http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/lsu/33707159.html
What was left of a fast-draining Tiger Stadium crowd that had been going through the motions nevertheless quickly turned a crisp night into a chilly one late Saturday.
With Jarrett Lee getting escorted to the sideline after being knocked down while throwing an interception returned for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, a good portion of those left booed Lee.
To be fair, he got some polite applause. But to be sure, there’s a good portion of the fan base unhappy with the redshirt freshman.
As he came out for the next series, Lee got booed more strongly.
Just to make sure he heard the boos the first time. Or because the crowd wanted LSU coach Les Miles to give Jordan Jefferson some meaningful action.
“If you booed the play, that’s one thing,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “That guy’s giving you everything he’s got. … It may not be perfect, but we’re going to put him out there and we’re going to count on him. He’s going to have to get better. I just don’t think there’s any reason to boo.”
When Jefferson entered with 4:08 left, only to care-take a drive that capped a 35-10 win, he — or Miles — got applause.
The biggest lesson for Jefferson, a freshman who lost his chance at a medical redshirt for five handoffs and a 3-yard keeper, can come from his front-row seat of Lee’s week, which began Monday with the school’s student newspaper calling him out in a headline from the 52-38 Georgia defeat: “UGA-Lee Loss.”
And then came Saturday night’s booing.
“I try to put that out of the way,” Lee said. “I don’t really pay much attention to that. … We’re practicing hard, but as a fan, it’s hard to see that and I can understand that, but we’re giving it our all.”
Lee was the hero when he recovered from a “Pick Six” before halftime, replaced an injured Andrew Hatch and led a 26-23 win at Auburn with an 18-yard TD pass with 1:03 to play. That was a nice moment, a great story.
Looking back, the “Pick Six” started a trend. Five of Lee’s 10 interceptions have been returned for TDs.
The latest, by Travis Burks with 7:33 remaining and the crowd turning in a game already won, stung.
The Advocate
11/2/08
