Well, we’ve got a quarterback controversy. It’s not bad yet, but neither candidate really separated himself from the other, and a perusal of the LSU message boards and blogs shows that fans are beginning to line up behind their preferred candidate.
Which always sorts of irritates me. If you go too far down that road, you end up almost cheering against the guy you don’t want so your guy gets the start. We’re not at that place yet, but it’s on the horizon. So I’m begging all LSU fans that even if you a preferred QB candidate, don’t get hung up on being right about him. Neither one has established himself and it’s very much in the air.
OK, caveats aside, look at the numbers:
Lee 6/10, 116 yds, 2 TD/1 INT
Hatch 7/14, 77 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT, 7 rushes for 43 yds
Strictly by the numbers, it’s a dead heat. Lee was slightly more accurate and threw for more yards. Hatch didn’t turn the ball over and had the added dimension of rushing for 43 yards. Both lines are fairly pedestrian, but not bad.
So what about the eyeball test? Hatch looks more comfortable out there. He probably needs to slide a bit more because if he runs like that during a killer defense, he might get killed. Hatch underthrew the ball when he went deep, and the ball seemed like it took a minute to get to the sideline on swing passes. Let’s just say arm strength is not one of his virtues. Almost all of his completions were on short, underneath routes. He looks like the dreaded “game manager”, but it also seems that this is as good as Hatch gets: a reliable guy who can create a bit with his legs but scares no one.
Lee, on the other hand, looks to have more ability. He throws a prettier ball and actually has the dimension of throwing beyond 10 yards, but he wasn’t exactly airing it out either. However, he made some God awful decisions. He locks on one receiver and he is not seeing the field. He’s lucky to have thrown only one pick. He also seemed confused before the snap on a lot of plays. He looked as uncomfortable out there as a guy could. Which to me means he can get better.
Right now, I think Hatch is the better of the two, but he won’t be for long. Lee has more potential, but there is a point potential has to lead to production. Keiland has more potential than our other running backs, but his production is well behind. There’s a reason Scott is the guy. Same thing with the QB’s. Of course, we’re not there yet, but Auburn looms. Someone’s got to step up.