LSU sophomore quarterback Brandon Harris will officially make his second career start against Mississippi State when the No. 14 LSU football team takes on No. 25 Mississippi State at 8:15 p.m. on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi.
It’s also his second consecutive start on the road against a ranked division opponent.
After the season opener against McNeese State was cancelled, Saturday’s game will be Harris’ first opportunity to show how much he’s developed since his last start, which was against Auburn last season. He described his own play as “terrible” following a 3-for-14 passing clip in a 41-7 defeat.
Much like that game, the Tigers will be facing a ranked opponent with a stingy Southeastern Conference defense and a dual-threat quarterback who can light up the LSU defense.
Harris said if the offense can’t move the ball, Mississippi State senior quarterback Dak Prescott can take advantage of a worn out defense. He said the offense has to convert third downs and extend drives if it hopes to win Saturday.
“Last year I got an opportunity to see you can’t leave your defense on the field,” Harris said. “We’re going against a quarterback that’s really talented, and they have a talented offense. We have to execute on first and second down, make it third and manageable and convert.”
Against Auburn, Harris was forced to play from behind and could not move the ball for LSU the majority of the game. Aside from a 52-yard pass to then-freshman wide receiver Malachi Dupre, Harris only completed two passes for six yards before being replaced by then-sophomore quarterback Anthony Jennings in the second half.
Harris’ struggles in the Auburn game weren’t just during live play. Harris visibly had trouble communicating to his offensive line and making the appropriate checks in his first start. He said the Auburn game last season and artificial noise the coaches have implemented in practice have prepared him to be better this time around.
“We’ve dealt with [artificial] crowd noise all offseason,” Harris said. “When we came out for the first snap [in the Auburn game] they were really loud. On offense, you want to be able to communicate on offense. If you get too busy worrying about the crowd, the play clock goes down and you get yourself in trouble.”
Harris didn’t start another game for LSU last season but beat out Jennings for the job in a competition that lasted the entire offseason. With a chance to show he earned the starting spot, Harris said he is looking to start the season on a positive note and show everyone how far he’s come.
“We’re past Auburn,” Harris said. “I think when you watch the game this Saturday you won’t see the same stuff as far as [me] panicking in the pocket. I know where all the reads are, I know where to go with the ball and I know how to get it out of my hands quick.”
Harris will face a Mississippi State defense that returns only five starters from last season’s team that Harris almost pulled off a furious comeback against. LSU scored 21-straight points after Harris replaced Jennings in the second half, but he was intercepted at the goal line on the last play, clinching a Mississippi State win.
After the bulldogs built a 34-10 lead in the third quarter, Harris came off the sideline and went 6-9 passing with 140 yards and two touchdowns, including two touchdown passes to Dupre in the span of 28 seconds.
This time, Harris will get the Bulldogs from the start of the game.