Jayden Daniels had some of the best odds to win the Heisman at the beginning of the year, now he’s showing that those expectations were warranted.
LSU took on Missouri on Saturday in an offensive shootout where LSU ended up winning 49-39. As the defense still tries to find its footing, the offense is still looking like one of the best in the country and it has a lot to do with Daniels at quarterback.
Daniels had another exceptional game as he was 15 of 21 for 259 yards and three touchdowns through the air, adding 130 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Daniels now leads the country in total yards, third in passing yards, second for passing touchdowns and second for yards per game. Last year he finished the season with 17 passing touchdowns, but only through six games he has already exceeded his career high and is currently at 19 touchdowns.
It has been a tremendous transformation in his confidence and ability to throw the ball down the field. He has shown full control of the offense and has made the offense his own.
Last year and even after the early loss to Florida State, many fans weren’t confident in Daniels and his ability to play quarterback at a high level. They said that he was too heavy and couldn’t throw the football deep.
And to a certain extent, they were right.
He did need to improve his downfield ability and be able to sit in the pocket and make throws but it started to get reckless as some were asking to put in backup quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.
Daniels was the clear best option and gave the Tigers the best opportunity to win. Nussmeier has tremendous arm talent and showed glimpses last year in the SEC Championship when Daniels wasn’t able to play due to injury and made a lot of good plays, however, the experience and the dual-threat ability is massive, especially in the SEC.
The hate towards Daniels was unjustified. Many LSU fans have been spoiled by Joe Burrow after giving them one of the greatest seasons of all time. As a result any quarterback that puts on the purple and gold, their expectation is that they must be great right from start.
Now in his final year of college football, Daniels has proved many people wrong. He has made himself at minimum a top five quarterback in the country, especially after what he did against Missouri.
In a back-and-forth game, Daniels ran into the end zone and took what looked like a late hit. The touchdown didn’t count, and Daniels was in visible pain after landing on his ribs. Daniels was out for a couple of plays but came back into the game the following possession.
On a crucial third down with eight minutes to play in the fourth quarter Daniels took a direct snap on a quarterback draw and took it 35 yards to the end zone for a touchdown.
It was a defining moment in the game where Daniels showed his toughness to keep fighting and was able to help LSU take the lead.
He has brought out the potential of his teammates. Malik Nabers is second in the country in receiving yards, Brain Thomas Jr. leads the country in touchdowns and Logan Diggs is third in the SEC in rushing yards.
Daniels’ allows everyone else around to play better making them the number two team in the country when it comes to yards per game.
His performance from Saturday has put the whole country on notice and regardless of what LSU’s record is, Daniels has made himself a top two Heisman candidate. With six games left and a very explosive offense, he is just getting started.
