Tyler Jamal Finley started for injured junior Myles Brennan and proceeded to look like a senior in completing 17 of 21 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns in the Tigers' 52-24 victory over South Carolina at Tiger Stadium. Here, amid a night of strangeness surrounded by a year of chaos, the LSU student section chanted this quarterback’s name — TJ Finley — as the LSU offense marched downfield to … Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 3 in Amway Coaches Poll behind Clemson, Alabama. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. ", "I would say effortlessly, he can throw 70 yards," his mom said. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. I trained him to be more of a pocket passer and to be accurate, surgical.". He holds the ball high, elbow up, and he drives the ball.". 21 pro style quarterback in the nation by Rivals.com. Finley hit 26 of 40 passes for 397 yards a week later in a loss to Fontainebleau, and he was off. My motto is that he's built for it.". "The hits were a little harder, I'll tell you that," Finley said. He played at 240 on Saturday night. But TJ Finley, stepping in … "Right now, TJ… LSU coach Ed Orgeron said Thursday that true freshman TJ Finley will start at quarterback for the Tigers on Saturday against South Carolina. But he also ran well, breaking runs of five, four and nine yards on on LSU's first two drives. By all accounts Finley has the stronger arm between the two, while Johnson is the better dual-threat. Johnson also enrolled early after signing as the No. Here, a could potentially push LSU back into... LSU true freshman quarterback TJ Finley had tears in his eyes. Finley displayed an extremely strong, whip-like arm that was also surgically accurate on short and intermediate passes. In high school, Finley was the top quarterback in the state of Louisiana, recording 72 total touchdowns during his career. LSU starting quarterback Myles Brennan remains questionable with a lower-body injury, and it's possible that one of two true freshman will start in Brennan's place on Saturday. "He throws it over the fence. Well, this is what depth means! In high school, Finley was the top quarterback in the state of Louisiana, recording 72 total touchdowns during his career. "And he said, 'That kid's going to be tall. That was LSU's largest advantage since 56-14 over Oklahoma in the third quarter of the national semifinal last season that the Tigers won 63-28. LSU center Liam Shanahan spoke to the media on Tuesday and fielded many questions about freshmen quarterbacks Max Johnson and TJ Finley who could be playing on Saturday vs. South Carolina with Myles Brennan's status up in the air. I was huge. True freshman TJ Finley of Ponchatoula High has won a close battle for now with fellow true freshman Max Johnson and will start at quarterback for LSU Saturday night against South Carolina, Orgeron announced on Thursday night. Well, this is what depth means! He is about to have his first chance at making his mark at LSU. Lower body injuries like Brennan's can be caused by a blow to the upper body, A business management major at LSU, Finley graduated early in December of 2019 from Ponchatoula High and enrolled at LSU last January as the No. Going into the 2020, Finley will battle it out with fellow freshman Max Johnson for the backup role to likely starter Myles Brennan. BATON ROUGE — For LSU coach Ed Orgeron, like Ponchatoula coach Hank Tierney before him, the arm was just too much to ignore. 58 of those scores came via the passing game, … "He likes the tall ones," she said. Gilbert is LSU's 6-5 tight end/receiver. In 2018 as a junior, he completed 22 of 36 for 639 yards and seven touchdowns in a 64-63 win over Denham Springs and finished throwing for 2,836 yards and 23 touchdowns. "He may screw up," Tierney said. I always tell him, 'Pressure busts pipes.' "First, my weight loss is a huge aspect in this success I'm having right now," he said after the game. It was a very close battle, but at the end, we felt TJ nudged Max just a little.". The decision to attend LSU was an easy one for Finley. "The announcer used to say, 'Finley to Finley.' Finley and the Ponchatoula Green Wave trailed Destrehan, 35-0, at the half of that first round playoff game, but Finley brought them back on 21-of-37 passing for 332 yards and two touchdowns before falling, 48-34. He'll be supremely prepared, and I believe he will get the job done.". LSU also just needed a quality win, coming off a 45-41 loss at Missouri with its only other win at 0-3 Vanderbilt. At an Elite 11 camp, off one foot, he threw it 65 or 68. Tigers' 52-24 victory over South Carolina at Tiger Stadium, Opinion: While Tennessee Vols are stalled under Jeremy Pruitt, Rutgers has new life with Greg Schiano, Ohio State up to No. "I think he's come a long way.". Following a 52-24 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday, the LSU Tigers moved to 2-2 overall on the season. I had to. USA TODAY Sports' Paul Myerberg breaks down the latest Amway Coaches Poll. 17 is 6-3 wide receiver Racey McMath. You’re up kid. "He didn't get any of the athlete from me," she said. The Tigers haven’t seen a dynamic dual-threat quarterback in a few seasons. LSU coach Ed Orgeron said Thursday that true freshman TJ Finley will start at quarterback for the Tigers on Saturday against South Carolina.The … It made true freshman quarterback TJ Finley decide to lose some weight, which led to him becoming the Tigers' starting quarterback, which led to LSU's most significant victory of the season Saturday night. Mom and dad saw him at 6-foot-2 in junior high. The 6-6 Finley was over 260 pounds before COVID-19. "He's going to get one to Terrace Marshall Jr. His mom is excited. "I'm going to be honest with you," Finley's father, David Finley, told me ahead of Saturday's game. The Finleys are hoping their son can build a connection with one of LSU's receivers like the one he had with his little brother Kody Finley, a 6-5 junior wide receiver at Ponchatoula this season. "He threw about 10 or 15 touchdowns to him the last two years," David Finley said. "I had this 6-foot-6, 260-pound guy running the option," Tierney said incredulously. - Something good has come out of the COVID-19 shutdown as far as LSU (2-2) is concerned. "I was the little nerd in the band at Hammond High. He is a serviceable athlete from his high school highlight tape and possesses an absolute RPG for a right arm. He has been a starting quarterback since ninth grade at St. Thomas Aquinas before transferring to Ponchatoula, where he started for three seasons. Here’s a look at why the first time starter performed well. "We had a family prayer Wednesday morning and got all the jitters out. It takes a lot more than that to be a good QB, and he is in a brutal situation, but let’s see what he can do with that right arm. While Finley will get the start, expect fellow true freshman Max Johnson to see the field as well. "I believe both of those guys have NFL talent at quarterback," Orgeron said. During his senior season at Ponchatoula High School, Finley completed a career-high 168 passes for 2,738 yards and 21 touchdowns. BATON ROUGE, La. 21 pro style quarterback. No. Once Tierney went to the spread with Finley, he never took either out of the offense. "With heels on, she can look me right in the eye," David said. Ponchatoula finally went to the spread full time after seven games of the option in Finley's sophomore season in 2017. T.J. Finley enters his freshman season at LSU seeking a potential second-string role. Instead of gaining weight during home confinement amid COVID-19 protocols, Finley went the other way.