LSU senior quarterback Zach Mettenberger’s collegiate career ended a game earlier than expected Friday when he suffered a left knee injury in the fourth quarter of the Tigers’ contest against Arkansas.
The injury prematurely ended one of the most successful runs by an LSU quarterback, as Mettenberger became the first Tiger to throw for 2,500 yards in back-to-back seasons and only the third to eclipse 3,000 yards passing in a single season.
Mettenberger’s final completion to Jarvis Landry on Friday against Arkansas put him at 3,082 yards this season, leaving him third on LSU’s list of single-season passing yards.
Had he not sustained the injury, he likely would have surpassed JaMarcus Russell, who threw for 3,129 yards in 2006, and he would have had a chance in the bowl game to break Rohan Davey’s record of 3,347 passing yards set in 2001.
“We are very disappointed for Zach,” said LSU coach Les Miles in a news release Wednesday. “He’s been a tremendous leader for our team and he’s as competitive a guy as I have ever been around. He’s had a great impact on our program.”
A Watkinsville, Ga., native whose mother Tammy has worked in the Georgia athletics department since 1998, Mettenberger predictably began his journey as a Bulldog in Athens, Ga.
But his tenure was short-lived, as he was dismissed after pleading guilty to sexual assault following an incident in a bar during spring break his freshman year.
After leading Butler Community College to an 11-1 record and a berth in the JUCO National Championship game in 2010, Mettenberger found refuge at LSU in 2011, where he spent his sophomore season behind then-seniors Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson.
He emerged as the Tigers’ starting quarterback in 2012, and he put up solid, but not great, numbers in his first eight games, completing 56.6 percent of his passes and averaging 177 yards per game.
Mettenberger made his first statement as one of LSU’s all-time elite quarterbacks when he threw for 298 yards and a touchdown in a 21-17 loss to then-No. 1 Alabama last season.
The game proved to be a pivotal moment for the rising quarterback, as he went on to complete 60 percent of his passes for 892 yards and four touchdowns in his last four games of the season.
His play only improved going into his senior season, and under the guidance of first-year offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, Mettenberger became one of the Southeastern Conference’s most efficient and effective quarterbacks.
Mettenberger put on a show in his return to Georgia, as he completed 23-of-37 passes for a career-high 372 yards and three touchdowns.
The extent of Mettenberger’s injury has yet to be released, but Miles said he suspects his football career is far from finished.
“I know Zach will work extremely hard to rehabilitate his knee, and I don’t anticipate this injury having any impact on what should be a great future in the NFL,” Miles said.
“We are very disappointed for Zach. He’s been a tremendous leader for our team and he’s as competitive a guy as I have ever been around. He’s had a great impact on our program.”