It’s a very cliche thing, when coming off a big loss, to say something along the lines of, “the season starts tomorrow.” For LSU, coming off a big win, it rings true.

For the first four games of the season, the Tigers didn’t seem to know what they were, at least on the offensive side of the ball. They had the talent to be a big-play offense, the strength to be a power running team, yet something kept them from being either. After seeing the offense reach a new gear against New Mexico State, it looks like that something was the quarterback.

Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris were supposedly neck and neck throughout the preseason, but it was Jennings that won the majority of the snaps. He held a firm grasp on that role until suffering a shoulder injury late in the Tigers’ loss to Mississippi State, when Harris came in and sparkled against a prevent defense that couldn’t prevent the freshman from bringing the Tigers within a Hail Mary of a wild comeback.

Despite pleas from fans, Jennings started against New Mexico State with disastrous results. Jennings turned the ball over three times in the first quarter, with the Tigers giving the ball away four times in total. Boos came down from the fans, and the student section chanted Harris’ name. While it’s not a good look for the fans to be so negative toward their starter, the frustration was understandable, and their demands for Harris were justified once he came on and led seven straight touchdown drives.

The difference was palpable. Everyone, from the offensive line to the upper deck, was fired up with Harris under center. The blockers opened up massive running lanes, the running backs hit the holes harder, and Harris’ throws were on point and within the offense instead of forced and rushed. Finally, it felt like the Tigers have the right guy behind center.

So the season can begin in earnest now. There should be no more questions about who will be taking the snaps, and there should be no more uncertainty on the offensive side of the ball. The Tigers should know what their identity is now: an explosive running team capable of picking its spots through the air. Harris’ accuracy — he’s completing 73.3 percent of his passes after the NMSU game — should open up far more options for the Tigers. With Jennings at quarterback, teams could crowd the line and dare him to beat them deep, knowing that he was just as likely to throw an incompletion as he was to hit an open receiver. Harris is able to hit those throws at a much higher rate, and defenses will have to respect that.

Expectations should be tempered, as the Tigers did just play a Sun Belt Conference team they were favored to beat by more than six touchdowns. But against the same defense Harris lit up, Jennings struggled mightily to get anything going. The freshman finally got his chance, and he did everything in his power to earn the starting role going forward. It will be a shocker if he’s not the guy against Auburn next week.

Harris’ time is now, and there should be no looking back for the Tigers.