LSU's Claiborne declares for draft

LSU All-American cornerback Morris Claiborne has decided to enter the NFL draft.
The 6-0 junior had six interceptions this season and returned one for a touchdown.
He also won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back.
He provided many big plays for the 13-1 Tigers this season, including a 99-yard kick return against West Virginia and an 89-yard interception return against Tennessee.Defensive tackle Micheal Brockers, a redshirt sophomore, also declared for the draft.

Les Miles let LSU down by not playing Jarrett Lee @ Alabama

Looking back at the 2011-2012, LSU Fighting Tigers football season, there is a great sense of pride and joy at the accomplishments. The top team in the land for most of the season, 13-0 at one point. Undisputed No. 1 and much feared for much of the year. But alas a final test failed.

Alabama is a great team -- and they showed it in the BCS Championship Game. But who would have thought they were 21 points better than an LSU team that had been averaging more than 38 points a game?

We all know what happened throughout the season and even before it. Starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson was having an awesome spring camp and people said he would likely start the season. Then came the bar fight. Then Jarrett Lee stepped in and led the Tigers to 8 straight victories in convincing fashion.

When the team traveled to Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 5, Lee was shaky. He threw two bad interceptions, one which leading to 3 points. Then that was it. He was benched.

"I just felt we could get something going with Lee," coach Les Miles said. It was a plausible excuse. Jefferson was the more mobile of the quarterback and took vicious hits that he surprisingly got up from each and every play.

The next game and so on, Jefferson would start. The Tigers continued to roll. But then things got weird. The Tigers would be up big in the third quarter and then the fourth, yet Jefferson wouldn't see any playing time.

At first it was proper to dismiss this as "feeling Jefferson out" for the long haul. Lee had started in eight straight games. It was time to let Jefferson get off a little bit.
But then what was once construed as weird, seemed more and more just down right mean. The end of the Arkansas game with the Tigers up by 30-some points, Lee stayed in until the final seconds. It didn't feel right to the Tiger faithful. That game was Senior Day, the last time Lee or Jefferson would play in Tiger Stadium.

 Same thing against Georgia. Tigers were up big and Lee came in only to shake hands as the final seconds ticked.
By then it was clear that either Lee had did something wrong, or Miles had simply lost faith in a young man that had given his all to the school and program.

Even now, the Tiger faithful still don't know what really happened as to why Lee didn't see the field late in the season. Miles had always challenged both quarterbacks to compete against each other, only this time he had clearly picked a winner.

Still, as any coach, he had the right to play whoever he deemed best suited to provide a spark.

So in the Alabama game, the LSU faithful, the Alabama faithful, the TV folks, the whole world, knew that Jefferson was struggling so bad that he would'nt be able to run or throw his way out of this one.

The Bama defense had bore down on him and had knew his every move. It was clearly time for  a change. Everyone knew it. But Miles. Even former NFL quarterback and current TV analyst Shawn King knew it was time for a change. Not Miles.

His excuses, this time, don't fly. The Tigers didn't cross midfield til midway through the fourth quarter. Lee should have been in midway through the third.

No good reason exists as to why Miles didn't play Lee. And the damage goes beyond one blemish on a football record. Recruits and players already on the squad can't help but think, 'Wow, this man has shown that if you mess up one time, in one game, you could be benched for the reason of the season.'

LSU lost more than a game when it lost to Alabama. In alot of ways, it lost respect for itself.

LSU loses to Alabama in BCS title

The Alabama defense -- too strong, too fast for much of the night -- completely dominated the LSU Tigers on MOnday night to win the BCS National Championship. Make no mistake about it, the better team won in a rematch of the Game of the Century. Jordan Jefferson looked ill-prepared and played even worse than that. As good a season as the Tigers have had, they have not had the offensive support that they needed to be a BCS champion. Diehard fans knew it long ago, even against teams such as Florida and Tennessee. But here we were Monday night, hoping against hope that the vaunted Tigers defense could fine a way. Jarrett Lee, the quarterback that began the season as LSU's starter, watched with anticipation from the sidelines, hoping he would get a chance to prove his worth. LSU coach Les Miles would have none of it, for reasons that have remained secret for much of the past few months. As for the Tide, they rolled and rolled hard. "They are unbelievable," said Alabama offensive lineman Barrett Jones, speaking of the Tide defense. "That defense is as good as any defense I've ever seen. They rush the passer, they have awesome linebackers and they're great in coverage. They really don't have any weaknesses. They have to be as good as any defense ever." ON MOnday night, to conclude the 2011 season, LSU would have to agree.

Alabama secures deal with Devil, will play LSU for national title

College football fans not living in Alabama are livid at the BCS for selecting the Crimson Tide to play LSU for the national championship.

