A program source told ESPN before the game that Fournette would not play. The Tigers were hoping to see significant improvement in quarterback Brandon Harris in his junior season, but he has been less than impressive through two starts. LSU ended the game at the Jacksonville State 10-yard line. In the second quarter he completed 6 of 8 passes for 100 yards and LSU scored touchdowns on four consecutive possessions after his entrance to take a 27-10 halftime lead.
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Etling, a junior transfer from Purdue, came off the bench in the second quarter and easily outplayed incumbent junior starter Brandon Harris in the Tigers’ 34-13 victory over Jacksonville State on Saturday, and Miles dropped hints that Etling would start the next game.
LSU quarterback Danny Etling (16) throws a touchdown pass to tight end DeSean Smith, not pictured, in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016. Etling throws a 46-yard touchdown to put the Tigers up 7-3. Suddenly, a running game wasn’t almost such castor oil for Tiger fans to swallow.
After a Donte Jackson interception and 40-yard return set the Tigers up at the Gamecocks 45, Guice had a 29-yard burst to the 16 that set up Etling’s 2-yard scoring run.
LSU never looked back, beating the Gamecocks 34-13.
Etling’s performance was not entirely unblemished.
But the storybook script changed during the second half when Etling had zero completions and one interception in six attempts.
Without Leonard Fournette, who was out with an ankle injury.
“We will need both guys to play in every game”, Miles stated. In his place, Derrius Guice stepped up to fill the void with 155 rushing yards on 19 carries, including a 4-yard touchdown run.
Etling finished 6-of-14 for 100 yards and the touchdown. I think we’re fortunate to have real quality backs to turn to when you have a guy like Leonard Fournette out. Jenkins hit Krenwic Sanders over the middle for a 76 yard touchdown pass to quiet the home crowd and cut the LSU lead to 13-10 with 3:55 to play in the second quarter. JSU fields several transfers from top-tier Football Bowl Subdivision programs, including former LSU receiver Kevin Spears, who caught two passes for 51 yards.
Against Jacksonville State, Maea Teuhema replaced Boutte, but Miles did not indicate who will start this week. Jenkins is easily on pace to eclipse the 10,000-yard mark in career total yards by the end of this season. The score culminated a 33-yard, eight-play march to give JSU a 3-0 lead.
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The Gamecocks, No. 5 in the nation in the FCS, return to pick on somebody their own size next week, hosting Coastal Carolina at 1 p.m.at Burgess-Snow Stadium. White fielded a punt near the LSU 40, reversed his field almost straight backwards, then turned wide right and rambled 60 yards for a touchdown and 27-10 LSU lead with 20 seconds to play before halftime.
