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Can Brandon Harris win games for LSU if opponents stop Leonard Fournette?
By John Brasier
Published:
Leonard Fournette has rushed for 1,352 yards and 15 touchdowns in only seven games. He’s added 58 yards in pass receptions.
His LSU teammates have combined for only 810 yards and 9 TDs. Quarterback Brandon Harris has thrown for 1,098 yards and 9 TDs.
The stats make a clear case — the Tigers offense has revolved around Fournette.
So what happens if an opponent — none has yet — manages to hold Fournette in check? Can Harris lead the Tigers (7-0, 4-0 SEC) if an opponent — Ole Miss or Alabama, for example — prevents Fournette from rolling up his customary 200 yards on the ground at almost 7 yards per carry?
That’s a tough question. If a defense were good enough to control Fournette without committing extra defenders or deploying a scheme focused on stopping Fournette, it would be much tougher.
But possible. Harris has shown an ability to move the ball through the air, completing 58.6 percent of this throws, averaging 8.6 yards per attempt without an interception on 128 throws.
Most teams, though, will focus added attention to Fournette, giving Harris more opportunity to run himself or find a group of talented receivers, including Travin Dural and Malachi Dupre, who have combined for 45 catches for 823 yards and 7 TDs.
The best argument that LSU’s offense would stall if Fournette is controlled came in a season-opening 21-19 victory over Mississippi State.
Fournette was called on for 47 carries. He rolled up 266 yards and 3 TDs, but averaged only 5.6 yards per carry. Harris threw for only 71 yards on 9 of 14 passing as the Tigers had their lowest scoring output.
But Harris has improved throughout the season. Two weeks ago, in the Tigers’ 35-28 victory over previously unbeaten Florida, Harris completed 13 of 19 passes for 202 yards and 2 TDs.
So can Harris lead the Tigers to victory without a big performance from Fournette? There’s no way to tell — no team has been able to stop the nation’s premier running back.
Harris is a dual threat. He’s improved throughout the season. With Dural and Dupre, he has big-play threats as passing targets. So Fournette is not the Tigers’ only option on offense.
