To listen to two Daily Reveille reporters debate LSU’s quarterback situation, click here.
Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell made the best argument for Andrew Hatch being LSU’s starting quarterback.    “Ain’t nothing like the real thing.”  Hatch has tasted the real thing. The sophomore is the only quarterback on the Tigers’ roster to see the field during a college game. Jarrett Lee was redshirted, and newcomer Jordan Jefferson was still in high school this past season. And no amount of practice can come near the experience of attempting a pass with more than 92,000 fans screaming. Hatch played in the Tigers’ 44-0 route of Middle Tennessee State, completing 1 of 2 passes for 4 yards. Hatch also rushed for 27 yards on four carries against a defense that led the Sun Belt Conference in sacks.Hatch also played a year of junior varsity football at Harvard. It may not be the Southeastern Conference, but Hatch held the reins of something other than a high school team. He was also named All-Star of the Harvard-Yale game, which means he performs well with the added pressure of playing a rival team.LSU needs a quarterback who shines against rivals, as the Tigers travel to Auburn and face Alabama at home this season. Auburn is perennially one of the conference’s top defenses, and Alabama is coached by Baton Rouge’s most hated man.The pressure for a quarterback to win that game is ridiculous, and Hatch has shown at a college level he can thrive under pressure.   Harvard is one of the most academically prestigious universities in the country. The fact Hatch went to Harvard doesn’t mean he is a genius, but obviously he is not dumb. Smart quarterbacks tend to make good decisions, and LSU needs a smart quarterback to beat the tight SEC defenses.   Hatch is also mobile. Mobile quarterbacks succeed in college football, and they succeed at LSU. Both of the Tigers’ recent national championship quarterbacks, Matt Mauck and Matt Flynn, were mobile and able to escape a rush to pick up a few tough yards. Hatch has the same abilities.        And Hatch’s high school numbers may not have been as good as Lee’s or Jefferson’s, but the quarterback’s stats can be deceiving.   His 49 percent completion percentage seems awful at first glance, but Hatch attempted more than 20 passes in only three games his senior year.He also transferred to a new high school before his senior year, meaning he had less time to develop chemistry with his wide receivers. He was still able to notch a quarterback rating of 108 and garnered the attention of then-BYU coach Gary Crowton.  “He wasn’t in an offense that was highlighting the quarterback,” Crowton said.In a 63-0 victory against Basic High School, Hatch attempted seven passes. Not “highlighting the quarterback” is an understatement.”He won in a manner that let me believe, at that time, that there was upside and potential for him to grow,” Crowton said. Crowton also said Hatch is very competitive. “He’ll race you to the drinking fountains,” Crowton said at football media day in early August.The Tigers need to maintain their competitive spirit if they hope to repeat as national champions. The Tigers’ first two opponents, Appalachin State and Troy, have upset potential.      Numbers aside, Hatch obviously has impressed coach Crowton to the point where Crowton recruited him twice. Crowton followed Hatch’s high school career and recalled a game he attended after Hatch transferred.”He scrambled well, he executed the offense well, he took hits well,” Crowton said. “He directed traffic, he did all those intangibles that quarterbacks do. I watched that. He didn’t throw for a lot of yards. He had decent completion percentage, but he won.”Even after he spent time away from the game on a Mormon mission to Chile. He walked on one of the best college football teams in the nation, earned a scholarship and is now competing for a starting spot.Hatch is listed at 6 feet 4-inches and 224 pounds, two inches taller than Lee and 14 pounds heavier than Jefferson.Two inches can’t hurt especially when Hatch has to see over 6-foot-7-inch Herman Johnson.Hatch has all the tools to be the starting quarterback for LSU.If the Tigers’ are holding the crystal ball again in January, it will be because Hatch steered them there. He is the real thing.—-Contact Amos Morale at [email protected]