What Will Be Jarrett's “Lee-Way” in LSU's Matchup Against Georgia?

Lee the legend

Anyone who follows college recruiting closely, particularly LSU fans, knows about the legendary video of Jarrett Lee narrated by famous broadcaster Pat Summerall. The video, shot prior to Jarrett's senior year at Brenham HS in Texas, shows an amazing talent throwing dart after dart into a set of nets as his father coaches him through his routine.

That video is all that is needed by any sane person to know that Jarrett has all the physical tools, notably a rocket arm and an amazingly quick release, needed to excel at the major college football level.

As witness to his talent are recent CBS and ESPN broadcaster comparisons of his similarity in throwing motion to Brett Favre and Jeff George. Those are some lofty comparisons.

Lee to date

The RS freshman is in his second year on the Ponderosa at LSU, is the starting QB for the defending national champions, and has a year under his belt in Gary Crowton’s offense. He has also had a year of understudy to the capable Matt Flynn as he observed the Flynn way of managing a game.

The statistics thus far show an admirable completion percentage against the four SEC opponents he has faced (Miss. St, Auburn, Florida, South Carolina), to the tune of 60 percent with six TDs and five INTs.

For a freshman QB that has faced such SEC foes at night, on the road, in three of the most dynamic and loud venues in all of college football (yes, USC also packs in 90,000 rabid fans), that is not too shabby.

What has been shabby, however, is the number of errant passes way off the mark, as well as the number of dreaded “pick sixes” that he has thrown (or nearly thrown). This pattern has many in the Tiger nation more than a bit concerned.

However, on balance, it can be concluded that Jarrett has done about as well as you can expect a freshman QB to have done in such a scenario.

Furthermore, Lee’s combination of awesome and awful passes, sometimes in the course of the same possession, is reminiscent of the early career of first overall NFL pick JaMarcus Russell—not a bad comparison.

The challenge moving forward

Now, with the tough first half of the season behind the Tigers, the season now transitions to a different type of tough—namely switching from early season, tough SEC road venues to playing top 10 opponents at Death Valley.

Among those top 10 teams coming to Tiger Stadium are the Georgia Bulldogs, followed by a group of players ranked No. 2 from a school in the state of Alabama with a certain former LSU coach that is...well, let’s just say highly anticipated.

This week's opponent

First up, the UGA Bulldogs... The top 10 UGA team that is coming to town will offer Jarrett a stiff test, albeit on the friendly grounds of Tiger Stadium.

In looking over the UGA defense, one notices that UGA has allowed only one opponent to score more than 14 points after playing seven games. The exception, Alabama, managed quite better than that in points, but only scored one of their TDs via the air.

As for the overall UGA pass defense, they have allowed 208 ypg passing, while surrendering 10 TDs and picking off five passes. That is much fewer than the pass TDs per game surrendered, but less than one INT per game taken away.

Furthermore, the TDs UGA has given up have been predominantly short passes near the goal line, with only two of the 10 having been of the 30-yard variety.

The Lee-Way?

But now the question is: What is the “Lee-Way”? Equally important, how much "leeway" should Crowton and Miles give him in the UGA game?

Overall, the LSU nation should expect a similar performance as they have seen thus far, but the home venue and tough road lessons should trend the performance more to Lee’s favor. The question is how much of a learning curve we should expect to see. What type of progress will result from this learning process?

The factors that will determine the results, as much as anything, will be the play calling and personnel assignments of Crowton and Miles, as well as the field position of the Tigers early in the game.

Thus far, Miles and Crowton have chosen a pathway that calls for a lot of personnel variation on offense, and the QB is not immune to this approach. Indeed, Miles and Crowton keep the opponents, and the LSU fanbase, constantly guessing as to when sophomore Andrew Hatch will enter the game.

This certainly has its merits due to Hatch’s decision-making and running ability. However, for Lee to make true strides, he needs to gain momentum and to be given decent field position. If he is allowed to find his rhythm, look for Lee to find his comfort and confidence early in the game, and get a chance to get ahead in a game (for a change).

Sure, Lee will probably throw a few questionable passes either way, whether it be a screen pass over the receiver's head, or a pass down the middle of the field that he should have not thrown—that is what freshman QBs do.

But on balance, expect Lee to show decided improvement and to gain increasing confidence, providing LSU with a good chance to work their way back into the top 10 and national championship race with a victory over a good UGA team.

Give Lee more “leeway”?

So, the question is not necessarily what will be the Lee-Way, but more aptly what “leeway” will be given to Lee by Miles and Crowton. Will they allow him to obtain and retain momentum as he works his way through the inevitable INT or two?

And what field position will the special teams and defense give Lee? Will the porous LB and DB play continue, or will the defensive performance in the second half of the USC game continue, resulting in better field position for Lee and the offense?

If Lee is allowed to get into a rhythm, and he gets decent field position, look for continued comparisons to George, Favre, and Russell—and this time, not just for his throwing mechanics, but with TDs attached to the other end of the darts.

Bottom Line

Lee should have a very solid game, with a few errant throws along the way. But the “Lee-Way” should be sufficient to open up a lane on the way to another SEC-contending run.

The Prediction

LSU 31, UGA 24

Lee: Two TDs, one INT (not a pick six!), 230 yards passing