Senior tight end Colin Jeter had an exciting moment on the sideline, and it came as a direct result of junior quarterback Danny Etling’s first appearance in purple and gold.
On Etling’s first drive, senior tight end DeSean Smith snuck down the sideline and made his way behind Jacksonville State’s coverage, at which point Etling hit him for a 46-yard touchdown. It doubled as Smith’s first collegiate touchdown and the first of Etling’s LSU career.
“I was happy to see DeSean finally get one,” Jeter said. “That was the most exciting part of Saturday night. I wasn’t supposed to be on the field, but I was. I was probably on the field before he even caught the ball.”
Jeter had a chance to catch his first pass of the season when Etling fired his first pass down the left sideline to Jeter for what would have been a 27-yard gain, but the tightly-contested tight end couldn’t haul in the pass with a Jacksonville State linebacker draped over him.
“I should have came down with that one,” Jeter said. “It’s nice to get a ball every now and then … as long as we’re scoring points, I could care less who’s getting the ball. I’m just excited to be on a team that loves to come to work and win games.”
Junior fullback J.D. Moore noticed Danny Etling was significantly more spry than usual during LSU’s 34-13 victory against Jacksonville State on Saturday.
Etling, who hadn’t played in a live football game since week five in 2014 while he was at Purdue, made his way down the bench high-fiving his teammates, saying “Let’s go,” leading up to LSU’s first possession in the second quarter. Moore wasn’t certain that Etling’s enthusiasm meant he was going into the game, but it tipped him off.
“That was my first inclination, when he started coming down the offensive bench,” Moore said. “I was like well Danny’s real excited. He kind of came alive there.”
There wasn’t a widespread announcement along the Tiger sideline that Etling was replacing junior quarterback Brandon Harris for LSU’s next offensive drive. Everyone found out in different ways.
Senior center Ethan Pocic said he was told to take snaps with Etling, but didn’t think too much of it. When he finally got word that the quarterback switch was official, he knew his composure would be on full display.
“He’s been in that situation before at Purdue,” Pocic said. “He handled it really well, he was really composed. It was like practice to him. It felt the same as practice.”
Pocic, who hosted Etling during his official visit to campus last summer, said composure, competitiveness and a high football IQ are Etling’s signature attributes.
He showcased all of those traits in the second quarter, orchestrating three consecutive scoring drives, completing 60 percent of his passes and picking up 65 yards and a touchdown on his first drive.
“It’s part of Danny, it’s just who he is.”