AUBURN, Ala. — Neither sophomore Andrew Hatch nor redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee seemed capable of producing at quarterback for LSU on Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium. As a result, the Tigers didn’t score a touchdown in the first half.            And LSU’s fate against No. 15 Auburn, which it had not beaten on the road in 10 years, looked even bleaker when they lost Hatch to a concussion in the third quarter, leaving the offense squarely on Lee’s shoulders.”Just because [Hatch] went down doesn’t mean we are going to miss a beat,” said junior running back Charles Scott. “[Lee] stepped in, and we kept it rolling.”But after Lee’s shaky start, the redshirt freshman guided the Tigers to a gutsy, last-minute 26-21 comeback victory at Auburn, once again leaving LSU coach Les Miles with a question mark at the quarterback position.Miles said Sunday he has not decided who will start at quarterback for Saturday’s game against Mississippi State. He said Hatch may miss practice with “bumps and bruises” today but should be ready for the game.Miles said he holds a “responsibility to pick the best player” and is unsure how Hatch’s untimely exit will affect his chances.”We certainly like how Hatch played at times and how Lee played at times,” Miles said. “[Lee] had a great second half, a show of leadership, and definitely did some significant things.”Lee went 0-for-5 in his first pass attempts and threw an interception in the second quarter right into the hands of Auburn defensive end Gabe McKenzie, who ran 27 yards for a touchdown that put Auburn ahead 14-3. “The defense was not even set,” Lee said. “I tried to snap the ball fast and get it out to [junior running back] Keiland Williams, but the defense got to the right place at the right time and scored.”Despite Lee’s lack of efficiency in the first half, Miles said he never lost faith in his redshirt freshman quarterback when he took the reins for good in the second half.”He’s done that before because we throw the football a lot; in scrimmages and practices, and frankly against all of our opponents,” Miles said. “The great thing about competitive people is that it’s not the last play, it’s the next play, and he went on to make a bunch more plays.”Lee said he had some butterflies when he came on in relief, but he knew what he had to do to bring his team to victory.”It was unfortunate what happened to Andrew,” Lee said. “In the second half he was there right behind my back, and the opportunity was great. I knew I had to step in and stay poised.”And Lee quickly rose to the challenge, finishing the game 11-for-22 for 182 yards and two touchdowns, one to junior wide receiver Chris Mitchell and the game winner to junior wide receiver Brandon LaFell with 1:03 left in the fourth quarter.”Brandon is just a great player. He just gets open and so whenever the opportunity comes for me to get him the ball, I take it,” Lee said.Lee completed long passes of 23 and 18 yards to LaFell before the 18-yard catch that put LSU ahead for good. LaFell joked that the chemistry between the two comes from their common home state.”It’s a Texas thing,” LaFell said. “When he got back there, he looked at me, and I hyped him up. I came over to him and said, ‘Hey we’re from Texas, and Texas showed me love.’ He kept giving us opportunities to make big plays as receivers.”Miles said he liked seeing the team grow and “come of age” in its Southeastern Conference opener.”To be tested by a very capable opponent and answering the test is just what this team needed,” Miles said. Miles also said watching Lee grow more and more on such a big stage was encouraging.”We have all seen Jarrett throw and play and just getting him comfortable on the field and with the calls was really the issue,” Miles said. “You watch him out there today, and you could see he was having a lot of fun. He certainly plays and enjoys the competitive times.”
 
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