Scooter Hobbs

Ed Orgeron is hopeful to get quarterback Myles Brennan again for LSU’s trip to Auburn Saturday, but also admitted that true freshman TJ Finley’s performance last week means he won’t have to rush Brennan back.

“If Myles is healthy, he’s our first-team quarterback,” Orgeron said Monday, reaffirming his stance following the Tigers’ 52-24 win over South Carolina. “But I’m not putting him in unless he’s 100 percent.”

Orgeron said Brennan would be at “25 percent” when LSU opened practice for Auburn Monday.

“I don’t know yet if he’s going to play,” Orgeron said. “It all depends on how practice goes this week… see what he can do, feel it. He’s probably going to be sore.”

But Orgeron admitted that Finley’s debut performance — 17 of 21 for 265 yards and two touchdowns against the Gamecocks — allowed him the luxury of not rushing Brennan back.

“No question, no question at all,” Orgeron said. “It does factor in that we don’t have to rush Myles because we feel that TJ can do a great job.”

Brennan suffered a abdominal injury late in the first quarter of the Missouri game and was able to play the final three quarters.

His arm is fine, but Orgeron said it’s an injury that hinders his rotation and is hard to predict an exact healing period.

LSU athletic trainer Jack Marucci, Orgeron said “is going to get him accelerated throughout the week. We’re going to see. I don’t know yet if he’s going to play. He may. It all depends on how practice goes this week.”

Brennan’s numbers were better than Finley’s. In his three games Brennan was averaging 371 yards per game and threw for 11 touchdowns.

But the Tigers, who were 0-10 in third-down conversions in the loss to Missouri, were 8 of 10 with Finley leading the offense last week.

“I told you he had a cannon for an arm,” Orgeron said of Finley. “So pleased with TJ’s poise. He looked like a veteran out there. I think that’s what made the difference in the football game.”

The LSU coach also said the other freshman, Max Johnson, could still be in the mix.

It was a close race between him and Finley to take Brennan’s last week.

GONE: LSU starting left tackle Dare Rosenthall is suspended indefinitely from the team and Orgeron does not know when he might be back.

Rosenthall, a 6-7, 327-pound sophomore who did not play or dress out against South Carolina, was the starter for two of the first three games, missing the Vanderbilt contest with an injury.

His spot is being filled by Cam Wire, 6-6, 311-pound sophomore.

FRESHMAN MISTAKE: True freshman Eli Ricks’ 49-yard pick six late in the first half last week was one of the game’s key plays. But it could have been negated with a 15-yard penalty when Ricks did the hand gesture “throwing the deuces” to the trailing South Carolina players before he crossed the goal line.

Orgeron wasn’t sure if Ricks knew that he could have been flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct — as LSU punter Brad Wing famously was in 2011 to wipe out his TD against Florida.

But “He was made aware (of it) by the head coach as soon as he got to the sideline and I wasn’t very happy about it,” Orgeron said. “I don’t like him taking his helmet and celebrating with the crowd. He could have cost us a touchdown. I don’t think you’re going to see that again.”

“I’m going to give him a mulligan on that one, but he ain’t getting a mulligan again.”

HONORS: LSU picked up two honors for the South Carolina game.

Freshman BJ Ojulari, who had three of LSU’s five sacks, was named the SEC defensive lineman of the week. Returner Trey Palmer was named the special teams player of the week for his 93-yard kickoff return, the first by an LSU player in Tiger Stadium since Eric Martin in 1981.

Auburn wide receiver Seth Williams, who LSU will deal with this week, was named the SEC co-offensive player of the week after catching eight passes for 150 yards against Ole Miss, including the gamewinning 42-yard touchdown.LSU’s TJ Finley.

Associated Press