Schiefelbein: Bowl win coming out party for QB

• By JOE SCHIEFELBEIN
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Jan 1, 2009 - Page: 1C - UPDATED: 8:33 a.m.

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Reprints
• Twitter
• Share

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

ATLANTA — What if, huh?

There’s simply no other question for LSU in the wake of how true freshman Jordan Jefferson worked over No. 14 Georgia Tech in a 38-3 blowout of a Chick-fil-A Bowl on New Year’s Eve in the Georgia Dome.

After Tech won the coin toss and deferred, Jefferson walked LSU’s offense down the field in a crisp, 60-yard touchdown drive that started the rout.

His performance as the game’s offensive MVP allowed LSU to salvage a big measure of pride to a disappointing season, but also brings a big “what if?”

As in, what if Jefferson had played more sooner rather than being forced to play plenty late in the first half against Ole Miss on Nov. 22. What if LSU chose the potential of Jefferson over the safety of veterans (but first-time starters as well) in the unremarkable Andrew Hatch and interception-prone Jarrett Lee?

The competitor in Jefferson, whose first completion came Nov. 15 and certainly should have played more at least against Tulane on Nov. 1, even wonders what would have happened.

“It does, but I respect Les Miles and the coordinators on their decisions,” said Jefferson, the first true freshman to start a bowl game for LSU since Herb Tyler in the 1995 Independence Bowl. “Whenever my chance came, I just had to execute.”

“He might not have been ready early on,” Miles said. “No, it probably would have gone the same way.”

“Maybe it did, maybe it didn’t. It’s the coaches’ call, and I respect that,” Jefferson said.

As it was, Jefferson, 21-0 as a starter in high school and now 1-1 in college, gave LSU a dimension it never had until the last two games.

How about when linebackers Brad Jefferson and Tony Clark had him hemmed in and he scooted around for 7 yards to set up a third-and-2? Or when he somehow flipped that pass, left-handed, to Charles Scott for 12 yards, setting up Scott’s 4-yard score? Or how about the accuracy and zip? The command? How about completing his first nine passes and 11-of-12 in the first half?

Or how about not throwing an interception in either of his two starts this season? That should be enough in itself after the torture of watching Lee throw the football to the opposition for seven touchdowns.