Ironic Path Should Lead to Zach Mettenberger Starting for LSU

Two wrongs don’t make a right — unless you’re an LSU football fan. Arrests made nearly a year-and-a-half apart in two separate states could result in the quarterback many Tiger faithful hoped to see starting the 2011 campaign doing just that.

Jordan Jefferson’s involvement in “an altercation” outside a Baton Rouge bar will lead to the Tigers’ first team quarterback’s arrest Monday, according to CBSsports.com report Tom Fornelli. That should open the door for Mettenberger, who ironically is only on the LSU roster because of his own arrest outside a bar while at Georgia. Mark Richt promptly dismissed Mettenberger from the Bulldogs, who at the time was in heated competition with Aaron Murray for the No. 1 quarterback spot.

Murray has since garnered recognition as the SEC’s best quarterback. Mettenberger went on to star at Butler Community College in Kansas and sign with LSU in December, and in workouts back-up Jefferson. Should Jefferson’s impending arrest lead to team disciplinary action, Mettenberger may get the opportunity to again compete with Murray in a different way.

Mettenberger seems the obvious choice to start should Jefferson be suspended. He was the nation’ top JUCO player last season and a highly touted recruit out of Oconee County (Ga.) High School. He has SEC seasoning from his time at Georgia, studying under Joe Cox and alongside Murray. Mettenberger was also impressive in the Tigers’ spring game last April. While Jefferson went a shocking 4-14 for 102 yards with an interception, Mettenberger completed 5-8 for 86 yards and a touchdown.

Yet, Mettenberger isn’t even necessarily the choice to start should Jefferson be unavailable. Following said spring game, Les Miles told reporters Mettenberger was in fact THIRD on the depth chart. Jarrett Lee has starting experience, but gained that experience in the Tigers’ worst season of the decade, 2008. Then a freshman, Lee threw more interceptions (16) than touchdowns (13) and completed fewer than 56 percent of his attempts.

While judging a senior based on his freshman season isn’t necessarily fair given the maturation process, Lee hasn’t shown that his decision making has improved. He still has more picks than scores thrown in his career, and looked shaky in the spring game. Perhaps giving Lee the nod in Jefferson’s hypothetical absence is Miles testing Lee’s maturation, but facing reigning BCS runner-up Oregon doesn’t give LSU much of an opportunity to test things out. Week 1 is a must-win situation, not a re-tooling game.

Mettenberger is the answer for Week 1. In the final days of practices, he should get his opportunity to prove that. The quarterback race in which Mettenberger was embroiled before his dismissal helped pave the way for Murray. With the tables turned, Mettenberger has the ability to emerge the victor, and like Murray, could prove to be a special talent.