Matt Hayes

AUBURN, Ala. - It took some ugly play early, but LSU has found its starting quarterback.

As bad as it was for LSU quarterbacks Andrew Hatch and Jarrett Lee in the first half of the Tigers' 26-21 victory over Auburn on Saturday night, it was a thing of beauty in the second half for Lee, who shook off a horrible interception returned for a touchdown in the second quarter and now looks like the Tigers' best option at the position.

"Obviously, football is merit-based," said LSU coach Les Miles. "And (Lee) had a helluva game."

It certainly didn't start that way for Lee or Hatch, when they combined to complete 2-of-11 passes for 16 yards and an interception. But that all changed in the second half -- especially after Hatch left the game with a twisted neck. Lee, who looked lost in the first half, suddenly had everything click. He stood tall in the pocket and fired strikes with confidence.

"I just needed to hit a couple of throws and gain some confidence," Lee said. "I knew I would get another chance, and I knew I had to put those mistakes behind me."

It was almost as if Hatch's injury took some of the pressure off Lee, who lost the quarterback competition in fall camp and played in the first two games of the season only as a backup, mopping up wins against Appalachian State and North Texas. In the second half against Auburn, he was nearly flawless. Lee played with confidence and completed 11-of-17 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns -- including the game-winner to Brandon LaFell with 1:03 to play.

He was, more than anything, a completely different player from the first half to the second. And it wasn't because LSU protected better in the second half (protection was poor in both halves), or because the receivers suddenly got open (they were open all game). Lee simply played better, stepping into throws and not backing away or throwing off balance.

"I knew I'd get another chance," Lee said. "It was a matter of making something of it."

Giant steps
New Auburn offensive coordinator Tony Franklin took some heat for the team's sloppy play in the first three weeks of the season. But he couldn't have called a better game against LSU -- and couldn't have had QB Chris Todd more ready to play.

A week after the unit stumbled through an ugly 3-2 win over Mississippi State, Auburn had big plays against the SEC's best defense. The Tigers ran the ball with success, and Todd made some key throws throughout the second half.

Although the personnel is more suited for former coordinator Al Borges' West Coast scheme, the unit made huge strides against LSU -- something that should pay off the rest of the season.

The running man
Todd actually was supposed to be the thrower of the two Auburn quarterbacks. But time after time, he picked up key gains against LSU on zone-read plays or scrambles, and he has given the Tigers' offense an added dimension.

His numbers didn't show it because of negative yards from sacks (10 carries, -1 yards), but his ability to run forced the LSU defense to account for him and opened up running lanes for tailbacks Brad Lester and Ben Tate. More importantly, Todd's running -- he had -32 yards on 11 carries going into the game -- kept LSU from focusing on pressure packages to disrupt the passing game.

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And that's where Todd (250 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT) played better than he has all season. His arm strength still isn't near what it was in junior college, before he hurt his shoulder (Todd still has pain when he throws). And he throws floaters in precarious situations. But every time Auburn needed a big pass, Todd scrambled from the rush and found an open receiver. His biggest play was a 58-yard pass to Tim Hawthorne to set up a go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.

Problems down the road?
LSU's aggressive defense is vulnerable to big gains from scrambling quarterbacks. The man-under scheme doesn't account for the quarterback, and Todd -- not the nimblest of athletes -- took advantage of it.

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The issue down the road: What happens when LSU travels to Gainesville to play Florida and QB Tim Tebow? Or, heck, Ole Miss and athletic quarterback Jevan Snead? Even Georgia runs some zone-read with quarterback Matt Stafford, who is a pure drop-back passer.

Until LSU shows it can defend the quarterback on the run, more teams will try to exploit the weakness.