Neither Hatch nor Lee expected to compete for a first-team nod this soon. That job had been all but assured to Perrilloux, who in 2007 effectively played the role of change-of-pace option threat, then turned in an MVP performance while starting for the injured Flynn in the SEC championship.

This season, however, Perrilloux is trying to save his once promising football career at Jacksonville State, after Miles urged the super-talented quarterback to start fresh at a Championship Subdivision school so he wouldn’t have to sit out a season after transferring.

“It was unfortunate what happened to Ryan, you know? You never want to see a teammate leave,” Lee said. “Andrew and I realize it’s our time to step up.”

Hatch and Lee split all snaps during LSU spring practice. The 6-foot-2, 216-pound Lee impressed teammates with his throwing, the 6-4, 224-pound Hatch with his all-around athleticism and ability to run the option.

Hatch ended up at LSU in part because of a knee injury that occurred while he was playing pickup soccer in Chile. He had taken time off from Harvard for a Mormon mission, but had to return home to rehabilitate a torn meniscus.

That’s when Tigers offensive coordinator Gary Crowton, who recruited Hatch for BYU, talked the quarterback into transferring to LSU. Hatch joined the team as a walk-on, but earned a scholarship soon after.

“Yeah, I didn’t take the typical route,” Hatch said. “I just feel really good about being here.”

And why not? He’s vying to start in front of Tiger Stadium crowds exceeding 90,000 on fall Saturday nights, and his competition for the job has become his good friend off the field.

“If you’re competing against someone, it’s nice that it’s a great guy like Jarrett Lee,” Hatch said.

Hatch said he and Lee are working well together and improving together. Both say they can foresee and wouldn’t mind sharing snaps during the regular season, and they suspect that whoever starts will play better than some might expect.

“We had the chance to get good experience in the spring. I think that will be big,” Hatch said. “We’re working hard. We’ve had this whole camp to work and get comfortable with our teammates and just build off what we started. So I think people can estimate us however they want. We’re just going to focus on doing our jobs.”

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