good field position.Holliday’s teammates said they expect him to have a breakout game, too. “He’s the best kick returner in the country,” Williams said. “We expect him to get us some good yardage.” The returners shone Saturday, but the rest of the special teams unit walked away from Saturday with mistakes to correct.”There’s definitely some parts of the special teams that didn’t really help us out so much,” said senior offensive lineman Lyle Hitt. A few mishandled snaps cost the Tigers field position and three points.LSU junior punter Derek Helton missed a bad snap and was tackled trying to receive the ball deep in LSU territory in the first quarter.Helton slightly bobbled another snap on a 19-yard field attempt but was able to get it down. Junior kicker Josh Jasper was not able to split the uprights missing wide left.
 
 
 
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