CONTINUED

Jefferson vs. Lee is very much a live issue. Whether Miles should have played Jefferson or Lee is very much a live issue. In fact, the interplay of those two issues may be the biggest shadow over LSU football today.

Almost daily, you can read a post stating that Miles had an irrational preference for Jefferson over Lee. Almost daily, you can read a poster justify their hatred or total lack of faith in Miles because Jefferson played the entirety of the BCSCG. Some peoples' memories of the BCSCG remain warped by anger and frustration. You can still find people who ignorantly post that LSU never crossed the 50-yard line in the BCSCG.

Some people say Jefferson vs. Lee is dead. All you have to do is look at the complaints about Jennings or Miles to see that Jefferson vs. Lee is very much alive, and it still casts a shadow over the entire LSU football program.

One of my main points in discussing Jefferson is the very simple point that reasonable minds can disagree. You can disagree a person's choice but still agree that the person's choice was reasonable. There are different ways to score from the two-yard line, and reasonable minds can disagree as to which play is the best play to call.

I believe that reasonable minds can disagree on whether Miles should have substituted Lee for Jefferson in the BCSCG. Lee might have mixed things up. Lee might have sparked the team. However, the odds were not in Lee's favor. He was exactly the kind of QB that Alabama's defense feasted on: an immobile pocket passer. His history against Alabama confirms that statement, and his hisotry against Alabama can be fairly described as abysmal.

On the other hand, Jefferson as QB slowed the Bama rush down. Moreover, Jefferson's ability to lead a second half comeback in 2011 was rock solid before the BCSCG.

Many fans did not think at halftime of the GOTC that Jefferson was going to bring LSU to victory. However, in OT, Jefferson executed a perfect short-side option to Ford which put LSU in position for victory.

LSU beat Alabama at their house in the GOTC.

Many fans did not think with four minutes left in the half and LSU trailing 14-7 against Arkansas that Jefferson was going to bring LSU to victory. However, Jefferson passed for 208 yards, LSU's second highest passing total of the season, and Jefferson rushed for an additional 53 yards, all against the #3 team in the nation which positioned LSU for victory.

LSU blew the doors off of Arkansas, won the SEC West, and earned an invitation in the SECCG.

Many fans did not think at halftime with LSU trailing 10-7 to Georgia in the SECCG that Jefferson was going to bring LSU to victory. However, Jefferson executed options and zone reads to near perfection, and he threw a TD pass to Hilliard as LSU's offense scored FOUR TDs against a Top Five defense in their own backyard.

LSU rushed for over 200 yards, and Jefferson being the QB was an integral part of that, and LSU blew out Georgia and earned the right to play in the BCSCG.

So, of course, many fans did not think at halftime of Jan 9 that Jefferson was going to bring LSU to victory. Unfortunately, the stars were aligned against LSU that night. They never got the spark they needed against a totally amped up Alabama team that was desperate for redemption. However, Jefferson completed nearly 65% of his passes despite his porous offensive line. Had LSU been able to continue to switch it up and throw more in the second half of the BCSCG, it might have been a different story. However, the line could not hold Alabama back long enough to give Jefferson time to throw.

Jefferson played in FOUR huge games in 2011: the GOTC, the Arkansas game, the SECCG, and the BCSCG. At halftime, or four minutes before the half, LSU was losing in each of those games. Nevertheless, Miles showed faith in his starting QB, and Jefferson delivered in every game but one.

Thus, in my opinion, given the three HUGE games before the BCSCG, a reasonable mind could rationally choose to stick with Jefferson for the second half of the BCSCG because it had worked well in the three previous HUGE games.

I believe that reasonable minds can CERTAINLY differ on whether leaving Jefferson in, or substituting Lee for Jefferson, was the best strategy.