LSU football coach Les Miles announced sophomore Brandon Harris as the starting quarterback in LSU’s contest against McNeese State on Saturday during a news conference Monday night.
After weeks of speculation surrounding the Tigers’ quarterback battle, LSU football coach Les Miles closed the competition for the season opener.
Harris will take the first snap unless something happens at the back end of this week, Miles said.
Harris will look to improve on his 0-1 record as a starter after completing only 3 of 14 passes in his only start in 2014.
Despite almost leading LSU back from a 24-point deficit against Mississippi State, Harris’ freshman campaign stalled after his struggles at Auburn.
Although he named Harris as starter, Miles made it clear he is not opposed to playing both quarterbacks.
“We feel like both quarterbacks can play,” Miles said. “Both quarterbacks have improved. They continue to compete.”
Miles delays weekly presser due to hospital visit
Just days removed from LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron announcement of his diagnosis of prostate cancer, the Tigers were at the center of another health scare when Miles delayed his weekly press conference after “drinking too much coffee.”
“I did in fact have too much coffee to drink today,” Miles said. “I certainly did not feel too great about that. I had a very quality medical staff that decided I should get some examination and testing…Everything is fine, and I’m ready to roll.”
In typical Miles fashion, he refused to directly answer whether or not he drove himself to the hospital with interesting phrases such as “I participated in a drive” and “I was responsible for the car.”
Despite his hospital trip, Miles did participate in practice Monday afternoon, and said he received the normal reception by his players at practice.
Players react to Miles’ hospital trip
Though news of Miles being under the weather was eventually delivered to the team via text, social media initially alerted senior offensive tackle Vadal Alexander of Miles’ condition.
“You know in this generation, social media, that’s the first thing you hear about,” Alexander said earlier today. “So you see it on Twitter, Facebook and hear it from the news sources that he’s OK and was just precautionary. Then, you hear it from everybody else, your teammates, coaches and things like that, that he’s definitely OK and will be at practice today.”
Alexander said it was a concerning feeling to know Miles sought medical attention but knowing the situation wasn’t grave was relieving.
“First and foremost, we want to make sure coach Miles is healthy and make sure he’s OK,” said junior defensive tackle Christian LaCouture. “If he’s ready to go out there, which they said he is, that’s great news to hear.
The Tigers already dealt with a coach’s health-related issues this offseason as offensive coordinator Cam Cameron recently revealed he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Though it was caught and treated early, allowing him to coach in 2015, Miles commended his players for keeping Cameron’s health status private.
“It was just a personal matter for coach Cameron, and we wanted to respect his wishes,” LaCouture said. “Coach Cam is a guy that everybody loves to death, and we just wanted to, like with Coach Miles, make sure that he was OK, first and foremost. Health is a huge thing…Going out there, they said he’s all good to go and ready to be out on the practice field and the game field. it’s such a great thing to hear.”
Tigers don’t overlook Week One upset threat
To the average fan, it’s easy to look past the Tigers’ opener against McNeese State and dream about LSU’s return to Southeastern Conference play a week later against Auburn.
But the Tigers aren’t so quick to judge their in-state opponent after watching the Cowboys come just one play short of upsetting Nebraska in Week One last season.
“That something I was actually watching a couple nights ago,” LaCouture said. “Just kind of reviewing and watching it. They gave them a good scare, especially up in Lincoln. [Former Nebraska running back Ameer] Abdullah had that one great play at the end.”
Along with its track record of playing up to opponents, McNeese also boasts a dynamic dual-threat quarterback in senior Daniel Sams, who transferred from Kansas State following the 2013 season.
Sams led the Cowboys with 71.1 yards rushing per game and finished ranked eighth in the Southland Conference in total offense with 133.5 yards per game. The Slidell, Louisiana, native threw for 624 yards on 46 of 97 attempts with seven touchdowns.
“[Sams has] got wheels,” said senior linebacker Deion Jones. “He can move, real shifty. He can get loose… He could play in the SEC because he’s that good of an athlete.”