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Even though he hasn’t officially named a starter yet, Les Miles is doing the right thing by going with Danny Etling at quarterback this weekend.
Please note that this statement is not an indictment of Brandon Harris. Sure, he’s struggled at times throughout his career, but the fact of the matter is that he did guide the Tigers to a 9-3 record as the starting quarterback last year. That’s no small accomplishment, especially in a division as loaded as the SEC West.
With that said, it’s time to pass the torch to Etling. He earned the right to start with his solid performance on Saturday night. Much like Harris did early in his career, Etling came off the bench to provide a spark for the LSU offense, leading it to touchdowns on his first three drives. Although he only completed 6 of 14 passes for 100 yards, his mere presence under center opened up things for the running game, which could only muster four yards on its first two possessions as it tried to get Harris going early.
Despite his strong showing against Jacksonville State, some people are reluctant for Miles to make a move based on what happened in the past. As every Tiger fan remembers, the team faced a similar dilemma in 2014. With Anthony Jennings struggling against New Mexico State, Miles turned to Harris, who completed 7 of 11 passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns. He played so well in relief that Miles decided to start him against Auburn the following week.
That didn’t work out so well. Harris struggled against the Auburn defense, completing just 3 of 14 passes for 58 yards before getting pulled in the third quarter in favor of Jennings, who didn’t fare much better. For the evening, LSU went three-and-out six times, and failed to pickup a third down conversion, going 0-for-13.
While the last two paragraphs present a compelling argument, this year’s situation is much different. After all, Harris was making his first career start in 2014. However, Etling has 12 career starts under his belt, including three against ranked opponents. Given how awful the Purdue pass protection was when he was there (63 sacks allowed in two seasons), Etling knows how to make tough throws under pressure. Since he was constantly running for his life as the Boilermakers’ starting quarterback, the aggressive pass rushes of the SEC shouldn’t faze him.
Even though it won’t matter this week since the Tigers play at home, it’s worth noting that Etling has played extremely well away from home in his career. In four road/neutral games, he’s completed 95 of 147 passes (64.6%) 1,102 yards with 7 touchdowns. That’s significantly better than the numbers that the Tigers posted in those games last year (62 of 122 for 934 yards and 4 TDs in five games).
Simply put: Etling is the Tigers’ best option at quarterback right now. He gives the Tigers an experienced option under center, who can prevent opposing defenses from crowding the box to stop Leonard Fournette. With the added threat of a passing game, LSU’s offense will be able to get back on track, which should make it a contender in the SEC West this season.
