Quarterbacks not the problem this time

Published 6:00 pm Monday, September 25, 2017

BATON ROUGE — It created a buzz in Tiger Stadium, and of course it was a conversation piece afterwards.

Any mention of the word “quarterback” around LSU is guaranteed to make Tiger fans either flinch or roll their eyes or run for the exits.

It’s become a tradition, this albatross on an otherwise talented program.

So it was big news when starter Danny Etling was yanked midway through the third quarter for true freshman Myles Brennan.

The eternal optimist among Tiger fans always thinks the answer is waiting behind Door No. 2. 

Mostly, though, the decision was curious.

Maybe head coach Ed Orgeron was just watching the play on the field and ignoring the scoreboard. Maybe he didn’t realize that LSU was actually leading 21-10, not the other way around. Even if it felt like that.

 Or maybe it was a diversionary tactic.

The scariest thing, the most telling aspect, of LSU’s 35-26 “victory” over Syracuse was that, for once, the quarterback, whichever one it was, was the least of the Tigers’ problems.

Really.

Let that sink in.

You’re going to need a new scapegoat. It’s going to take some getting used to.

Fortunately, there are many to choose from.

There’s a whole new way of watching LSU football.

Etling, certainly not Brennan, is no All-SEC quarterback, but for now you’re going to have to retire the phrase, “For want of a quarterback …”

Etling was playing fine, or kind of OK, or at least as well as could be expected considering he was running for his life all night. 

He’d thrown two long touchdown passes, one late in the first half, another to open the second half, hadn’t turned it over, had somehow, miraculously, kept his limbs intact while getting familiar with a lot of hideously orange-clad rushers.

What good putting in a true freshman quarterback who’s not very mobile for a fifth-year senior quarterback who’s not very mobile was going to do in that atmosphere is anybody’s guess.

But it was a move made by a coach who’s confident he’s still on a coaching honeymoon.

“We wanted to give Myles Brennan some reps with the game on the line to see what he could do,” Orgeron said.

OK. But kind of strange timing, no?

It didn’t blow up in his face, and Brennan did some good things (and one very bad interception) before Etling did eventually return — with LSU’s lead down to a frightening 28-26 — to lead the Tigers to the clinching touchdown drive.

Orgeron did reiterate that Etling is still LSU’s starter, even feigning surprise that the question even came up.

Nothing to see here, folks, please move along.

We return you to our regularly scheduled programming where …

Quarterback is still the least of LSU’s woes.

Let me repeat: There’s a whole new way to watch LSU football this season.

Yes, it will take some getting used to.

But quarterback, the favorite whipping boy, is a nonissue. It won’t matter who shows up at the position as long as the Tigers’ offensive line can’t block anybody.

And right now, they can’t.

LSU receivers were having some fun with Syracuse’s secondary, but the Tigers seemed hesitant to throw when they couldn’t count on protecting Etling (or Brennan).

And it wasn’t like they had a consistent run game going.

“I’d say that the Syracuse defensive line won,” Orgeron admitted.

So this “victory” for the Tigers was eye-opening.

And not in a good way.

It almost made you want to avert your eyes.

If anything, it was more alarming than last week’s 37-7 debacle at Mississippi State.

It certainly didn’t help that, at the same time the Tigers were struggling with Syracuse, Georgia was hammering Mississippi State 31-3.

But with just a little wishful thinking, you could write off the Starkville humble pie to one bad day at the office. It happens.

But this win, such that it was, was a true reality check.

Those in denial were snapped out of it.

It could be that this is LSU right now. It had fans squinting their eyes and squirming, but this was the Tigers.

LSU couldn’t block Syracuse.

Orgeron talked about “fixing” some things, and certainly they’ll practice dutifully.

Good luck with that.

But when, at the heart of it, you can’t block anybody there really is no quick fix.

If there’s not some big improvement quickly, LSU fans will be bemoaning the good old days when all the Tigers needed was a quarterback.

(Associated Press)