The usual catchphrases were at work late Sunday -- "body of work" and, wait for it, "eye ball test" -- in denying the Oklahoma State Cowboys of the Mighty Big 12 a shot at the title game.

For many voters in the Harris poll, it came down to Oklahoma State's double overtime loss to lowly Iowa State.

But check how one Bama fan summed it all up:

"Cry me a river, come play in the SEC week in and week out, tell me that you have a great team after running the gauntlet we play every week. Yes we lost at home in OT, just like OkIe State, but the difference is, LSU and Iowa State. We can’t help that our schedule did not have us playing S Carolina or Georgia, we rotate them every 2-3 years, so yes we do play them.

I am so tired of all the SEC haters, people get over it, play some teams that play defense, that is what wins Championships, not the high scoring offenses, why do you think it was 9-6, the No.’s 1 and 2 defenses provided a stalemate, neither of the remaining one loss teams could hold a candle to LSU or Alabama, they would be run out of the stadium, look over the last six years, only Oregon is the only team I can recall that had a decent game last year against Auburn and Cam.

I do feel bad for Ok. State, they had a great season and game against OK, but OK was playing withour several of their star players, wonder what the outcome would have been had they been healthy? I guess we will never know will we, congrats to Okie State on the Big 12 Championship, hopefully, they will get smart and get in a conference that plays not only offense, but defense and special teams, that is why Bama and LSU will battle it out and give the SEC its 6th straight BCS Title."

Will Jarrett Lee EVER get any meaningful playing time?

It got egregious in the Arkansas game. Ahead, 41-10, LSU coach Les Miles continued to insert Jordan Jefferson after the game was way out of hand and victory over the No. 3 Razorbacks was all but assured.

Jarrett Lee, the No. 2 rated passer in the mighty Southeastern Conference strapped his helmet on and just stared at Miles, waiting for, at that point, obligatory playing time. After all, it was Senior Day. Lee's parents, as were all the mothers and fathers and available relatives of the undefeated LSU Tigers, in attendance.
But Miles, being Miles, didn't let Lee in until less than 2 minutes remained in the game.
On Saturday in the SEC Championship, LSU was up big-time over Georgia 35-10 even as the third quarter drew to a close.
To start the fourth quarter, who was it again? Jefferson.
So, the question begs itself: Why isn't Lee getting any meaningful playing time?
This is a guy who staked LSU, in its most important football campaign in five years, to an 8-0 start before throwing two bad interceptions at Alabama.
His punishment since that time? About 5 minutes P.T.
Tops.
Is there something deeper? Did Lee's father possibly curse Miles out after the Bama game and the coach see fit to send a message? We don't know.
Whatever the offense, Lee's time in the game has been reduced to Token Time. Garbage.
While Lee has only thrown for more than 200 yards once (against Mississippi State) he was completed more than 70% of his passes an astounding five times, including 90% against Northwestern State.
For comparison, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, the likely Heisman winner and No. 1 pick in next year's NFL draft, has completed 70% of his passes in five games also.
Jefferson, a constant threat on the ground, has only completed 70% of his passes in two games, including one in which 100% of his passes were caught (against Ole Miss).
Will Lee get some valuable P.T. in the BCS game against likely opponent Alabama, especially since having a horrible showing against them on November 5?
Time will tell.

LSU wins SEC Title, will play for BCS National Championship

LSU is back in the BCS title game.
After defeating the Georgia Bulldogs, 42-10, the Tigers await their opponent -- Alabama or Oklahoma State.
Saturday night, the Tigers looked like the could handle both of them as Tyrann Mathieu turned in an MVP and maybe Heisman, performance, running back a punt 62 yards for a touchdown, setting up another score with a fumble recovery and whipping No. 14 Georgia

LSU (13-0) gets to play the BCS title game in New Orleans. The team on the other side of the field will be announced Sunday night.
Will it be the mighty Tide, whose only loss was a3-point defeat to the LSU Tigers? Or Okahoma State, who dropped a 2-overtime thriller to lowly Iowa State?

LSU beats Georgia 41-10, Wins SEC Championship

The Honey Badger took what he wanted and LSU slaughtered the Georgia Bulldogs 42-10, erupting for 42 straight points in the SEC Championship game.

Tyrann Mathieu took a punt to the end zone and recovered a fumble in the second half that led to another LSU touchdown as the Tigers (13-0) tied a school record for wins in a season and guaranteed itself a spot in the BCS national championship game Dec. 9 in New Orleans, an 80-mile drive from Baton Rouge and their home away from home.

 

"There was no question we were going to show ourselves and play like we came to play," said LSU coach Les Miles, whose team bounced back from a 10-0 deficit.

UGA quarterback Aaron Murray is the real deal. In the first half he tried his best to put a dagger in LSU but dropped passes -- at least four crucial ones in the first quarter alone, allowed the Bayou Bengals to hang around. Murray ended the game 16-for-40 for 163 with three turnovers, the fumble and interceptions by Tharold Simon and Morris Claiborne, who ran his back for LSU's last score in the fourth quarter.

