Game week has come at LSU with no announcement from coach Les Miles as to who will start at quarterback when the Tigers open their 2008 card against Appalachian State.

Sophomore Andrew Hatch would seem to have gained an edge over Jarrett Lee, a redshirt freshman who missed some practices with a back problem, and true freshman Jordan Jefferson, but then Hatch, a transfer from Harvard, also left the team's final scrimmage early for undisclosed reasons.

Miles said all three are ready to go, however, and still considers it a three-man race.

"I would not be surprised if all three played at certain times," Miles said as the Tigers began their final week of workouts before the opener. "The great thing about a quarterback who is new is if you have veterans all around him, if you have receivers who know where they are supposed to be, you have an offensive line that can give him some protection and guidance, and veteran backs that know how to carry the football."

Whoever gets the nod behind center will have plenty of help in front of him. The Tigers return four starters to their interior line, including Rimington Award candidate Brett Helms at center and All-SEC contender Herman Johnson at guard, along with all-star candidates at tight end (Richard Dickson) and wide receiver (Demetrius Byrd).

Their presence gives Miles the luxury of not demanding too much from his new quarterback right out of the box.

"We're going to ask him to do the things that we need out of the quarterback spot," Miles said, "but nothing that he is not capable of doing."

No such quarterback quandary confronts Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore. He'll start an accomplished veteran in Armanti Edwards, who engineered the upset of Michigan a year ago. Despite an injury that sidelined him for more than four games, Edwards led the Mountaineers to the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) title.

LSU's game against Appalachian State will be the first of three consecutive nonconference home affairs before the Tigers open SEC play at Auburn on Sept. 20.

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