Oregon Ducks: What Does LSU Losing Jordan Jefferson Mean for Cowboy's Classic

It’s official; Jordan Jefferson is out as quarterback at LSU. The countdown to kickoff for the Oregon Ducks vs. LSU Tigers matchup that has college football fans so excited is now less than eight days.

For those who haven’t been following the story down in LSU, starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson, as well as three other football players, are alleged to have recently been involved in a bar fight that sent several men to the hospital. There is a video out of the fight, but it is too dark and pixelated to make out faces. Also, the Associated Press has revealed that there is an eyewitness who claims she saw Jefferson kick one of the injured men in the head.

Until recently, police had refrained from directly accusing any of the player’s of being involved. Police searched Jefferson’s home and confiscated some of his shoes to match a footprint on one of the injured men’s clothes.

With Jefferson out, head coach Les Miles has a difficult and quick decision to make on who will head the Tiger’s offense when they take on the favored Ducks. Competition for the quarterback position is in full force. The two men fighting for the job are fifth-year senior Jarrett Lee and incoming JUCO transfer Zach Mettenburg.

Jefferson has struggled with consistency over his career, but has seemed to pull it together in the most important games. In LSU’s bowl game last season, Jefferson recorded 225 total yards and 4 total TDs. Jefferson is a scrambling quarterback that brings in an extra weapon that the other quarterbacks don’t possess.

The Tigers were ranked 107th in the country in passing last season, mostly because Jefferson’s best weapon was his legs. Jarrett Lee is a true pocket passer (-46 yards rushing in 2010) with absolutely no scrambling abilities. His arm, though, is undervalued and being in this program for four seasons gives him knowledge of the offense. Unfortunately, the Tigers are bringing in a new offensive coordinator.

It seems like Lee will earn the starting position and the Ducks defense will need to prepare for more passing than before. It seems counterintuitive that losing your quarterback means more passing, but that’s how the game has evolved.

With Lee in, the Oregon linebackers won’t have to spy the quarterback. It’s unclear if Ducks linebacker Kiko Alonso will be eligible for the game because of his off-field issues. If Alonso is unable to go, Dewitt Stuckey will step in to the starting MLB position.

Also suspended is LSU’s star receiver Russell Shepard, who is suspended indefinitely and has been ruled ineligible by the NCAA. Shepard is LSU’s best receiver, and his absence lessens the hurt the Ducks will feel with cornerback Cliff Harris missing the game.

So to recap, Jordan Jefferson and Russell Shepard are gone for LSU and Cliff Harris and possibly Kiko Alonso are out for the Ducks. Alonso would primarily be the player responsible for shutting down Jefferson’s running abilities and Harris would be the corner who would have covered Sheppard.

I’m not willing to say we can call this a wash, but losing Jefferson definitely evens out Oregon’s suspensions.