After seven months of preparation, the No. 13 LSU football team is set to face No. 14 Wisconsin on Saturday in the 2014 AdvoCare Texas Kickoff in Houston.
With the first week of the season here, LSU coach Les Miles hosted his first “Subway Fresh Take by Les Miles” of 2014 on Monday. Miles began by giving a fall camp update and expressing his excitement that the team made it to game week.
“The hard work is done and the grueling task of getting through camp is over,” Miles said. “It’s now about preparing for [Wisconsin], and certainly the feel of excitement and the energy in our building is very good.”
The biggest question coming into the season is who will be the starting quarterback for the Tigers on Saturday. Miles announced the Tigers will play both quarterbacks against Wisconsin, adding while the player who starts is important, the player who finishes may be just as valuable.
“So, we will play both quarterbacks,” Miles said. “Who goes on to the field first is significant… and it’s really going to be their best play, and we are looking forward to that happening.”
Miles said a separation between freshman Brandon Harris and sophomore Anthony Jennings has not yet occurred, and he wants to ensure there is a separation before an full-time starter is determined.
“Right now, they have not separated themselves, and we are not certain [who will be the full-time starter],” Miles said. “If we were certain, then I promise you, we would play the one guy that would give us all the advantage. But if two guys can give us greater advantage than one guy, then let’s certainly play two.”
Another question surrounding the Tigers is the status of junior cornerback Jalen Mills, whose second-degree battery charge over the summer was reduced to simple battery, allowing him to participate in team activities.
Miles didn’t comment on whether Mills would start or how much he would contribute, but he did say Mills is prepared to play.
The Tigers enter the season with several true freshmen expected to make contributions right away, particularly freshman running back Leonard Fournette.
Miles touched on Fournette’s effect on the team and his character throughout the summer and fall camps.
“[He’s a] very humble guy. [He] takes coaching all the time,” Miles said. “[He] wants to be a very good player. A real quality teammate, he would fall right in line with some of the great teammates we’ve had… He’s going to want the opportunity to do everything that he can do. And certainly he’ll play a role in this game.”
While Fournette is certainly the biggest name on a large list of talented true freshman, he isn’t the only one expected to contribute to the Tigers’ performance. Miles said he expects six to 12 freshmen to make a difference in some way on Saturday.