Myles Brennan's willingness to wait longer than most quarterbacks has been among his main reasons for praise.
And, following his first career start Saturday, his hesitance may have quickly become his biggest criticism.
No. 6 LSU's 44-34 loss to unranked Mississippi State left plenty of reasons for frustration for the reigning national champions — including their new quarterback.
"We made too many mistakes," coach Ed Orgeron said. "We did not protect the quarterback. When we did protect the quarterback, we were late on some throws. We weren't right on a couple reads. Myles didn't make some good plays. We dropped too many balls. I think our offense woke up in the second. We ran the ball a little bit better. But just way too many mistakes."
Brennan completed 27 of 46 pass attempts for 345 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
The pass attempts marked the sixth-most in a game by any quarterback in program history.
His completions tied for No. 14, and his 345 yards weren't far from the top 10 prior to predecessor Joe Burrow's 378-yard average in 2019 rewrote the record books.
"I went out there, and I gave it my all — just like this team did," Brennan said. "But I didn't feel like I was trying to be anybody that I wasn't or do anything that I wasn't capable of doing."
No other quarterback has thrown for 300 yards in his first start in at least 20 years — if ever.
And only three of the other 15 passers since 1999 threw multiple touchdowns in their first start, let alone matched Brennan's three.
Ryan Perrilloux's exceptional spot start for an injured Matt Flynn against Middle Tennessee State in 2007 managed that feat.
And Brennan's second interception came on a prayer as time expired in a game already out of reach.
"I saw some inconsistencies," Orgeron said. "I thought that he threw the deep ball well. I thought there were some guys that were open (but) he had some pressure, didn't step up in the pockets and made the right reads at the time. But it's all gotta start in protection, man. We've gotta protect. We've gotta run the football better. We got beat up front."
Mississippi State held LSU's three running backs to 117 yards on 27 attempts and sacked Brennan seven times.
"There were some plays where we had too many (defensive) guys free, so that's protection," Orgeron said ."But there were some times where he could've stood in the pocket, got rid of the ball a little bit quicker, and he didn't do it. So I think it was a combination of both of 'em."
Brennan averaged 2.87 seconds to throw Saturday — the longest duration of any quarterback during the SEC's opening weekend — including 3.14 second in the pocket — the second-most in the conference.
Just an SEC-low 28% of his attempt are in less than 2.5 seconds
"I would say the first thing is making sure I'm not holding onto the ball too long," Brennan told LSU staff member Cody Worsham in a post-game interview. "We have to go back and make sure my protection checks were good, and all around we just have to make sure we're all on the same page.
"But, personally, I want to make sure that my eyes were in the right place, that I'm making the right reads and that I'm making the throws that I need to make. And I think from there, we'll be just fine."
The Tigers' quarterback completed 21 of his 29 attempts (72.4%) for 250 yards and one touchdown when holding the ball for three seconds or less.
When holding the ball for three seconds or longer, he completed just seven of 18 attempts (38.9%) for 105 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
"Mississippi State had a lot of hole-droppers, as we call them," Brennan said, during his postgame press conference, regarding his hesitation. "It was backers just spot-dropping. They were dropping to certain spots of the field, which was taking away my throwing lanes. So certain plays, there were guys directly in my throwing lane, and I'm not gonna force a ball with a guy standing right in front of our receiver. So that's just things to look at and get better at and move forward."
First career starts (1999-2020)
Myles Brennan (2020)
vs. Mississippi State — Sept. 26 in Tiger Stadium
27-for-46 (58.7%), 345 yards, 3 touchdowns, 2 interceptions
Loss, 44-34
Joe Burrow (2018)
vs. Miami — Sept. 2 in Arlington, Texas
11-for-24 (45.8%), 140 yards
Win, 33-17
Danny Etling (2016)
vs. Mississippi State — Sept. 16 in Tiger Stadium
19-for-30 (63.3%), 215 yards, 1 touchdown
Win, 23-20
Brandon Harris (2014)
at Auburn — Oct. 4 at Jordan-Hare Stadium
3-for-14 (21.4%), 58 yards
Loss, 41-7
Anthony Jennings (2013)
vs. Iowa — Jan. 1, 2014, in Outback Bowl
7-for-19 (36.8%), 82 yards, 1 interception
Win, 21-14
Zach Mettenberger (2012)
vs. North Texas — Sept. 1, in Tiger Stadium
19-for-26 (73.1%), 192 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception
Win, 41-14
Jordan Jefferson (2008)
at Arkansas — Nov. 28, in Little Rock, Ark.
9-for-21 (42.9%), 143 yards, 2 touchdowns
Loss, 31-30
Jarrett Lee (2008)
vs. Mississippi State — Sept. 27, in Tiger Stadium
18-for-27 (66.7%), 261 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception
Win, 34-24
Andrew Hatch (2008)
vs. Appalachian State — Aug. 30, in Tiger Stadium
7-for-14 (50%), 77 yards, 1 touchdown
Win, 41-13
Ryan Perrilloux (2007)
vs. Middle Tennessee State — Sept. 15, in Tiger Stadium
20-for-25 (80%), 298 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception
Win, 44-0
Matt Flynn (2005)
vs. Miami — Dec. 30, in Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
13-for-22 (59.1%), 196 yards, 2 touchdowns
Win, 40-3
JaMarcus Russell (2004)
at Florida — Oct. 9, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
6-for-10 (60%), 56 yards, 2 interceptions
Win, 24-21
Marcus Randall (2002)
at Arkansas — Nov. 29, in Little Rock
14-for-25 (56%), 203 yards, 1 touchdown
Loss, 21-20
Matt Mauck (2002)
vs. Virginia Tech — Sept. 1, at Lane Stadium
15-for-35 (42.9%), 135 yards, 1 interception
Loss, 26-8
Josh Booty (1999)
at Georgia — Oct. 2, at Sanford Stadium
19-for-45 (42.2%), 280, 1 touchdown, 3 interceptions
Loss, 23-22
Rohan Davey (1999)
vs. North Texas — Sept. 11, in Tiger Stadium
6-for-6 (100%), 66 yards, 1 touchdown
Win, 52-0
Craig Nall (1999)
vs. San Jose State — Sept. 4, in Tiger Stadium
6-for-15 (40%), 79 yards, 2 interceptions
Win, 29-21
