Learning experience

• By RANDY ROSETTA
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Nov 19, 2009 - Page: 1C

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Jordan Jefferson endured growing pains the last 12 days or so that had nothing to do with the sore right ankle that kept him off the field when LSU squared off with Louisiana Tech last week.

Now the hope for Tigers coach Les Miles is that those pains help make Jefferson a better quarterback as his career moves forward.

After starting the previous 11 games for LSU, including the first nine of the 2009 season, Jefferson couldn’t go against Tech. He was still gimpy from a blitzing blow from Crimson Tide linebacker Nico Johnson in the third quarter of a 24-15 loss to Alabama on Nov. 7.

Since then, Jefferson has returned to practice but was never close to full speed until the last few days.

Normally a regular in the weekly interview sessions with the media covering the Tigers, Jefferson was unavailable this week.

That was a decision Miles made to give the 19-year-old quarterback a week to keep his head clear of distractions for another game with huge ramifications to LSU’s season.

Instead of sending Jefferson to talk to the media Tuesday, Miles talked about his quarterback in a one-on-one interview.

“He’s been rounding into health and it’s something where the more days go by, the better,” Miles said Tuesday. “He’s getting nothing, but better and stronger.”

Perhaps more importantly, Jefferson could also emerge from his first injury as a starter a little wiser.

Last season the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Jefferson didn’t get on the field for his first significant action until the Ole Miss game. He was slowed by shoulder and ankle injuries and also took time to get to know the LSU playbook.

Since that game a year ago, when he entered because Jarrett Lee suffered an ankle injury, Jefferson has been LSU’s clear-cut No. 1 QB.

Jefferson started the next 11 games until last week and is 8-3 in that span.

He doggedly pushed Miles and the LSU training staff to let him stretch that streak to 12 last week, but neither the coach nor the medical crew relented.