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Les Miles confirms Brandon Harris taking over as starting QB

Brandon Harris essentially announced himself LSU's new starting quarterback Saturday by vastly outperforming his season-long competition for the job, Anthony Jennings, against New Mexico State.

But on Monday, coach Les Miles went ahead and put his own stamp on the change, and ended the Tigers' quarterback controversy.

"It stands to reason that he would get first snaps in the next game," Miles said, according to geaux247.com. "Brandon Harris came in and gave us a great spark. The team played well around him."

Harris, a freshman, completed 11 of 14 passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns in a 63-7 win, while the sophomore Jennings threw two interceptions in just five attempts. LSU plays at Auburn Saturday, putting the highly-touted Harris in the difficult position of making his first SEC start on the road at Jordan-Hare Stadium, which can be especially raucous at night (7 p.m. ET kickoff).

Miles said he informed both quarterbacks of the decision and that the team has embraced the idea of Harris starting going forward.

"I felt like Brandon Harris needed to know it and Anthony Jennings needed to know it," Miles said. "We have a lot of confidence in both guys, and we certainly have a lot of confidence with Harris. And as we always do, we want to take stock in whatever we are doing. We want to make sure the offense is doing the right thing."

The decision to start Harris puts to rest the last of the quarterback controversies in the SEC, which, a month ago, included LSU, Alabama and Texas A&M, among others.

Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter *@ChaseGoodbread.*