More head games than headway in LSU quarterback race

Published 11:25 am Monday, March 30, 2015

BATON ROUGE — OK, gather ‘round. Bate your breath. Get comfortable.

The LSU football team had a 100-play spring scrimmage Saturday and, of course, the only real question is whether a bona fide quarterback magically appeared during what was truly a beautiful day on campus.

You remember Anthony Jennings. And Brandon Harris.

Yes, they’re still here. Status quo.

Stats? You want stats?

Yes, of course. Try these. And decipher at your own risk, as they might be loosely defined as “off the top of Les Miles’ head” and he was working the media without notes or cue cards.

But Jennings was “8 or 9” of “about 14 or 15” for “about 200 yards” with “two touchdowns early” and “a couple late as well.”

Harris, well, Harris had “22 attempts,” with no further details until, upon cross examination, it turned out to be a “handful” of completions,” which finally was explained as “I have big hands — 10 or 12, something like that.”

Sound (vaguely) encouraging?

Stat-keeping, apparently, is a little more relaxed in the springtime.

It’s not just another reason to be skeptical of spring football reports, but only because there were already plenty enough of them already.

Still, it’s no secret that, while every position for the Tigers will have competition and strive to get better and make progress, the casual fan will trust all but one of those spots to work itself out to be spit-polished ready for prime time in the fall.

Quarterback is a trickier animal, especially at LSU.

Apparently, it’s not as easy as looking at raw statistics, even though Miles said, “We’ll understand every percentage that they’ll have,” perhaps working with more precise data than he releases to the public.

To the great unwashed masses, it’s pretty simple.

Jennings had an entire season last year to get better and didn’t really show any real progress, to the point the Tigers almost quit trying to throw the ball late in the year.

Leonard Fournette had “100-plus yards” in Saturday’s scrimmage, but you expected that.

So …

If there’s any hope, it’s got to be Harris, although he bombed famously in his one start against Auburn. He’s rumored to have the bigger upside, certainly has the arm, if not yet showing any particular grasp of the offense. But the biggest knock against him was, How good could he be if he couldn’t even get a look-see late in the season with what Jennings was up to?

Miles is aware of this. They’re working on it. Diligently.

For now the report cards are rumor and innuendo and a few encouraging tweets.

So these training exercises are being staged with even tighter-than-usual security measures.

Normally, for practice, the media is allowed in for brief glimpses of what the Tigers look like doing pre-practice jumping jacks, and maybe a quick glance at the quarterbacks throwing a few casual spirals to uncovered receivers.

This spring, even that is considered a threat to the general welfare.

So I asked Miles point-blank: What, in a controlled scrimmage, he looks for to determine that the position is improving? What will suggest to him that quarterback play will be better this year?

“I already know they’re better than they were last year,” he said.

Both quarterbacks have agreed wholeheartedly in recent interviews, although both were in post-scrimmage quarantine Saturday.

Jennings, oddly enough, has never lacked for confidence. Harris has always been well spoken in an encouraging sort of way.

“It’s year two (of their competition),” Miles said. “They’ve been through it now, and we expect more out of them.”

But, like really, when will he know?

“To find a real quality quarterback,” Miles said, would be “to have separation of one (from) the other. That’s what we’re looking for. I’m not necessarily seeing that.

“One day it’s Anthony Jennings, (he) has probably performed better more days, but other days its Brandon Harris.”

So this excruciating process continues, with little in the way of hard facts.

Fans will come to the April 18 spring game looking for answers — clues that the coaching staff will likely be trying to hide, or at least skillfully disguise.

The happy talk will escalate in July and especially in August, as even teammates will jump on board with sound bites of how it’s like night and day the way those two guys are now commanding the offense and mentally dissecting defenses.

They will talk a good game.

But the simple truth is that you won’t really know until the season starts for real.

And that’s a lot of time to speculate.

Scooter Hobbs covers LSU athletics. Email him at shobbs@americanpress.com

LSU head coach Les Miles talks with players in the first half of the Music City Bowl NCAA college football game against Notre Dame Tuesday

Mark Humphrey