From the battles of Rohan Davey and Josh Booty early in the Saban era to last year’s two-man shuffle between JaMarcus Russell and Marcus Randall, quarterback is a position that has been rarely settled at LSU.
Randall is gone, but the quarterback derby continues into the 2005 season. Russell returns with fellow redshirt sophomore Matt Flynn and Gatorade High School National Player of the Year Ryan Perrilloux to compete for the top spot this season.
“I think JaMarcus [Russell] has a very talented arm, and he’s getting more comfortable with the system,” Head Coach Les Miles said. “Matt Flynn can throw the football well and maybe is a little better at scrambling in the pocket, and the young quarterback we have [Ryan Perrilloux] has all the talent also.”
Although Miles is not ready to name a starter, he has made it clear what needs to be done to win the position.
“They have to make sure they can read what the defense is giving them,” Miles said. “They need to look at the play and make the right decision with the ball, and if they do those things and have the ability to compete, they would take the job.” 
While Miles remains adamant that the position is wide open, Russell has been seen working more with the starters during practice, and is expected to start in the season opener against North Texas. 
Russell is no stranger to quarterback controversy as his signing in February 2003 caused in-state quarterback recruit Robert Lane, who was committed to the Tigers for seven months, to sign with Ole Miss.
Russell experienced inconsistency throughout his freshman season, only to bounce back in the Capitol One Bowl, where he went 12 of 15 for 128 yards and two touchdowns in less than a quarter. If not for a game-winning 56-yard touchdown pass as time expired, Russell would have been the hero of the game after leading the Tigers to a 12-point fourth-quarter comeback.
“It’s something that definitely stays in the back of your head during those harder workouts, but it helped me become stronger,” Russell said of the bowl loss. “Everybody goes through ups and downs in life; it’s just that you have to be able to have more ups than downs, and you’ve got to be able to bounce back from the setbacks.”
While Russell took more snaps than Flynn in 2004, Flynn looked solid in his limited action and now finds himself battling for the starting position.
Flynn has steadily progressed since throwing his first collegiate pass, a 67-yard touchdown to Xavier Carter, and despite attempting just 10 passes all of last season, he is with his progression. Flynn believes that the quarterback position as a whole has come a long way and can be a better unit than last year.
“We just need to continue to work on the mental things we gained last season and over the summer,” Flynn said. “We’re working on the timing with the receivers and just getting better and fixing the mistakes that we made before.”
Perrilloux comes in after having one of the most spectacular high school football careers in Louisiana’s history.
He accounted for a record 5,006 total yards as a senior at East St. John High School, passing for 3,546 yards and 30 touchdowns and gaining another 1,460 and 37 touchdowns rushing on his way to being named USA Today player of the year.
Possessing a 4.49-second 40-yard-dash speed, Perrilloux brings a rushing threat to the quarterback position that has not been seen at LSU since Herb Tyler graduated in 1998.
Offensive Coordinator Jimbo Fisher sees many similarities among the trio of quarterbacks and expects the offense to function efficiently with any of them at the helm.
“They can all throw the ball. They all can run, and they make good decisions. I don’t think they’re a whole heck of a lot different.” Fisher said. “I think they’re all very good athletes and they’re all getting a better understanding of what we’re trying to do.”
He is hoping that he can improve a unit which combined for only 19 touchdowns, nine shorter than the 28 former quarterback Matt Mauck threw by himself in 2003.
Miles said that he thinks a starting quarterback will be named by sometime next week, but if history is any indication of the future, the quarterbacks could all wind up getting their chance.
Contact Jeff Martin at [email protected]