updated 5:03 a.m. ET Aug. 9, 2008

BATON ROUGE, La. - One of the leading candidates to start at quarterback for mighty LSU is known more for enrolling at Harvard than his ability to throw a football.

The total of Andrew Hatch’s game experience since he transferred to LSU last year is a few minutes of unremarkable mop-up duty. His top competition for the job is also his golfing buddy, redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee, who has yet to take a snap in a real game.

This wasn’t the way it was supposed to play out in Baton Rouge this year, but Les Miles lost confidence in Ryan Perrilloux’s ability to show up for class and stay out of trouble, so he sent the electrifying junior packing.

The result is a hole at the most important position on the field for a team that otherwise seems very capable of defending its national title. Worried, Tigers? Nope.

“We’ve got so much talent surrounding the quarterback, it’s going to be hard for them to lose a game,” said LSU defensive end Tyson Jackson. “With the coaching staff we have, we can make adjustments throughout the game and put our quarterbacks in the best position possible. ... We’ll be fine.”

Before dismissing Jackson as delusional, consider this: The last two times the Tigers won a BCS title — the 2003 and 2007 seasons — they did so with low-profile quarterbacks in their first full seasons as starters.

Matt Mauck and Matt Flynn were not flashy. They didn’t have to be. They won by keeping mistakes to a minimum and efficiently distributing the ball among top playmakers.

If there’s a difference this year, it’s that Mauck and Flynn had won big games before taking over full-time.

Mauck was subbed into the 2001 Southeastern Conference title game for injured Rohan Davey and spearheaded a comeback victory over Tennessee. He also started early in 2002 before a season-ending broken foot.

As a sophomore in 2005, Flynn filled in for injured JaMarcus Russell in the Peach Bowl, when LSU demolished Miami.

Hatch’s only playing experience at LSU came at the end of a 44-0 blowout of Middle Tennessee early last season. He was 1-of-2 passing for 9 yards and rushed four times for 27 yards. Bothered by a sore shoulder that required arthroscopic surgery, Hatch did not play again and received a medical redshirt for last season, meaning he’ll again be a sophomore in terms of eligibility.

Beyond that, his college experience is limited to playing on Harvard’s junior varsity squad as a freshman, which included a start against Yale, when he threw for a touchdown and ran for another in the JV version of “The Game.”

In other words, it’s hard to know what Hatch or Lee can really do in the SEC.

Miles’ primary advice for the QBs is avoid trying to do too much — especially given the talent and experience LSU has among its offensive line, running backs and receivers.

The starter will be “the most consistent performer, the guy that makes the play, the guy that is least likely to turn it over, least likely to make poor decisions,” Miles said.

In essence, Miles is urging Hatch and Lee to follow the examples of Mauck and Flynn.

“We’ve just got to execute the offense, just make good decisions and get the ball to our guys, because we’ve got a lot of talent,” said Hatch, who like Lee got to study the way Flynn managed the offense last season.

LSU’s returning talent includes running backs Keiland Williams, Charles Scott and Richard Murphy. At receiver, Demetrius Byrd, Brandon LaFell and Terrance Toliver are back, along with tight end Richard Dickson. Also returning is speedy Trindon Holliday, a running and receiving threat.

The Tigers also appear to have a formidable defense, so they won’t likely need a ton of points to win.

“We’ve got so many good veterans around us,” Lee said. “We realize all we have to do is just get the ball in playmakers’ hands and make great decisions and the rest will take care of itself.”

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