Entering Saturday’s home matchup against UAB, LSU looked to be the clear favorite.
While this might cause some teams to become complacent, the Tigers took care of business, walking away with a 41-10 win Saturday night. In addition, the seniors were able to get a proper send off in their last game in Tiger Stadium on senior night.
Despite the cold temperatures and the off-and-on rain, the Tigers still impressed and played quality football. To Coach Brian Kelly, the ability for the team to still perform at a high level required not only physical toughness but also mental toughness.
“I’m so proud of our mental toughness and our ability to do it the right away late in November against a team we’re supposed to beat,” Kelly said following the win.
On offense, Jayden Daniels led the way for the Tigers. The junior transfer from Arizona State shined with 297 passing yards, completing 22 of his 29 passes, and also threw for a touchdown. In addition, he ran for 111 yards and scored on the ground as well.
“We wanted to bounce back from what we felt was offensively a less than our best game,” Kelly said. “Jayden [Daniels] prepared really well; you can make a case that this was his best game of the year.”
Just as Coach Kelly looked for the offense to bounce back as a whole, Jayden Daniels bouncing back had much to do with their success in doing that. Last week against Arkansas, Daniels was held to just 86 passing yards and 19 rushing yards, and was kept out of the end zone.
“Last week, I got out of my routine a little bit, but I got back on that routine,” Daniels said. “You can’t take practice for granted, it’s another opportunity to get better and improve your craft. So I feel like that’s just the next step in leadership.”
For the players catching the passes from Daniels, Malik Nabers led the receiving corps with seven catches for 129 yards. Jack Bech also saw much more action in the offense against UAB. He totaled 61 receiving yards on three catches.
Daniels’ lone touchdown pass went to Brian Thomas Jr., who caught four passes for 21 yards.
Jaray Jenkins and Mason Taylor also made an impact Saturday night. Jenkins caught two passes for 29 yards, with a long of 25 yards. Taylor caught three passes for 39 yards.
While Daniels also ran the ball effectively, Noah Cain and John Emery Jr. also helped the ground game thrive throughout the game. Cain led the backfield with three touchdowns on 13 carries for 76 yards. Emery also found the end zone on nine carries for 46 yards.
‘We’ve always had faith in him [Noah Cain],” Kelly said. “He’s a kid that wanted to come back to Louisiana, and it’s great to see him on this night, last opportunity in Tiger Stadium this year…have the kind of game that he had.”
On defense, Greg Penn III stepped up and led the team in tackles with eight, five of which were solo tackles, and one of which was a tackle for a loss. Last week against Arkansas, Penn totaled nine tackles, which was his season high.
“I feel like early in the season, I feel like I wasn’t playing like myself, being as physical as I wanted to be,” Penn said. “These past couple of weeks, I feel like I’ve been playing a lot better.”
Harold Perkins Jr., who was coming off his game-altering performance against Arkansas, where he totaled eight tackles, four sacks and two forced fumbles, shined again against UAB. The true freshman had five tackles, two of which were tackles for loss, on the night.
Joe Foucha and B.J. Ojulari also made their presence, both totaling four tackles in the game.
The Tigers have found their rhythm, and they have found what works. They look to continue running as they head into their last regular season game of the year next week against Texas A&MStr
“You’re building trust, you’re building relationships, and that takes time, it doesn’t happen overnight,” Kelly said. “My first meeting I said, ‘Listen, you’re going to have to trust me, and it’s not going to happen today, it’s going to happen over my words and deeds, I have to back it up. What I say I mean, and that’s going to take time.’”
They look to continue to build that trust in each other, as they are set to head into the weeks where bringing your best matters most with the SEC Championship on the horizon. Until then, the Tigers finish their regular season with Texas A&M in College Station, Texas on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 6 p.m. C.T.
