LSU coach Les Miles all but named junior quarterback Danny Etling the starter for this weekend’s game against Auburn.
Etling started in LSU’s 23-20 win against Mississippi State on Saturday.
His 19-of-30, 215-yard one-touchdown performance was enough for Miles to let Etling take the “next snaps.”
“We’re going to let Danny take the next snaps and continue his path,” Miles said. “Hopefully, he continues to improve.”
When asked if Etling should worry about whether making a few mistakes would cost him his starting job, Miles simply replied, “No.”
Down the line, Miles hopes the quarterback play will be “great.”
“At some point in time down the road, we’re going to look around and say, ‘Boy, that quarterback play we got was great,’” Miles said.
The Southeastern Conference road trip to Auburn will be a first for Etling, but Miles has confidence in the former Purdue quarterback.
“Danny is going to be a mature guy. He’s going to understand what he’s supposed to do,” Miles said. “Best thing to do for the road games is to connect with your teammates, connect with your coaches, make sure you are communicating with your partners [and] your teammates and make sure you are doing your job.”
Weathersby to miss practice time this week
Due to injuries and cramps, LSU was forced to play seven different offensive line combinations against Mississippi State.
Senior offensive guard Josh Boutte, junior offensive tackle K.J. Malone and sophomore guard Will Clapp all missed time against Mississippi State, but should be fine for Saturday’s game, Miles said.
Sophomore right tackle Toby Weathersby was the only lineman to not return to the game, but Miles was unwilling to indicate how bad his injury was.
“I’m not allowed to talk about that,” Miles said about Weathersby’s injury status. “Homeland has told me that’s not a thing I can do.”
Weathersby will likely miss a day or two from practice, Miles said, but he expects Weathersby to return versus Auburn.
Key, Growden named SEC players of the week
LSU sophomore defensive end Arden Key’s game-sealing sack against Mississippi State earned him SEC player of the week.
Key was an integral part of an LSU defense that had six sacks against Mississippi State, including two from the 6-foot-6, 238-pound defensive lineman.
After the game, Key attributed some of his success to LSU going back to an original 4-3 scheme, which Miles said showed Key’s skill.
“It’s one of the things that you recruited him for,” Miles said. “So we’ll look forward to giving him that opportunity. I think if you went back and saw the number of places that he rushed from, I think you could see that there’s an opportunity there for him to really show his skill.”
Key wasn’t the only LSU player earning accolades.
Freshman punter Josh Growden was awarded Co-SEC special teams player of the week, for 49.2 yards per punt, including a 61-yard punt late in the fourth quarter against Mississippi State.
“When he hits a ball well, he hits a ball well the same way,” Miles said about Growden. “I think he’s just trying to be consistent … The 61-yard punt in a timely fashion was — that was just what we needed.”
Kickoff time set for LSU’s homecoming game
LSU’s homecoming game is slated as another night game at Tiger Stadium.
The Tigers will play Missouri at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 1 and will be televised on the SEC Network.
LSU and Missouri have only played each other once in 1978 when Missouri defeated LSU 20-15 in the Liberty Bowl.