No. 14 Wisconsin vs. No. 13 LSU
KICKOFF: Saturday, 9 p.m. ET
GAMEDATE: 8/30/14
SITE: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
TV: ESPN
SERIES: LSU leads 2-0 and won the last meeting 27-7 in 1972.
KEYS TO THE GAME
The LSU football season starts Saturday, but that doesn’t mean the quarterback competition is over. Not by a long shot.
The Tigers’ first depth chart of the season lists sophomore Anthony Jennings and freshman Brandon Harris as first team, separated by the “or” designation, meaning neither has won the starting job and both will play in the season opener against Wisconsin in Houston.
The co-quarterback situation isn’t by design, at least not in the sense that coach Les Miles feels there’s a strategic advantage to playing both quarterbacks.
It’s a byproduct of neither player clearly winning — or losing — the job in preseason, so it’s useful to see both under game conditions. Whether this first game yields a clear-cut starter moving forward remains to be seen.
“Who goes on to the field first is significant,” Miles said without revealing who that will be, “but it’s really going to be about their best play, and we are looking forward to that happening.”
Both players are dual threats so neither presents a significantly different challenge than the other to opposing defenses. So there’s no reason to play both, if and win one establishes himself as the better of the two.
“Right now, if there was one quarterback that gave us all the advantages to play, then at some point in time, that guy would be our starter after he determined that it was an advantage to his team to play him in all situations from start to finish,” Miles said. “That separation has not occurred. We are preparing to play both guys. If those things happen, it will certainly play out in front of us, but competition will make that work.”
So the two-quarterback system will continue as long as the two quarterbacks are essentially equal.
“If we were certain, then I promise you, we would play the one guy that would give us all the advantage,” Miles said. “But, if two guys can give us greater advantage than one guy, then let’s certainly play two.”
The No. 14 Badgers finally ended their own quarterback derby when second-year coach Gary Andersen named junior Tanner McEvoy the starter for the season opener.
McEvoy, who saw playing time last season as a wide receiver and safety, won the job over Joel Stave, who started 19 games over the last two seasons. The 6-foot-6, 222-pound McEvoy, who started three games at safety and tallied 27 tackles and one interception, originally started his career at South Carolina and took advantage of getting extra reps with Stave recovering from a right shoulder injury suffered in the Capital One Bowl loss.
Andersen, though, said McEvoy’s spot at the top of the depth chart might not last long.
“Whoever takes the first snap doesn’t necessarily say he’s going to be the guy for the whole season,” Andersen said. “We’ve got two kids who want to compete and will continue to compete. That’s where we’re going to stay with it.”
McEvoy’s first start in a UW uniform certainly won’t be easy, with the Tigers, from the SEC, brimming with talent, speed and looking to move up the rankings. The national spotlight will be on the Badgers and Tigers as well, with the game being played Saturday night at Reliant Stadium in Houston.
“I think it’s a great time to play this game,” Andersen said. “What we can gain from the non-football side, as far as playing the game, it helps us in an area we want to recruit in. It helps us play an SEC opponent. It’s the first game of the year. It’s on national television. It’s going to be it’s a primetime game. So all that stuff is great for the University of Wisconsin. All that stuff is great for the football program. On the field, I think we get a real good idea of how we stack up against one of the best programs in the country year in and year out. That’s exactly where LSU sits, and the respect we have for them is very, very high.”
Junior tailback Melvin Gordon can thrust himself into the front of the line for the Heisman Trophy talk with a big performance against the Tigers. Always a physical, fast and tough unit, the LSU defense is gearing its sight on stopping Gordon and his running mate, Corey Clement. Gordon said the Badgers want to show the nation that they have the same level of talent as the Tigers.
“When you go to Wisconsin, that’s all you ever hear,” Gordon said. “I’ve been hearing it all my life. If (LSU) wants to think that, that’s fine, but we’re going to come to play. Coach Andersen is trying to change that. We’re trying to finish. We’re trying to win the big games and this is the year to start. Why not?”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Badgers
–RB Melvin Gordon is considered one of the frontrunners for the Heisman Trophy after a stellar sophomore season. Gordon has immense talent, but elected to stay another year to work on his overall games including becoming a better pass-catcher. Gordon shouldn’t be judged on his performance solely against LSU, but a bad game will be hard to overcome in his pursuit for the Heisman.
–QB Tanner McEvoy was named the starting quarterback over Joel Stave for the opener against LSU. The 6-foot-6, 222-pound McEvoy was a big-time recruit coming out of high school. After playing safety and wide receiver last season, McEvoy receives an opportunity to run UW’s offense.
–LB Derek Landisch sat out part of last week with a strained right hamstring. One of the top four linebackers on the team, Landisch is one of the leaders on the team. The UW defense has a tough challenge trying to contain highly-touted LSU tailback Leonard Fournette.
–NG Warren Herring is part of a young and unheralded starting defensive line that must apply pressure to not let LSU’s offense get comfortable. Herring’s ability to get a push in the middle and disrupt the passing game, while not letting LSU’s offensive line open up running lanes in the middle is essential.
Tigers
–RB Leonard Fournette’s debut might draw more attention than the ongoing battle at quarterback. Fournette was the No. 1 recruit in the country last season and is the most eagerly awaited newcomer at LSU in recent memory. LSU doesn’t need to ride Fournette because it has experienced, capable backs in Kenny Hilliard and Terrence Magee, but this game will provide some insight as to whether Fournette is ready to be the primary ball carrier right out of the box.
–WR Travin Dural is one of the most experienced players in a very inexperienced receiving corps. He’s the guy most likely to be able to get open and create opportunities for both of the quarterbacks to make plays in the passing game.
–DE Danielle Hunter is expected to be the biggest playmaker on the Tigers’ line. LSU needs him to get into the backfield and demand double teams if the pass rush and the line are to improve on the disappointment of last season.
–CB Tre’Davious White emerged as a playmaker on a mostly disappointing defense last season. LSU is looking to create more turnovers on defense this season and he’s the best candidate to do that.