LSU Gold

#8 Zach Mettenberger Season 2024

Position
Quarterback
Height
6'5
Weight
235
Class
Senior
Hometown
Watkinsville, Ga.
Previous School
Butler CC
High School
Oconee County HS

2014 Sixth-Round NFL Draft Pick (Tennessee Titans) – No. 178 Overall
SEC Offensive Player of the Week vs. Mississippi State (2013)

CAREER
One of the most productive quarterbacks in school history despite starting only two seasons with the Tigers … Played in 30 games with 25 starts during his career with the Tigers … Posted a 19-6 mark as a starting quarterback … Had final season cut short by one game as he suffered knee injury in fourth quarter vs. Arkansas … Threw for 5,783 yards (No. 6 in LSU history) and 35 TDs (No. 5 in LSU history) … Completed 407 passes (No. 6 in LSU history) on 659 attempts (No. 7 in LSU history) … Became just the third player in LSU history to pass for 3,000 yards in a season in 2013 with 3,082 yards … Is the only player in LSU history to have back-to-back seasons of 2,500 yards or more (threw for 2,609 yards in 2012) … Led one of the most proficient offenses in school history in 2013 as the Tigers racked up 465 points (No. 4 in LSU history) and 5,893 total yards (No. 2 in LSU history) … Behind Mettenberger, LSU set the school record for total yards per game (453.3) and rushing touchdowns in a season (37) … LSU also led the nation in third-down conversion rate in 2013 at 57 percent (92-of-161) … The Tigers averaged 251.0 passing yards per game (No. 4 in school history) with 3,263 passing yards (No. 3 in school history) … Twice named a permanent team captain by his teammates in 2012 and 2013 … First quarterback at LSU to be named a permanent team captain Rohan Davey in 2000 and 2001 … Joined Matt Flynn (10 in 2007) and Warren Rabb (11 in 1958) as the only quarterbacks in LSU history to lead the Tigers to double-figure victories in first season as starting quarterback … Spent one year at Georgia before transferring to Butler (Kan.) Community College for the 2010 season … Played one season at Butler Community College leading him team to an 11-1 record and a berth in the JUCO National Championship Game … Graduated from LSU in December of 2013.

SENIOR SEASON (2013)
Started all 12 regular season games for the Tigers, leading LSU to a 9-3 mark … Injured in fourth quarter of season-finale vs. Arkansas and missed the Outback Bowl … Starting quarterback for the only team in SEC history with a 3,000-yard passer, two 1,000-yard receivers and a 1,000-yard rusher in the same season … Directed an LSU offense that set school records for rushing TDs (37) and total yards per game (453.3) … LSU offense also ranked in Top 5 in school single-season history in total yards (No. 2 with 5,893), rushing/passing TDs (No. 2 with 60), passing yards (No. 3 with 3,263), passing yards per game (No. 4 with 251.0), scoring (No. 4 with 465) and points per game (No. 2 with 35.8) … Connected on 192-of-296 passes for 3,082 yards and 22 touchdowns and just eight interceptions … Ranked second in the SEC in pass efficiency behind Johnny Manziel (172.9) with a 171.4 rating … Just the third player in school history to pass for 3,000-yards or more in a season joining Rohan Davey (3,347 in 2001) and JaMarcus Russell (3,129 in 2006) … Had three 300-yard passing games in 2013, the second-highest single-season total in LSU history trailing Rohan Davey (7 in 2001) … Ranked No. 3 in school history with a 64.8 completion percentage in 2013 and No. 8 in completions (192) … The 22 TD passes ties for No. 3 in a season at LSU … Threw at least one TD pass in 10 of LSU’s 12 regular-season games … Had more TD passes (15) and passing yards (1,738) than any player in school history through the first six games of the season … Became just the fifth player in LSU history and the first since Rohan Davey in 2001 with back-to-back 300-yard passing games against Georgia (372) and Mississippi State (340) … Set career-high with 25 completions on 29 attempts for 340 yards and a pair of TDs in road win over Mississippi State … .Named SEC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the win over Mississippi State … Threw for a career-best 372 yards and three touchdowns on 23-of-37 passing with no interceptions in 44-41 loss to Georgia in Athens … Set school-record with five TD passes in win over UAB in second week of the season … Other 300-yard game came in win over Furman with 328 yards and three TDs on 16-of-24 passing …  Opened season with 77 passes without an interception before throwing one against Auburn in week four … Led LSU to season-opening win over TCU by throwing for 251 yards and a TD.

