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Week one was a little too close for comfort for fans in Baton Rouge. The Tigers overcame a slow start and completed a second-half comeback against the Wisconsin Badgers, putting a win over a ranked team on their resume. While the home opener versus FCS school Sam Houston State likely won’t be as much of a battle, there are still plenty of things the team can show its fans. Among them is steady quarterback play.
Although Les Miles said leading up to the opener that sophomore Anthony Jennings and true freshman Brandon Harris would both see action against the Badgers, Jennings was the man who ended up taking nearly all of the snaps. Harris played in just one series, didn’t attempt a pass and didn’t look comfortable directing the huddle. Of course, being down big for the majority of the game likely played a role in the playing time disrepency. Harris has talent for days and will surely come around as he gains valuable experience, but for now Jennings appears to be the passer most capable of leading the Tigers to victory.
Jennings was inconsistent in the opener, completing 9-of-21 passes for 239 yards and two TDs. If not for those two scoring passes, which totaled 106 yards, Jennings’ numbers would have looked even worse.
Both QBs will have to show more against Sam Houston. While neither turned the ball over against the Badgers, Jennings did fumble the ball once, although it was recovered by Leonard Fournette before Wisconsin could fall on it. Another turnover-free game would be a good step forward on the road to finding solid play at the position.
The coaching staff seems ready to roll with whichever QB can provide the most consistency under center, and both will get their chances to impress on Saturday.
“We still like both quarterbacks,” Miles said during his weekly radio show on Wednesday. “I think Anthony Jennings has done a really good job initially, but we’re looking forward to getting snaps for Brandon Harris and doing things we’re specifically asking of him.”
Coaches will no doubt be looking to see how Harris responds to an increase in playing time, assuming one is coming this week and next against Louisiana-Monroe, and it’s hard to imagine any kind of resolution on the position coming before then. For now, both QBs will have to get accustomed to developing a rhythm while sharing time.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