Jordan Jefferson was shaky for most of the game but did just enough for the Tigers, which benefited from stellar defensive play in the second half, including a fumble and two interceptions, one of which went to the house.

Alfred Blue had a team-high 94 yards on 8 carries while Hilliard carried eight times for 72 yards as the Tigers. Somehow, some way the Tigers finished with 207 yards rushing for the game.

Now for the BCS title, where the Tigers will play ............................................................................................................................................................................................... anybody but Alabama.

LSU runs over Arkansas 41-17

LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu sparked the lackluster LSU Tigers to a 41-17 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks Friday, shutting the door on the Hogs' BCS hopes.

The Honey Badger returned a punt 92 yards for a game-tying score and the Tigers turned to the ground game, churning out big yards and running throug Arkansas for 286 yards rushing, wiping out a 14-point deficit with a 41-17 win that put them in the SEC championship.

"I could hear my teammates in my ear saying, 'Man, we need you to go make a play,'" Mathieu said. "I was able to help the momentum really go in our favor.

"You have no idea how bad I just wanted to go out there and make a big play for our team. I was fortunate enough to be able to do that."

LSU had to doubt itself at first as Arkansas scored first then popped the ball loose from Michael Ford and scored on a defensive touchdown to take a 14-0 lead early. But the Honey Badger took what he wanted, namely a 92-yard punt return for TD. Game on.

The LSU ground game came alive as Kenny Hilliard, Spencer Ware and Jordan Jefferson all scored on the ground for LSU (12-0, 8-0 SEC), which is 12-0 for the first time and will play No. 13 Georgia next weekend in Atlanta.

A win over the Bulldog and the Tigers will play for the BCS title against Okahoma State or Alabama. And you know what? The Tigers might get there even with a loss.

"That was a huge turning point in the game," Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said after the contest in which he was caught by CBS cameras mouthing dirty words at LSU coach Les Miles (watch video below). "We were trying to get the ball punted to the sideline, but he miss-hit it a bit and punted it to the middle. ... (Mathieu) made a great cut and made us miss at the point of attack. He made a great play."

LSU DESTROYS Ole Miss 52-7

LSU quarterback got the long ball going Saturday night as the No. 1-ranked Bayou Bengals ravished Ole Miss 52-7.

The Tigers (11-0, 7-0 Southeastern Conference) matched their best start since 1958, the days of Billy Cannon. It was the worst whipping Ole Miss has recieved since a 49-0 shellacking from Georgia in 1974.

Jefferson started his second consecutive game, going a perfect 7 of 7 passes for 88 yards and a touchdown. That was all the Tigers needed after building a 35-3 lead at halftime. Alfred Blue, the Tigers No. 3 running back, powered the Tigers with 74 rushing yards. Spencer Ware added 70 yards and a touchdown.

Ole Miss (2-9, 0-7) has lost six straight games and a school-record 13 straight conference games. Barry Brunetti rushed for a team-high 74 yards as the Rebels managed just 195 total yards.

"It's unfortunate to have a coach (Houston Nutt) end a home stand in a fashion like today," LSU coach Les Miles said in the wake of the news that Nutt would be fired at season's end. "That being said, we look forward to our future. It's something that we're really pointed to. It's a short week, but we're looking forward to taking on a very talented Arkansas team (next weekend)."

LSU whips Western Kentucky, 42-7

This one had 'trap game' written all over it. And for a half, it was true.

Western Kentucky coach Willie Taggart had one bragging right after his team got whipped 42-7 by the top-ranked team in the country.

“We scored more points than Alabama,” he said.

Can't argue there. The Hilltoppers came into Death Valley and kept the game competitive into the third quarter.

“We played hard and didn’t give up,” Taggart said. “I believe we were going to win, but I knew it wouldn’t happen if we didn’t play perfect.”

LSU (10-0) came in favored by nearly six touchdowns, but perhaps due to not taking WKU seriously only led only 14-7 at halftime.

“We just were flat,” said LSU defensive end Barkevious Mingo. “There really is not much you can say about that. Early on we were just not ready to play.

“This game kind of woke us up and we won’t let this happen any more games this year. The Alabama game is over now. We are going to move on and hopefully play for a lot more the rest of this season.”

Jordan Jefferson completed a beautiful 59-yard bomb to Rueben Randle to open up the scoring for the Tigers.

Jefferson played until 12 minutes remained in the fourth quarter, when Lee relieved him, drove down the field and threw a 5-yard scoring pass.

Hilltoppers quarterback Kuwaun Jakes completed 11 of 24 passes for 97 yards and was intercepted once by linebacker Tahj Jones.