Florida Gators vs LSU Tigers: What Will We Get from Jordan Jefferson?

Jordan Jefferson is back on the LSU football team following a suspension related to his involvement in a bar fight which got him charged with felony battery. The charges have been lowered to a misdemeanor and the Tigers once again have two quarterbacks with starting experience and a talented transfer in Zach Mettenberger waiting in the wings.

Jefferson has openly stated that he wants his starting job back, but unless Jarrett Lee lays a huge egg, don’t expect that to happen any time soon.

So what can we expect to see out of Jefferson in LSU’s big matchup against Florida?

First, let’s look at how Les Miles played him last week against Kentucky. He came in in the first quarter, but only to run a quarterback sneak for a touchdown. After that he saw very limited action, running the ball three more times and handing the ball off, not ever throwing a pass in the game.

Against Florida it is unlikely that Jefferson will get the opportunity to throw a pass either. The Gator’s defense is much better than Kentucky’s and LSU is unlikely to get as big of a lead as they did against the Wildcats.

It is clear after the Kentucky game that the Tigers will leave the passing up to Lee so unless Les Miles pulls out something special out of his bag of tricks, Jefferson should not see much of the field because Will Muschamp will know exactly what’s going on.

Miles, for all of his trouble managing the clock, is a smart coach and he understands Jefferson’s talent but also the impact his return makes for the team. The quarterback is the leader of a team, and throwing one back into the mix, even with starting experience, can really only detract from a team’s chemistry.

Also, with Jefferson being so outspoken about wanting the starting job, more pressure is now on Jarrett Lee to continue putting up efficient numbers and that added pressure could be his downfall.

Miles has to have had a conversation with Jefferson about the starting role, especially after his comments and while we don’t know the details of it, it is safe to assume that the coach set out some ground rules for Jefferson’s playing time in his final season as a Tiger.

In all likelihood, that conversation did not include any playing time against the Florida Gators.