Act one is over, but the battle is far from won.
Junior quarterback Anthony Jennings and his competitor, sophomore quarterback Brandon Harris, got their first opportunity in 2015 to showcase their development and get a leg up in the quarterback battle in the National L-Club Spring Game — but it all stayed the same.
Neither Jennings nor Harris greatly distanced themselves from each other Saturday, splitting relatively equal snaps on both the White and Purple teams while throwing two touchdown passes each. Jennings finished 13-for-20 for 237 yards, while Harris finished 11-for-17 for 178 yards and an interception, tacking on 37 rushing yards on 10 attempts, excluding sacks.
“Our quarterbacks are more confident, more capable,” said LSU coach Les Miles. “They’ll continue to improve and continue to execute at a very high level. I don’t know if they’re ready to execute at quite that level, but they’ll certainly be good enough for us to win. I’m going to let the competition play out, but I think both guys distinguished themselves as capable of running the offense.”
Both Jennings and Harris showed the glimmers of promise LSU fans have been waiting to see since last season concluded. Jennings began the first offensive drive for the White Team, completing both of his passes on a 70-yard drive in which he connected with wide-open sophomore wide receiver Malachi Dupre for a 37-yard touchdown.
Jennings cooled down after his hot start, misfiring his next four passes on the White Team before Harris got his first chance on the White Team later in the quarter. Harris completed his first three passes on the White Team, capping the drive off with a 35-yard touchdown pass on a leaping grab from Dupre.
Harris recorded his final touchdown in the second quarter, connecting with junior wide receiver Travin Dural on a wide-open route for 41 yards and the score. Jennings matched Harris in the fourth, connecting with Dural on a fade route from eight yards out.
“Hopefully, I’ve shown that I’ve improved since last year,” Harris said. “I just wanted to come out and show that I can run a complete offense and lead my team to a touchdown, whether it is passing or running. It’s about just getting the ball off and getting us in the right play.”
The game gave the two a chance to showcase their improvements, but neither were completely satisfied. Jennings said he would give his performance a grade of “B or C” because of missed opportunities throughout the contest.
“There’s so many things I can improve on that maybe you all don’t see that [offensive coordinator] Cam Cameron and this offense sees,” Jennings said. “I missed some throws that could have been big touchdowns, and I just have to continue to put the ball where it needs to be. I’ve come far from where I’ve started, but there’s still so much more that I could improve on. I didn’t complete every pass. I wasn’t perfect in this game. That’s where I’m striving to go.”
With the spring game over, both Jennings and Harris will continue to work toward their individual goals before reconvening with the team when they report back to campus June 8.
Jennings and Harris both said they plan to use May as a time to sharpen their footwork. Jennings said some of his overthrown balls to Dural in the spring game were a result of faulty footwork, which he plans to fix and study while away from the team.
Harris is taking the month to work with quarterbacks coach Dennis Gile at The Quarterback Academy in Scottsdale, Arizona, to improve his footwork and technique in time for 7-on-7 in the summer.
“You just can’t take any time off,” Harris said. “I’m trying to chase my potential. [Cameron] tells me all of the time, ‘We get this right, the sky’s the limit.’ That’s what I try to do, chase my potential. I’m not worried about hoping a guy throws a pick or hoping a guy fumbles, or whatever the case may be. If you ask any guy, I’m just a positive guy. I don’t believe in all that type of stuff.”
Miles said though he doesn’t take any option off the table, he hopes to find a quarterback who can emerge into an every snap role instead of using a two-quarterback system.
This statement comes much to the delight of Harris, who said he has reservations of sharing the position.
“I don’t want to share a position — I want to be the starting quarterback,” Harris said. “When you’re having to share time, it kind of messes up the continuity where you can’t go in there. We both throw two different balls, and it’s just a big difference. I want to be in rather than sit on the sideline.”
While the spring game was indecisive on the state of the quarterback battle, the Tigers’ talent throughout the starting lineup could give great aid to whomever emerges under center.
“If we get good quality quarterback play, we’ll like where we can be,” Miles said. “We will be where we want to be based on our development and how we do it.”
You can reach Jack Chascin on Twitter @Chascin_TDR.