Why Jordan Jefferson's Assault Charges Getting Dropped Was a Curse for LSU

There were a lot of questions surrounding the LSU quarterback situation and consequently the Tiger’s season once Jordan Jefferson was arrested on felony battery charges. Quarterback Jarrett Lee took over after failing to impress the last time he was under center and led the team to a No. 1 ranking going into the “Game of the Century” against Alabama.

After throwing two interceptions, he was benched in favor of Jefferson who had his charges dropped to a misdemeanor. He then led LSU to a 9-6 overtime win on the road and never let go of the reigns after that, guiding the team to four straight 41-plus point games.

And then the national championship happened. Jefferson looked dazed and confused for most of the game, ran the speed option in slow motion and then had the nerve to yell at his teammate after throwing one of the worst interceptions in the country this season.

The Tigers never should have allowed him back on the team in the first place.

LSU played two teams with good defenses with Jefferson under center and while the Tigers beat Georgia on the scoreboard, the Bulldogs lost the game for themselves with dropped passes, penalties and turnovers.

Against Alabama and Georgia, LSU never got more than 240 total yards.

The option offense worked well when it wasn’t facing a tough defense but it was doomed to fail the second time around against Alabama because the Tide didn’t prepare for it the first time around. With a full month and no offensive surprises, they rolled with ease.

An argument could also be made that teams don’t do as well when the leader is a criminal but whether or not you buy into karma is up to you. It’s an argument that I certainly won’t be making in this article but Tiger fans might see elsewhere.

Ultimately, LSU became more predictable and one dimensional and that simply wasn’t going to cut it against one of the best defenses of all time.