Jefferson's LSU career ends with a tough night

He was reinstated when a grand jury reduced the charge to a misdemeanor, but did not start until the 10th game of the season.

He continued to struggle intermittently, but with LSU winning the Southeastern Conference title behind a dominant defense and running game, Jefferson was never forced to beat anyone throwing.

When LSU was 13-0 and ranked No. 1, Jefferson's 684 yards passing and six touchdowns looked more like the product of efficient and fittingly conservative quarterback play on a team that did not really need to throw much to win.

But when LSU's running game got bogged down in the biggest test of the season, there was no answer in the passing game.

"He's been through a lot," Randle said. "You've got to give it to him. He kept pushing. He came back off the suspension and led us to the national championship (game). We just weren't quite as good as we needed to be to win this game."

Jefferson finished his career 24-8 as a starter, seven wins short of Tommy Hodson's LSU-high 31.

He had said just days earlier that if the Tigers beat Alabama on Monday, that his team would have to be considered the greatest ever fielded by LSU.

Instead, the Tigers' pursuit of perfection ended in a shutout.