I’ll say it.
Sam Leavitt is good. And he’s getting better.
The same signal caller who was ducking, dodging and darting all over the backfield against Clemson and Ole Miss is settling, surveying and slinging the ball from the pocket over the last month.
Against Texas A&M, McNeese, Kentucky and Mississippi State, Leavitt is completing 77 percent of his throws, averaging 263 yards per game and has thrown 11 touchdowns against three interceptions. He played his first turnover-free day versus the Bulldogs on Saturday. That must continue.
In that four-game stretch since the Ole Miss loss, he’s carried the ball 24 times. That number was 41, nearly double, over the first three weeks.
Credit Charlie Weis Jr., Dane Stevens and Lane Kiffin for that development.
No play on Saturday better demonstrated Leavitt’s progression than his final touchdown pass of the game. On third and five from the State six, Leavitt took the shotgun snap and sensed a free Bulldog blitzer screaming off the offensive right side. A month ago, Leavitt would have tried to shimmy free and run. Instead, he let the play develop, slid back and to his left while Malik Elzy came open over the middle at the goalline. Pitch and catch. Touchdown.
The injuries to Kamario Taylor and Fluff Bothwell crippled the State offense, but Zach Arnett’s Bulldog defense was at full strength. Leavitt’s unit marched down for points on five of their first six possession, save the quick drive before the end of the first half. The only exception was a fumble by Stacy Gage early in the second quarter.
Leavitt is not a perfect player. He’s not a threat to win the Heisman Trophy or be the first pick in the NFL Draft. He’s also a dynamic athlete with a well-respected work ethic, plenty of arm and a coachable attitude.
LSU has to walk a high wire for the next six weeks, and he’s the central figure in the show.
The offensive line needs to play better. The defense has to show up against capable quarterback play. Some of these injuries need to heal up. The Tigers have to shake a six-game road losing streak.
All that said, Leavitt’s development and level of play are as important as anything moving forward.
Saturday was another step in the right direction.
Auburn has its warts, and Texas’s issues have been exposed over the last two weeks. Tennessee has quarterback problems, and Arkansas is a mess. The path for LSU’s late season surge is identifiable if improbable.
If the quarterback elevates his game week-by-week, LSU has as good a shot at making the playoffs as any SEC team outside of Athens.
The once happy-footed redzone runner looks like a pure pocket passer right now.
It’s time to take that on the road.
