Anthony Jennings watched film of the 2014 Outback Bowl more times than he can count.
The rising LSU sophomore quarterback said he was shaky in the huddle last season and didn’t know what to say or do when 10 of his teammates turned to him for answers.
The Marietta, Ga., native was thrust into the spotlight against Iowa and expected to fill in for injured senior Zach Mettenberger, who had just spent the last 12 games making LSU fans believe in the pass again.
Jennings responded like a freshman, completing 7-of-19 passes for 82 yards and a pick six.
“I don’t think [the Outback Bowl] was one of my best games. If it was, I don’t think I would be starting,” Jennings said.
But after all the hours spent in a dark film room, the Tigers’ sophomore quarterback knows one thing: that was last season.
“I’m confident because every guy on my team is rallying around me to become a better leader, to become a better quarterback,” Jennings said. “When you have better relationships with everyone on the team, it makes you better.”
Jennings’ belief that he was a rallying point for his teammates isn’t far off either. LSU senior offensive lineman La’el Collins said Jennings’ inexperience actually drew him closer to the green Tiger.
“When you look at guys like that, you remember when you were in their shoes and you kind of want to just be around those guys and lift them up and keep them confident,” Collins said.
Jennings said his primary focus this offseason has been becoming a better leader on and off the field for the veteran team he’s inherited.
In his mind, any quarterback good enough to be extended a scholarship to a program like LSU can throw the ball, and so far, his competition has held true to that belief.
LSU early enrollee Brandon Harris took snaps with the third string during the first week of practice, but appears to be the favorite to back up Jennings once the season starts. Sophomore Hayden Rettig is also in the mix.
Harris plays a similar style as Jennings, as both are considered more mobile quarterbacks, but Jennings said he feels a bond with his new teammate after being in the same position last season.
“[Harris] can run the ball just like I can, and he can throw the ball with the best of them,” Jennings said. “Just what’s different right now is that he doesn’t know as much as I do, but that comes with time.”
Several Tigers, including LSU coach Les Miles, had to correct themselves before accidentally and prematurely anointing Jennings as the heir apparent to Mettenberger’s throne under center, but Miles isn’t ready to officially hand over the crown any time soon.
Miles said making a decision about a starting quarterback this early would be foolish, comparing Jennings’ situation to that of JaMarcus Russell and Matt Flynn in 2006.
“It’s all in the process,” Miles said. “In the early practices, he should have some advantages in the fact that the offense is kind of repeated for him. We’re just looking for him to compete and take the job.”
Assuming he gets the job, Jennings has the daunting task of following up one of the most prolific LSU passing attacks to ever see the lights of Tiger Stadium.
The LSU offense found new life in 2013 with Mettenberger and former wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. Together, the trio bucked the run-heavy LSU schemes of the past to put together 2,278 yards and 18 touchdowns through the air before Mettenberger’s injury.
LSU junior offensive lineman Vadal Alexander said it’s strange not having Mettenberger behind him this spring, but that not everything different is bad.
Alexander said he has a personal attachment to Mettenberger because of the relationship they’ve developed over the past few years, but on the field, Alexander’s only preference is the best quarterback.
The biggest change Jennings brings to the position — and biggest challenge for his blockers — is the ability to extend plays with his legs.
Jennings’ ability to scramble out of the pocket is in stark contrast to Mettenberger’s pocket-passer style. Jennings’ 21-yard carry against Arkansas registered as the only time an LSU quarterback ran for more than 20 yards on a single play last season.
This forces linemen like Alexander to prepare for a quarterback on the move as opposed to always knowing where Mettenberger would be.
“Zach was a pocket passer, get the ball out, ball is on the money,” Jennings said. “Anthony might see something, see open field and just move around the pocket, and you’ve got to be ready for that.”
But even if the two don’t play the same quarterback style, Jennings said he’s been talking with Mettenberger every week during the offseason to see what he can absorb from his predecessor.
Jennings said the most important piece of advice Mettenberger has given him so far is to act like the quarterback of LSU football.
“[Mettenberger] just said it’s a grind,” Jennings said. “Becoming the LSU quarterback is one of the most prestigious positions in all of college football. [I have] to do the right thing even when nobody is looking.”
LSU sophomore quarterback Anthony Jennings throws the ball during practice Monday, March 10, 2014 at the Charles McClendon Practice Facility.
