In his weekly Subway Fresh Take by Les Miles luncheon, LSU coach Les Miles touched on sophomore quarterback Brandon Harris’ performance against Mississippi State, changes to the depth chart and team-wide updates on Monday afternoon.
Auburn — 2:30 p.m. kickoff Sept. 19
“Auburn is a very, very quality team. It is deeply-rooted in a Southeastern Conference history with LSU,” said Miles.
The Tigers are set to take on Auburn for the 50th time in team history after LSU was blown out in the 49th game, 41-7. LSU leads the series between the teams at 27-21-1.
Auburn coach Guz Malzahn and new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, who was the LSU defensive coordinator from 2001-2004, leads the Auburn Tigers into the matchup. Miles commended the style of defense Muschamp will bring into Tiger Stadium.
“He does the things that his players do best,” Miles said about Muschamp. “That’s the mark of a great coach.”
In his first two games this season, Auburn junior quarterback Jeremy Johnson completed 32 of his 53 passing attempts for 373 yards and passed for three touchdowns and five interceptions. Johnson, Although hasn’t performed up to Auburn’s standards, remains a threat to the LSU defense because of his arm strength and mobility.
“Jeremy Johnson is more of a prototype style, NFL quarterback,” Miles said.
Johnson is a pocket-passing quarterback, which is not something Miles, and LSU have seen from the Auburn offense in quite some time.
BRANDON HARRIS
“I enjoyed how my quarterback played,” Miles said.
Harris was 9-14 against the Bulldogs, throwing for 71 yards. Harris, who seemed competent and composed, controlled the offensive exactly the way Miles wanted him to, he said.
Harris did not commit any turnovers against MSU, which Miles said was a bright spot of the game.
Harris, who had two passing touchdowns, 17 points and more than 200 passing yards expelled by holding penalties, utilized his dual-threat capabilities and made smart decisions while on the move against the Bulldogs.
“If there is an opportunity for him to run the ball or scramble, we’ll take it.”
“I expect him to get his feet on the ground and continue to get comfortable,” Miles said. “We are going to go to practice and be prepared to execute on Saturday.”
DEFENSE
Miles commended his defensive coaching staff on preparing and executing a well-defined game plan. Miles said defensive coordinator Kevin Steele did a great job in his first in-conference game. He went on to applaud the secondary.
Miles said junior safety Rickey Jefferson, Jalen Mills’ replacement, played well and corrected the mistakes he made during the practice week pre-Mississippi State.
DEPTH CHART CHARGES – GUARD
Before the Mississippi State game, LSU had removed the “or” in between freshman William Clapp and freshman Maea Teuhema at right guard, and between junior Josh Boutte and Clapp at left guard.
This week, the “or” has returned after Teuhema saw the field more than expected in the season opener. Teuhema relieved Boutte, who started at right guard, for the entire second half against Mississippi State. Boutte seemed to be slow after the ball was snapped.
“It will be one of three guys,” Miles said. “We like to keep our guys fresh. The fresher those guys are, the more it takes the pressure off of play.”
CORNERBACK
Junior Dwayne Thomas, who started against MSU as the nickelback, and freshman Kevin Toliver II are battling for the No. 1 spot at cornerback on the opposite side of junior team-captain Tre’Davious White.
“He did not play like a freshman,” Miles said about Toliver. “He played like a real guy.”
KICK OFF TIMES
LSU, which started at 8:20 p.m at Mississippi State, is set to kickoff at 2:30 p.m. against Auburn and 11 a.m. the following week against Syracuse.
“We must hydrate at a cellular level,” Miles said. “That means start early and drink plenty.”