From the moment Trey’Dez Green went down with a knee injury, LSU had to rethink the passing game.
Lane Kiffin lost his biggest tight end threat in the Week 3 defeat at Ole Miss, and the job of carrying that load has fallen heavily on Jackson Harris. The redshirt junior has turned into Sam Leavitt’s favorite target in Green’s absence, giving LSU a reliable outside presence while the star tight end has been sidelined.
Harris has been central to the Tigers’ offense over the last four games. He has hauled in six catches in three of those four contests, scored all five of his touchdowns during that span, and piled up 339 of his 456 receiving yards since Green was injured. Even with Green trending toward a return for Saturday’s game at Auburn (11 a.m., ABC), Harris’ role figures to remain important.
He also brushed off the ankle injury that forced him out early against Mississippi State on Saturday. Harris finished with six receptions for 85 yards in that game and said Tuesday that he expects to be ready.
“I feel like if the game went differently, I could have went back out there and played,” Harris said. “So we’ll be all good for this week.”
LSU liked Harris long before this stretch. Kiffin and the staff were impressed by his tape in January after he transferred in from Hawaii. At 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, he gives the Tigers a bigger wideout who can battle through man coverage and win on the perimeter.
His production in Honolulu showed exactly why LSU wanted him. In his lone season there, he caught 49 passes for 963 yards and 12 touchdowns after seeing limited action in two years at Stanford.
“We need to actually throw the ball to him more,” Kiffin said after LSU’s loss to Kentucky. “Wins against press (coverage); he’s really fast out there. I really like his progression.”
With the 6-7 Green out, LSU has leaned on size at multiple spots. Harris and 6-5 Roman Mothershed have become key targets for Leavitt, and Mothershed has even lined up at tight end with Green unavailable.
Harris has also shown another wrinkle. Against Kentucky, he threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Troy transfer Roman Mothershed after letting offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. know in practice that he could handle some throwing work, too.
“He throws the ball really well, as you saw,” Kiffin said. “We actually called the play earlier in the game, and they were in a different defense. So we checked out and came back to it later, and he made a great throw.”
But Harris hasn’t been carrying the load alone. LSU’s receiver room has produced from several angles while Green has been out.
Winston Watkins, who followed Kiffin from Ole Miss, has topped 400 receiving yards and become Leavitt’s top slot option. Freshman Corey Barber and Old Dominion transfer Tre Brown have both earned more snaps lately.
Zach Grace, who had never caught a pass in his career before his 22-yard touchdown against Kentucky, has seen more targets despite being used mostly as a blocking tight end. And at running back, Dilin Jones has emerged as Leavitt’s safety valve on throws to the flat.
So while Green’s injury created the hole, LSU hasn’t filled it with just one answer. The passing game has kept moving because Harris has surged, Leavitt has thrown it better, and the Tigers have found enough pieces to keep the offense from stalling.
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