LSU romps over Oregon 40-27

The LSU Fighting Tigers opened their 2011 campaign against the mighty Ducks of Oregon last night, romping a  PAC 12 team that almost won a national championship eight months earlier.

But it was the Tigers that looked like the champs last night, running away from Oregon with a score of 40-27.

With the fate of their quarterback Jordan Jefferson hanging in the balance, the Tigers took it to the Ducks. 

"I asked them to put to the perimeter all the things that could be considered distractions," LSU coach Les Miles said. "I enjoyed Jarrett Lee's gutty effort. I liked how the offense did the things they needed to do."

Oregon's much-touted De'Anthony Thomas fumbled on consecutive possessions in the third quarter, leading to 14 points for the Tigers.

"Those are self-inflicted wounds," coach Chip Kelly said. "The drops, the turnovers and the penalties are the things that really killed us. Against a team like that, you're not going to win the game."

Jarrett Lee won the game for the Tigers, a quarterback that the Tiger faithful haven't seen start under center since 2009 against Louisiana Tech. But he was sharp.

"We've had a lot on our minds as team coming into this game," Lee said. "It's not something that we wanted to happen. But you have to put that to the side and move forward."

Next up for the Tigers, Norwestern State.

LSU handles Oregon, 40-27

The LSU Tigers showed that their defense will be a force to reckon with Saturday with a gritty 40-27 win against No. 3 Oregon Ducks in Dallas, Texas.
Jarrett Lee looked like the 2010 version, which is better than he ever was in handling the Ducks blitz and stunts on the way to 14 unanswered points in the 3rd quarter, which broke the game open.

See ESPN for analysis

LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu got the party started with a fumble return for TD in the first quarter, staking the Tigers to a 9-3 lead before Oregon roared back.
LSU's committee of running backs wore down the Ducks in the third quarter, outrushing them 100 to 10 at one point, before  a late Ducks drive.
 Oregon coach Chip Kelly  tried some things that worked against Auburn, but with 9 months to prepare, the LSU D was ready.
Reuben Randle caught a 10-yard TD pass that put LSU on top 13-9 in the second quarter.
Next up for the Tigers, Northwestern State.

Jordan Jefferson's in trouble, but ...

LSU starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson andsecond string linebacker Josh Johns turned themselves in to the East Baton Rouge Parish authorities on August 26 after police got arrest warrants charging them with felony second-degree battery for fight outside Shady's bar near the LSU campus.


The players, as is customary, broke their 10:30 p.m. curfew on the last day of training camp.


"Other arrests could be made in this case that are just as serious as the two already made," attorney Michael Bienvenu said. "This isn't over."


Read more @ ESPN

Jefferson's quarterback thinks the QB may be unjustly maligned.
“It is more than unjust to destroy this young man’s career if it’s all about a bunch of nothing, which is what I think,” defense attorney Lewis Unglesby said Monday, according to media reports.


“ I have no criticism, nor knowledge base, to say what Les Miles is doing is wrong, but I want to make sure he is fully informed that there’s a whole other side to this, and that Jordan is not only presumed innocent, but I’m saying that he is,” Unglesby said, according to the Associated Press.


Read more @ AP


The good news: Jefferson may be able to come back in 2012, if he desires, and if ... if ... this all blows over in his favor.

Jefferson could also be redshirted and maybe, just maybe, return to LSU as a fifth-year senior for the 2012 season, according to The Shreveport Times. The plan was to redshirt Jefferson in his true freshman season in 2008, but he had to play as a true freshman in 2008 after quarterback Andrew Hatch was injured and starter Jarrett Lee continued to falter.

Read more @ the Times

"Yeah, I've not crossed that bridge just yet," Miles said. "But that's a very, very interesting piece."

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