Tiger fans finally got to see the Zach Mettenberger they dreamed about since the massive-armed quarterback first committed to transfer from Blinn College three years ago.
Mettenberger arrived in Baton Rouge with the promise of providing a passing attack LSU lacked with Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee under center. We saw flashes of his potential during his first season as a starter, but accuracy issues kept Mettenberger from consistently playing well.
Potential materialized into brilliance Saturday. Mettenberger threw a school-record five touchdowns while only playing two-and- a-half quarters in the Tigers’ 56-17 bludgeoning of UAB.
He accomplished what no LSU quarterback ever had. JaMarcus Russell, Matt Flynn, Rohan Davey and even Hall-of-Famer Y.A. Tittle never threw five touchdowns in one game, and Mettenberger needed just 19 attempts to do it.
I was thoroughly impressed with what I saw last night, but not because Mettenberger put up record-setting statistics while shredding a putrid Blazer pass defense.
I was impressed with how he did it.
Mettenberger was a much more accurate passer than I ever saw last season. Throws came out on time, and aside from a couple of underthrown deep passes, every throw was exactly where it needed to be.
Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry have emerged as dynamic weapons on the outside and Saturday proved what can happen when Mettenberger is able to get them the ball in stride.
At Southeastern Conference Media Days in July, Landry told me the biggest improvement he’d seen in Mettenberger under offensive coordinator Cam Cameron was his anticipation. He said he thought Mettenberger was doing a much better job of throwing his receivers open than he ever did in 2012.
His analysis rang true against UAB.
Mettenberger’s first two touchdown passes came on post routes to Beckham. On both plays, the ball was in Beckham’s hands for easy touchdowns the second he broke on his route. I know the coverage will be better when LSU begins SEC play, but if Mettenberger can continue to put the ball on his receivers that well, it won’t matter.
The ability to anticipate and throw receivers open is the difference between an average and a great quarterback.
We’ve always known Mettenberger had the talent to make all the throws, and if he’s improved his anticipation, then Cameron really has helped his quarterback elevate his game to another level. If Mettenberger can continue playing at this caliber, he can lead this team to an SEC championship.
I have one reservation about Mettenberger. The only thing we’ve yet to see is how he responds to a defense that can put pressure on him in the pocket.
TCU and UAB failed to rush Mettenberger and both teams got torched through the air. However, we’ve yet to see a defense that forces him to move his feet and make throws on the run.
He struggled to throw on the run at times last season and was noticeably less accurate on the move, often overthrowing his receivers. But if Mettenberger has improved this weakness as much as he’s improved his anticipation, he truly can join the class of elite signal callers in the SEC.
He’s going to have to, because I don’t think Alabama or Florida is going to let him sit in the pocket and effortlessly pick them apart like UAB did Saturday night.
James Moran is a 21-year-old mass communication senior from Beacon, N.Y.