LSU Tigers

Miles is confident in young signal-caller Harris

Published Sep. 16, 2015 12:02 p.m. ET

foxsports

The contest versus Auburn on Saturday means a lot to LSU quarterback Brandon Harris.

As a true freshman a year ago, he was apart of the 41-7 beat down suffered at the hands of Gus Malzahn's team. In that game, Harris went 3-of-14 for 58 yards. His inexperience and tentative nature was truly on display. Simply put, it was a disaster for the signal-caller and Les Miles' team in general.

Fast-forward to this year, and Harris is looking to atone for the poor game. LSU did a nice job of involving him in the season opening win over Mississippi State. Miles and his staff didn't ask him to do a lot in terms of throwing the football. Harris' job was to take care of the rock and manage the game, two things he did exceptionally well.

LSU will rely on its strong ground-game versus virtually every opponent. The fact Harris threw for only 71 yards versus MSU is a bit misleading. Leonard Fournette was on-fire rushing the football, and it was a hostile environment for a true sophomore to go into. The McNeese State game would've been a perfect launching point for Harris to not only gain confidence, but also theoretically rack up yards throwing the football down the field.

As it stands, Miles appears confident his sophomore signal-caller can do the job for LSU.

#LSU coach Les Miles: Harris more ready to be more an integral part of a successful football team.
— Jim Kleinpeter (@JimKleinpeter) September 16, 2015

Miles on Harris last year vs. #Auburn: "He's immensely more experienced. His game readiness ... he's more prepared."
— Ross Dellenger (@DellengerAdv) September 16, 2015