A true freshman will start at quarterback for LSU when it faces Auburn on the road Saturday night.
Head coach Les Miles announced Monday that Brandon Harris will make his first career start against the fifth-ranked Tigers ahead of sophomore Anthony Jennings. Harris and Jennings had been splitting time under center for No. 15 LSU throughout the season, but Miles decided that it is time to give the nod for Saturday night’s primetime game at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
A true freshman hasn’t started for LSU at quarterback since Jordan Jefferson did so in 2008, but Miles conceded that “it wasn’t a difficult decision” to go with Harris over Jennings going forward.
Harris, in LSU’s win over New Mexico State over the weekend, completed 11-of-14 passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns while also scoring twice on the ground. Harris came on in relief of Jennings, who committed three turnovers – two interceptions and one fumble – in his worst outing of the season.
Harris has been far more efficient in LSU’s offense this season, completing 22-of-30 passes (73.3 percent) for 394 yards with six touchdowns and one interception. By comparison, Jennings has completed 42-of-83 passes (50.6 percent) for 734 yards for five touchdowns and three interceptions. On the ground, Harris has 108 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 16 attempts compared to 76 yards rushing and no scores on 38 attempts for Jennings.
Going up against Auburn on the road is a tough task for any quarterback, let alone a true freshman. Harris faces a big challenge Saturday night, but he has proven to be the better option for the Tigers at quarterback moving forward and it could be argued that this was a decision Miles should have made a few weeks ago.
For more LSU news, visit TigerBait.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
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