Although he is technically the “new guy” at the quarterback position, Myles Brennan has been with the LSU football program since 2017. This begs the question: why did he look so inexperienced on Saturday?
Anyone close to LSU has known since the moment he stepped on campus that Brennan was being groomed to be “the guy.” With his 6-foot-4-inch frame, blonde hair and confident smile, Brennan is straight out of a movie about an All-American quarterback. This, of course, is exactly what Tiger fans expected to see on Saturday.
What they got however, was a quarterback who looked uncomfortable in the pocket, made poor decisions at times and was not anywhere close to the hype that had been garnered for him. What they got was a quarterback who had not started a game in 1,415 days.
There is no substitute for playing in a real game. No matter how many scrimmages you have or perfect plays you execute at practice, lining up and playing another team, especially one in the SEC, is a completely different experience. Brennan, of course, lacks that experience.
In his freshman year, Brennan saw action in six games. He finished the year with 14 completions on 24 attempts for 182 yards and a touchdown. In his sophomore season, Brennan only played in one game and then received a redshirt. Last year, he played in 10 games. Despite the high number of appearances last season, Brennan finished with only 24 completions on 40 attempts while passing for 353 yards and one touchdown.
With as many blowout games as the Tigers were in last year, there is no reason for Brennan not seeing more playing time and averaging more than four passes in the games he played in. Knowing that he was most likely going to be the starter in 2020, there is no excuse for Brennan not to have seen more meaningful snaps. By watering down the offense when he came into the game, the coaching staff robbed Brennan of valuable experience, and it showed on Saturday.
Only time will tell if Brennan will fill the giant shoes that were left for him. Sure, his decision making needs to be better and pocket awareness must improve, but these are things that come with experience—experience that the coaching staff has robbed Brennan of over the last four years. The results, or lack thereof, are evident.
