re: Has there ever been a bigger QB controversy at LSU than this?

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We also had Bert Jones and Paul Lyons. I ran into Bert Jones in the BR airport and tried to make a little conversation, and the guy simply said he did not like Cholly Mac because of the 2 qb situation that he played under. My respect for Jones diminished a little after the ranted on about this. He seemed very bitter. Can't blame him but he should have kept it to himself.

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This was early 1970's. It wouldn't have been a controversy if Jones hadn't pissed away the Orange Bowl coming in for an injured Buddy Lee. The perfect storm of upsets had happened all day. Orange Bowl was last game of the evening. Both locker rooms had been informed of the upsets and that whoever won the Orange Bowl was probably going to be NC by AP and UPI. Bob Devaney was coaching Nebraska at the time, and of course, Cholly Mac - LSU. Buddy Lee got hurt in the second half and had to come out. Jones, a sophomore, went in. On a critical fourth down and short on what would have been the winning touchdown, Jones ignored the play sent in and checked off. What should have been a very easy short gain came up for naught. Nebraska took the ball over and ran out the clock, thus barely edging us out for the win. Mac and Jones reportedly did not speak to each other for months. Mac pulled Paul Lyons off defense, and ran a two QB system with Lyons starting. However, this would eventually change late in the season when Notre Dame came to town. Upon Jones' departure, he commented that the highlight of his career at LSU was leaving. When the media asked Cholly Mac for a response, he said that Jones was not the most coachable player he ever had.