Jefferson getting more snaps with Hatch out

BATON ROUGE — True freshman quarterback Jordan Jefferson continued to get more practice time and work with the first team Wednesday as Andrew Hatch has been limited this week after suffering a mild concussion and strained neck Saturday at Auburn.

“Hatch didn’t take any practice snaps,” LSU coach Les Miles said after practice. “He can start taking practice snaps and be ready to go Thursday. He’s rounding into shape and rounding into health, and that’s good news. He took some throws early on in the week, and we decided to cool him down and rest him and not practice him.”
But the plan is for Hatch to play when the No. 5 Tigers host Mississippi State at 6:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2. “We expect him to play,” Miles said.



Jefferson has taken advantage of Hatch’s limited time in the meantime.
“Jordan’s been taking some first-team snaps really since he’s been here in preparation for some of the things that he might do when he gets in the game,” Miles said. “But he’s taking more first-team snaps now. I envision him getting on the field in the heat of the game, yeah.”

Miles said the only player not expected to play Saturday due to injury is middle linebacker Darry Beckwith, who missed the Auburn game with a knee injury and is not expected to play until the Oct. 11 game at Florida.

“I think he’s out for this game, but we look forward to him as we go forward,” Miles said.

LSU-Auburn ratings

ESPN’s telecast of the LSU-Auburn game was the most watched college football game last week and the third-most watched show on all of cable television, according to the Nielsen Ratings.

Nielsen said 5.6 million watched the game won by LSU, 26-21, on the fourth lead change of the game. The two cable programs that did better were the Monday Night Football game between Dallas and Philadelphia on ESPN on Sept. 15 with 18.6 million viewers and an episode of The Closer on TNT that drew 7.6 million.

The only other college football game last week in the same ballpark as the LSU-Auburn tilt was the Colorado-West Virginia game on ESPN on Thursday night.

David breaks record
Kicker Colt David’s eight points at Auburn on Saturday (two field goals and two extra points) made him the career record holder at LSU in points by a kicker. He has 297. David Browndyke, who played from 1986-89, held the school record before Saturday with 292 points.

David stands third among all LSU players in scoring behind No. 1 Kevin Faulk, who had 318 points as a tailback and kick returner from 1995-98, and No. 2 Dalton Hilliard, who had 302 as a tailback from 1982-85.

Holliday not done
Kick returner Trindon Holliday fumbled two punt returns at Auburn, but Miles may give him a chance to redeem himself Saturday against Mississippi State.

“I can tell you that we’ve not lost confidence in him,” Miles said. “We really think that he is the future in there at the return. We have to insist that he catches the ball. I think we have those guys who are very sure-handed but maybe not as electric in the return. He is much better at receiving the punt. He is much better at receiving all kinds of balls. He’s at wide receiver. He does a tremendous job at practice and is much more professed and has greater ball skills, so we’re with him. We’re going to see him again, and we’re going to test him all week.”

Holliday did recover both of his fumbles.

“He busted his tail to get them back in his possession,” Miles said.

Holliday dropped from first in the nation last week in punt returns (40.8 yards a return) to fourth this week (26.8 yards a return) after returning two for minus-two yards. He is still No. 1 in the SEC.

I've been honestly hoping the coaching staff would take a longer look at Jefferson and use him the way they used Perriloux last year.