LSU’s 35-26 victory against Syracuse provided the most visible, detailed look at the competition to be the Tigers’ quarterback.

Senior Danny Etling held the job for virtually all of last season and maintained the job after a competition with freshman Myles Brennan that took place behind the closed doors of preseason camp.

Etling was extremely efficient and Brennan didn’t screw up in mop-up duty as the Tigers rolled to victories against BYU and Chattanooga to start the season.

In a 37-7 thrashing at the hands of Mississippi State on Sept. 16, Etling wasn’t the cause of LSU’s many ills, but he didn’t do much to mitigate them either while Tigers coach Ed Orgeron spared Brennan any part in the debacle.

Saturday night in Tiger Stadium was different. The LSU offense had a sluggish start, but Etling breathed life into it with a 43-yard touchdown pass to Stephen Sullivan late in the first half and an 87-yarder to Drake Davis on the first offensive play of the second half.

That propelled the Tigers to a 21-10 lead, and Etling went to the bench having completed 10 of 17 for 188 yards. In came Brennan, who completed 4 of 6 for 75 yards but threw an interception for LSU’s first turnover of the season, which helped turn a once-comfortable 18-point lead into a nail-biting two-point lead.

Brennan’s miscue triggered Etling’s return, and Etling mostly handed the ball to Darrel Williams, as Brennan had done on an earlier touchdown drive, throughout a clinching touchdown drive.

The performances Saturday were less about the differences between Etling and Brennan than they were about the similarities between the two. Like all quarterbacks, they perform better when they have an effective running game to work with and can operate with minimal interference from pass rushers.

The Tigers offensive line performed poorly at Mississippi State, which meant a largely ineffective run game and persistent pressure on Etling.

The line had an improved but uneven performance against Syracuse. It struggled for most of the first half, providing little room for Derrius Guice or Williams and allowing pressure on Etling.

Things got better on the touchdown drive late in the second quarter and for parts of the second half. Guice, still beat up from the beat-down a week earlier, sat out after halftime, but Williams was effective and Etling has ample time on the 87-yard strike to Davis, which was all the passing game needed to do with the exception of a Brennan toss that Williams turned into a 43-yard gain.

Orgeron said Etling is still his starting quarterback and there hasn’t been enough bad from Etling or enough good from Brennan to warrant a change at the top, but there is enough of both to keep Brennan in the picture, especially with another tune-up this week against Troy.

Frankly, who plays quarterback for the Tigers doesn’t make a whole lot of difference right now. Etling is steadier and less likely to make major mistakes, though Orgeron attributed Brennan’s interception to a poor route by the intended receiver.

“We wanted to give Myles Brennan some reps when the game was on the line and see what he could do,” Orgeron said. “Obviously, he did well.”

But if the line continues to struggle as it has for much of the last two games, neither quarterback is going to thrive. And if the line can lead the way for a consistent run game and provide a consistently comfortable pocket, either quarterback can give LSU a chance.

Right now the two most important people in the LSU backfield aren’t named Etling or Brennan, but rather Guice and Williams.