HOOVER, Ala. -- Les Miles wasn't losing any sleep over his quarterback dilemma this summer.

Senior JaMarcus Russell is his man -- for now.

Still, no matter how hard he tries, the LSU football coach can't seem to get away from the questions.

What about Matt Flynn, the junior backup who led LSU to a dominating 40-3 Peach Bowl victory against Miami with Russell sidelined with a shoulder injury?

What about redshirt freshman Ryan Perrilloux, one of the most high-profile signees in LSU history?

Who's it going to be coach?

Miles admitted he even got the question in Iraq during a USO trip to Baghdad and Kuwait in June.

Then it happened again at home.

Miles was suffering from serious jetlag after his trip to Iraq and was wide awake at 3 a.m.

"Heck, I'd been in Iraq for a week, eight days, so you miss your wife," Miles said with a big smile. "I kind of wanted her to wake up.

"I kind of skooch over by her and nudge her a bit."

His wife wasn't taking the bait and asked Miles what he was doing.

"Maybe you'll want to wake up and TALK," Miles said with a wink-wink to a crowded room of reporters. "Well, she was mad. She rolled over, looked at me, gathered her wits and says, 'So tell me, who you going to play at quarterback?' "

It won't be the last time Miles gets the question before LSU opens Sept. 2 at home against Louisiana-Lafayette.

Russell passed for 2,443 and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore last season.

He's 6-foot-6, 252 pounds and teammates swear he has a cannon for an arm.

"He can throw it 75 yards," LSU receiver Dwayne Bowe said before pausing and saying, "on one knee."

Russell led the Tigers to 10 wins in 12 starts a year ago, one of those losses coming to Tennessee in overtime.

"He's very talented, can make every throw, and we're going to look to him first," Miles said.

He also didn't rule out taking long looks at Flynn or Perrilloux if Russell encounters any early troubles.

Flynn stepped in for Russell against Miami and completed 13 of 22 passes for 196 yards and two TDs en route to MVP honors.

Perrilloux was the USA Today National Offensive Player of the Year as a senior at East St. John (La.) High School.

He passed for 3,546 yards and rushed for 1,460 his senior season.

"We have three good quarterbacks," Miles said. "I promise you the competition at the position will kind of necessitate great play."