The two quarterbacks competing to be the LSU football team’s starter next season both got off to forgetful starts in the Tigers’ annual National L-Club Spring Game on Saturday.
On the first snap from scrimmage, freshman quarterback Brandon Harris bobbled the football as he turned to hand off to redshirt freshman running back Reshaud Henry, resulting in a 4-yard loss.
Later in the opening quarter, sophomore quarterback Anthony Jennings tried to thread a pass past junior linebacker Deion Jones, who intercepted the errant throw and returned it 67 yards for the game’s first score.
Combined, the quarterbacks completed 4-of-13 passes for 28 yards and no touchdowns in the game’s first 15 minutes. But Harris stole the spotlight from the more experienced Jennings early in the second quarter, adding more uncertainty as to who will be the team’s starter heading into next season.
“We’re going to let the competition continue and see how this thing plays out,” said LSU coach Les Miles after Saturday’s scrimmage. “It serves us to say that there’s some talent at that spot.”
While Jennings struggled to find timing with his throws in the first half, Harris used his scrambling ability to escape pressure and ease himself into the flow of the game — a familiar sight to sophomore defensive tackle Christian LaCouture.
“There have been times in practice when you just throw your hands up and wonder what can you do,” LaCouture said. “You did your job, but [Harris] is just a freak of talent.”
Harris finished with a game-high 77 rushing yards on six carries, highlighted by a 41-yard scamper down the left sideline after he was flushed out of the pocket early in the second quarter.
But with 3:26 remaining before halftime, Harris used his arm more than his legs to lead the offense downfield.
Starting at the opponent’s 20-yard line, Harris went 4-of-7 for 49 yards to lead the white squad the length of the field. He converted two third-and-long situations with completions of 17 and 21 yards to sophomore tight end DeSean Smith and sophomore wide receiver Travin Dural, respectively.
While Harris was having success as the game unfolded, Jennings had trouble finding his rhythm, largely due to the disruption the defensive line caused up front.
Jennings was sacked three times in the first half.
Things got worse for Jennings the next time he hit the field. With 5:09 left before halftime, junior linebacker Kwon Alexander intercepted another of Jennings’ off-target throws and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown — Jennings’ second pick six of the afternoon.
After the game, Miles attributed some of Jennings’ early mistakes to the offense’s limited play selection.
“I think when we throw a menu of plays that we’ve thrown all spring long and then we limit the menu, I think there’s a pretty consistent theme to the defense to intercept some of these throws,” Miles said.
By halftime, Jennings completed only six of his 14 pass attempts for 78 yards and no touchdowns. But he bounced back from an uninspiring first-half performance to end his outing on a positive note.
In his lone series of the second half, Jennings completed all three of his pass attempts for 79 yards and a touchdown before sitting out the remainder of the game.
After the game, Dural, who was on the receiving end of Jennings’ 13-yard touchdown pass, said he wasn’t discouraged by the sophomore quarterback’s untimely interceptions.
“Every quarterback has games where he throws an interception or two, so you can’t really hold that against [Jennings],” Dural said.
The Tigers still have five months to determine who will be the team’s starting quarterback, and Jennings expects the competition to last until then.
“Right now, there’s no starting quarterback. I’m just competing to get that job in the fall,” Jennings said.
LSU freshman quarterback Brandon Harris (6) runs downfield Saturday, April 5, 2014 during the white squad's 42-14 victory against the purple squad in the National L Club Spring Game in Tiger Stadium.