JUNIOR SEASON (2012)
Started all 13 games as a junior, leading LSU to a 10-3 overall mark and to three wins over Top 25 teams … Threw for 2,609 yards and 12 TDs on 207-of-352 passing … Threw just seven interceptions all year … His 50:1 ratio of passes to interceptions rates as the best for a single-season in school history for quarterbacks with at least 300 attempts … His 2,609 passing yards ranks as the fifth-highest total in school history … Ranked No. 5 in LSU history in completions in a season (207) and No.4 in attempts (352) … Capped regular-season by throwing for 200 or more yards in four straight games, including three straight SEC games (298 vs. Alabama, 273 vs. Mississippi State, 282 vs. Ole Miss) … Streak of consecutive 200-yard games was snapped vs. Clemson in Chick-fil-A Bowl as he threw for 120 yards and a TD on 14-of-23 passing … Became the first LSU quarterback with three-straight games with 250 or more passing yards against SEC opponents since Tommy Hodson did it in 1989 against Kentucky (283), Tennessee (438) and Ole Miss (381) … Had two games of 20 or more completions (24 vs. Alabama, 22 vs. Ole Miss) … Threw for 200 or more yards a total of six times, including career-best 298 vs. No. 1 Alabama … Had best game as a Tiger in near upset of top-ranked Alabama with then career highs of yards (298) and completions (24) … Connected on 24-of-35 passes for Crimson Tide as LSU’s offense racked up 435 total yards (298 passing, 172 rushing) …  Wrapped up the regular season with at Arkansas by going 16-29 for 217 yards and one TD in 20-13 road win over Razorbacks … Completed 22-of-37 passes for 282 yards and two interceptions in 41-35 win over Ole Miss in home finale … Against Ole Miss and with the score tied at 35-35, directed LSU on a 9-play, 64-yard game-winning drive, capped with a 1-yard TD run by Jeremy Hill with 15 seconds left … Saw his streak of 130 consecutive passes without an interception come to an end against Ole Miss, but that streak ranks third in LSU history … Threw for 273 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-30 passing against Mississippi State … Fired a 19-yard TD pass to Jarvis Landry and a 20-yard TD pass to Spencer Ware against the Bulldogs … His 298 passing yards and 24 completions against Alabama represent the most by an LSU quarterback in an SEC game since Matt Flynn threw for 353  yards on 24 completions against Alabama in 2007 … Completed 11-of-29 passes for 97 yards and one 29-yard TD to Kadron Boone as he rallied LSU from a 12-0 deficit to beat Texas A&M in College Station … Finished 12-of-25 for 148 yards and one interception in 23-21 win over No. 3 South Carolina … Completed 11-25 passes for 158 yards and one INT at Florida … Threw for then career-high 238 yards on 15-of-26 passing with two touchdowns against Towson … Finished 15-of-27 for 169 yards in road win over Auburn in what was his first SEC start … Registered his first multi-touchdown game of his LSU career, finishing 17-of-22 for 222 yards, two TDs and one interception against Idaho … Completed 12-of-18 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown against Washington … Made his first career start for LSU against North Texas and finished 19-of-26 for 192 yards with one touchdown and one interception … The 19 completions are the second most by an LSU quarterback making his first start dating back to 1980.

SOPHOMORE SEASON (2011)
Played in five games with no starts … Completed 8-of-11 passes for 92 yards and his first career touchdown on a 19-yard strike to Kadron Boone against Northwestern State … Ran 25 yards on a bootleg down to the one-yard line at Ole Miss … Entered late against Auburn, West Virginia, and Kentucky and did not attempt a pass as the team ran out the clock.

PRIOR TO LSU
Originally signed with Georgia out of high school … Spent one year at Georgia before transferring to Butler (Kan.) Community College for the 2010 season … Did not see any game action at Georgia … Played one season at Butler Community College leading him team to an 11-1 record and a berth in the JUCO National Championship Game … His team finished year ranked No. 2 in the nation … Started all 12 games at Butler, throwing for 2,678 yards and 32 touchdowns with only four interceptions … Connected on 176-of-299 passes for a 58.9 completion percentage … Rated as the top-ranked junior college quarterback for the 2011 class by multiple recruiting services … Listed at No. 17 on the Rivals.com JUCO Top 50 … Coached at Butler Community College by Troy Morrell.

HIGH SCHOOL
Four-year letterwinner at Oconee County (Ga.) High School … Graduated early and enrolled at Georgia in January of 2009 … Offense-Defense All-American and participated in Hawai’i-Polynesian vs. Mainland All-American Bowl … Invited to 2008 EA Sports Elite 11 Camp … PrepStar Top 100 Dream Team … SuperPrep All-Dixie Team….ESPN.com No. 122 ESPNU 150 list … Scout.com four star prospect, No. 130 in the nation, No. 6 in Georgia, No. 33 in the South and No. 14 quarterback in nation … Rated by Rivals.com as the No. 3 strongest arm and No. 11 quarterback in the nation … 2008 Atlanta-Journal Constitution Georgia 150, Super Southern 100, and Class AAA All-State Honorable Mention … MVP of Elite 11 Alabama Nike Camp … 2008 Offensive Player of the Year and Coaches Award recipient at Oconee … 2008 All-County and All-Region (First Team) … Finished with 2,106 yards passing with 19 touchdowns and only six interceptions during his senior year … As a junior, completed 62 percent of his passes for 1,333 yards and 10 touchdowns … Coached in high school by Mitch Olson.

PERSONAL
Parents are Bernie and Tammy Mettenberger … Mom is an employee in the Georgia football office … Born July 16, 1991.

CAREER HIGHS
Attempts: 37, twice (Last: at Georgia, 2013; First vs. Ole Miss, 2012)
Completions: 25 at Mississippi State, 2013
Yards: 372 at Georgia, 2013
Touchdowns 5 vs UAB, 2013

METTENBERGER’S CAREER PASSING STATISTICS

Year
G-GS
Comp.-Att.-INT
Yds.
TD
LG
2011
5-0
8-11-0
92
1
24
2012
13-13
207-352-7
2,609
12
56
2013
12-12
192-296-8
3,082
22
63
Totals
30-25
407-659-15
5,783
35
63

METTENBERGER’S CAREER RUSHING STATISTICS

Year
G-GS
Att.
Yds.
TD
LG
2011
5-0
2
28
0
25
2012
13-13
47
-208
0
7
2013
12-12
34
-133
0
10
Totals
30-25
83
-313
0
25
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