Brandon Harris watched Purdue transfer Danny Etling throw a 46-yard touchdown pass on the sidelines. Has Harris been benched by LSU head coach Les Miles?
The LSU Tigers have struggled to move the chains aerially for years under head coach Les Miles. Yes, LSU has an elite running back in Leonard Fournette, but he isn’t playing in the Tigers’ Week 2 matchup against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks.
LSU quarterback Brandon Harris has not progressed in offensive coordinator Cam Cameron’s offense in 2016. Down early to Jacksonville State, Miles opts to go with former Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Danny Etling. Etling throws a 46-yard touchdown to put the Tigers up 7-3. Yahoo! Sports’ Pat Forde points out something peculiar: Has Harris been benched?
Purdue transfer Danny Etling in at QB for LSU, throws 46-yard TD. Brandon Harris' time as LSU's first-string QB may be over.
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) September 11, 2016
With Miles very much on the hot seat in the early part of the 2016 college football season, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Tigers go with Etling the rest of the way in this home opener. Harris has been given ample opportunities to be the starting quarterback at LSU, but has grossly failed to live up to marginal expectations.
LSU has great defensive personnel, an All-American at running back, and arguably the best home-field advantage in college football. However, continued quarterback issues has put Miles’ job in jeopardy. Tiger Nation is growing restless with the abysmal quarterback play from Harris.
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While Etling is probably not going to be a Drew Brees or Kyle Orton-type of signal caller, LSU and Miles are desperate to rectify this ongoing quarterback problem. LSU needs a game-manager, not a first-round pro-style prospect to win ball games. One could easily argue that Harris has been benched in favor of Etling. Is this the spark LSU needs to win in SEC play?