Much of LSU’s 17-0 loss in Arkansas can be blamed on the weather or injuries, but Saturday night made one thing clear: Sophomore quarterback Anthony Jennings hasn’t improved this season.
Fans have given Jennings second, third and fourth chances only to see the same results. Jennings can start the Texas A&M game and even the bowl game, but a change needs to come in 2015.
It’s nothing personal against Jennings, who was bombarded last night with hideous tweets, including death threats. Jennings is probably an outstanding human being, but playing quarterback at LSU is not working, and Saturday’s game was the nail in his coffin.
The Tigers couldn’t establish the same run game it produced against Alabama and Ole Miss, and the offense had to find another way to succeed.
With Jennings at quarterback, LSU’s offense doesn’t have a plan B. A bruising run game must produce the space Jennings needs to throw to sophomore receiver Travin Dural, the Tigers’ only option in the passing game.
The offensive line’s performance was below average, but it says a lot if one lineman’s injury destroys your entire offense’s flow. LSU should have known it would run into this problem at some point. After 12 weeks, Jennings should have been more prepared.
The 12-for-22 passing clip is worrisome, but the 4 yards per attempt is the real problem. The Tigers’ coaching staff still doesn’t have enough confidence to air it out with Jennings, even when the team trailed the entire game.
Arkansas plays in a similar way, which explains why neither team ran more than 65 plays. Arkansas had more success on the ground, outgaining the Tigers by 59 yards. But the real difference was junior quarterback Brandon Allen, who remained poised when the run game stalled.
Not only was Allen more accurate, but his coaches trusted him enough to hit receivers for more than 10 yards against the No. 1 secondary in the Southeastern Conference. That trust was built with Allen’s steady improvement as a passer in 2014.
By comparison, Allen’s 169 passing yards Saturday night are more than Jennings has thrown in any SEC game. The level of play in this conference requires balance, and it’s time for LSU to look at other options.
Freshman quarterback Brandon Harris just wants to play quarterback for his home state, but he wants to play more than anything. The longer Jennings remains quarterback, the more likely Harris is to transfer away from LSU.
Harris was just as bad as Jennings in his only start this season against Auburn, but that’s one start. There is no large sample size of what Harris can bring, but some of what’s been seen is promising.
Sure, Jennings has two more games and an off-season to find his game before 2015, but there’s not much he could learn that he hasn’t already from playing the entire season. It is only Les Miles’s decision now — be stubborn and stick to what hasn’t worked, or take a gamble on a more versatile option.
Tommy Romanach is a 22-year old mass communication senior from Dallas, Texas. You can reach him on Twitter @troman_92.