Les Miles says every week that he’ll start the player who gives LSU the best chance to win. If Miles didn’t figure that out after Saturday night, then he never will.
Freshman quarterback Brandon Harris proved in every way he should be the starter during LSU’s 63-7 win against New Mexico State. Sophomore quarterback Anthony Jennings did the opposite, laying one of the biggest eggs Tiger Stadium has ever seen.
Few times has a quarterback looked more incompetent than Jennings did during the first quarter against the Aggies. Three turnovers in one quarter already is unacceptable, but doing so against a Sun Belt team is almost impossible.
Jennings got by in the first four games by relying on the deep ball, especially to sophomore wide receiver Travin Dural. Then defenses started switching their formations to prevent that play, and Jennings has looked perplexed ever since.
Jennings’ eyes never left his target on his first interception, telling the whole defense exactly where he was going to throw. He also threw awkwardly, which may explain the ball floating five yards over the receiver’s head.
The turnovers came with booing and chants from the crowd for Harris, and at that point Jennings didn’t have a chance. He was nervous coming into the game, and the entire fan base only made him play worse.
Midway through the second quarter, LSU had a quarterback without any confidence and without any idea what a “Cover Three” was. Then Harris came in and picked up right where he left off against Mississippi State.
Harris led LSU to seven touchdowns on seven possessions before being taken out early in the fourth quarter. LSU’s offense suddenly found its rhythm, as if it had found the quarterback who should have been there the entire game.
Harris was poised from the start, and that’s all the Tigers needed to run the offense. LSU mostly ran the ball because New Mexico State’s run defense was dreadful, but Harris was great rolling out to his left and accurate whenever LSU needed to throw.
Jennings and Harris were so far apart there isn’t a point in comparing the two. In fact, it makes more sense to compare junior quarterback Brad Kragthorpe to Jennings, because their stats are so similar.
Kragthorpe, who made his LSU debut in garbage time, somehow equaled Jennings’ passing yards and took five fewer drives to do it. Jennings did have one more completion than Kragthorpe—two more if you count those thrown to the other team.
The argument that Harris can’t start as a freshman is a sad one, especially because he’s been at LSU for only one less semester than Jennings. Harris understands the offense and is clearly in sync with receivers, so his youth shouldn’t be a problem.
LSU’s next game is at Auburn, which is similar to the Mississippi State team that manhandled LSU, on Oct. 4. Everybody saw what happened when Jennings started against a Southeastern Conference defense, but they’ve only gotten a taste of what Harris can bring.
This is still LSU, however, and people shouldn’t expect Miles to make the logical decision. Miles has a long history of being
stubborn about his starting quarterback, and he probably won’t make a decision until later this week.
Miles can choose what he wants, but he has to know the Tigers’ season is on the line. There are no more easy wins on the schedule that Jennings can be bailed out of, and it’s time to put in a quarterback who has some idea of what’s happening.
Tommy Romanach is a 22-year-old mass communication senior from Dallas. You can reach him on Twitter @troman_28.