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You’re not feeling heartburn because you recently had some gumbo. You’re feeling it because you’re tired of hearing about LSU’s struggles at quarterback.
Well, believe it or not, this year seems a little different for Brandon Harris and the Tigers. What is more surprising? The fact that LSU has no losses after seven games or the reality that Harris has no interceptions?
Considering LSU’s decade-plus of success under Les Miles, it has to be Harris’ error-free season. But as the sophomore from Bossier City, La., enters the biggest game of his career this Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, it’s fair to ask whether the Tigers can win a matchup of this magnitude with Harris under center.
In Leonard Fournette, Harris has the best running back in the country at his disposal. In Travin Dural and Malachi Dupre, he has a pair of capable targets, even though each wideout is averaging only 3 catches per game. But the most important thing that Harris has is the experience he’s picking up from week to week, especially over the last three. In wins over South Carolina, Florida and Western Kentucky, Harris has thrown for at least 200 yards and 2 TDs in each.
Granted, none of those defenses are as good as Alabama’s. The Crimson Tide is leading the SEC in total defense, allowing only 275.8 yards per game. Bama’s rushing defense is also the conference’s best and could very well shut down Fournette, which would make Harris and LSU one-dimensional. But despite the daunting task ahead of him, Harris is starting to gain believers.
“I think he’s very significant,” said Verne Lundquist, who will call Saturday night’s game along with analyst Gary Danielson for CBS. “He’s got three in a row now where he’s thrown in excess of 200 yards. Coaches will refer to their quarterbacks as ‘game managers.’ That means he doesn’t screw up. Right now, I think Harris is growing every week. He’s growing into a significant contributor for this team.”
The biggest contribution Harris can make for LSU is keeping turnovers to a minimum, something he has already done this year with no picks in 128 attempts. If Alabama foils Fournette, which is entirely possible, LSU might not even need another 200-yard passing game from Harris. The Tigers could ask him to run the ball more, something he did successfully last year when he averaged more than 6 yards a carry. But against Alabama’s vaunted front seven, that could be a faulty strategy.
So LSU might end up relying on Harris’ arm after all, which might not be the worst approach. Under Harris, LSU is tops in the SEC in yards per play (7.2) and 2nd in scoring offense (38.9). And even though Alabama boasts a solid secondary that features upperclassmen Cyrus Jones, Eddie Jackson and Geno Matias-Smith along with fabulous freshmen Marlon Humphrey and Minkah Fitzpatrick, the Tide is 5th in the conference in passing defense, allowing 197.3 yards a game.
Coincidentally, LSU is actually worse at defending the pass, but like Harris, Bama QB Jacob Coker is still developing, and his splits indicate that he has actually been better on the road, a season-long trend that the Tigers hope he continues.
Quarterbacks aside, Mother Nature might be the biggest factor this week. Rain is expected at Bryant-Denny Stadium, which could make both teams’ passing games irrelevant. But like Lundquist, Miles is confident Harris can do anything offensive coordinator Cam Cameron asks him to do, regardless of the weather.
“He’s much more of a student of the game than he’s been,” Miles said of Harris. “He has learned the throws and the routes that make those plays successful.”
Harris’ learning curve will grow exponentially on Saturday night. But at this crucial point of the season, he apparently has the skills — and the weapons — he needs to pass the toughest test of his career.
Stan Chrapowicki is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, Alabama and Auburn.
