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LSU’s Hole
08/08/08 - 05:32 PM
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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - One of the leading candidates to start
at quarterback for mighty LSU is known more for enrolling at
Harvard than his ability to throw a football.
The total of Andrew Hatch’s game experience since he transferred
to LSU last year is a few minutes of unremarkable mop-up duty. His
top competition for the job is also his golfing buddy, redshirt
freshman Jarrett Lee, who has yet to take a snap in a real game.
This wasn’t the way it was supposed to play out in Baton Rouge
this year, but Les Miles lost confidence in Ryan Perrilloux’s
ability to show up for class and stay out of trouble, so he sent
the electrifying junior packing.
The result is a hole at the most important position on the field
for a team that otherwise seems very capable of defending its
national title. Worried, Tigers? Nope.
“We’ve got so much talent surrounding the quarterback, it’s
going to be hard for them to lose a game,” said LSU defensive end
Tyson Jackson. “With the coaching staff we have, we can make
adjustments throughout the game and put our quarterbacks in the
best position possible. ... We’ll be fine.”
Before dismissing Jackson as delusional, consider this: The last
two times the Tigers won a BCS title - the 2003 and 2007 seasons -
they did so with low-profile quarterbacks in their first full
seasons as starters.
Matt Mauck and Matt Flynn were not flashy. They didn’t have to
be. They won by keeping mistakes to a minimum and efficiently
distributing the ball among top playmakers.
If there’s a difference this year, it’s that Mauck and Flynn had
won big games before taking over full-time.
Mauck was subbed into the 2001 Southeastern Conference title
game for injured Rohan Davey and spearheaded a comeback victory
over Tennessee. He also started early in 2002 before a
season-ending broken foot.
As a sophomore in 2005, Flynn filled in for injured JaMarcus
Russell in the Peach Bowl, when LSU demolished Miami.
Hatch’s only playing experience at LSU came at the end of a 44-0
blowout of Middle Tennessee early last season. He was 1-of-2
passing for 9 yards and rushed four times for 27 yards. Bothered by
a sore shoulder that required arthroscopic surgery, Hatch did not
play again and received a medical redshirt for last season, meaning
he’ll again be a sophomore in terms of eligibility.
Beyond that, his college experience is limited to playing on
Harvard’s junior varsity squad as a freshman, which included a
start against Yale, when he threw for a touchdown and ran for
another in the JV version of “The Game.”
In other words, it’s hard to know what Hatch or Lee can really
do in the SEC.
Miles’ primary advice for the QBs is avoid trying to do too much
- especially given the talent and experience LSU has among its
offensive line, running backs and receivers.
The starter will be “the most consistent performer, the guy
that makes the play, the guy that is least likely to turn it over,
least likely to make poor decisions,” Miles said.
In essence, Miles is urging Hatch and Lee to follow the examples
of Mauck and Flynn.
“We’ve just got to execute the offense, just make good
decisions and get the ball to our guys, because we’ve got a lot of
talent,” said Hatch, who like Lee got to study the way Flynn
managed the offense last season.
LSU’s returning talent includes running backs Keiland Williams,
Charles Scott and Richard Murphy. At receiver, Demetrius Byrd,
Brandon LaFell and Terrance Toliver are back, along with tight end
Richard Dickson. Also returning is speedy Trindon Holliday, a
running and receiving threat.
The Tigers also appear to have a formidable defense, so they
won’t likely need a ton of points to win.
“We’ve got so many good veterans around us,” Lee said. “We
realize all we have to do is just get the ball in playmakers’ hands
and make great decisions and the rest will take care of itself.”
Neither Hatch nor Lee expected to compete for a first-team nod
this soon. That job had been all but assured to Perrilloux, who in
2007 effectively played the role of change-of-pace option threat,
then turned in an MVP performance while starting for the injured
Flynn in the SEC championship.
This season, however, Perrilloux is trying to save his once
promising football career at Jacksonville State, after Miles urged
the super-talented quarterback to start fresh at a Championship
Subdivision school so he wouldn’t have to sit out a season after
transferring.
“It was unfortunate what happened to Ryan, you know? You never
want to see a teammate leave,” Lee said. “Andrew and I realize
it’s our time to step up.”
Hatch and Lee split all snaps during LSU spring practice. The
6-foot-2, 216-pound Lee impressed teammates with his throwing, the
6-4, 224-pound Hatch with his all-around athleticism and ability to
run the option.
Hatch ended up at LSU in part because of a knee injury that
occurred while he was playing pickup soccer in Chile. He had taken
time off from Harvard for a Mormon mission, but had to return home
to rehabilitate a torn meniscus.
That’s when Tigers offensive coordinator Gary Crowton, who
recruited Hatch for BYU, talked the quarterback into transferring
to LSU. Hatch joined the team as a walk-on, but earned a
scholarship soon after.
“Yeah, I didn’t take the typical route,” Hatch said. “I just
feel really good about being here.”
And why not? He’s vying to start in front of Tiger Stadium
crowds exceeding 90,000 on fall Saturday nights, and his
competition for the job has become his good friend off the field.
“If you’re competing against someone, it’s nice that it’s a
great guy like Jarrett Lee,” Hatch said.
Hatch said he and Lee are working well together and improving
together. Both say they can foresee and wouldn’t mind sharing snaps
during the regular season, and they suspect that whoever starts
will play better than some might expect.
“We had the chance to get good experience in the spring. I
think that will be big,” Hatch said. “We’re working hard. We’ve
had this whole camp to work and get comfortable with our teammates
and just build off what we started. So I think people can estimate
us however they want. We’re just going to focus on doing our
jobs.”

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