Jayden Daniels showcased his wide passing range against Mississippi State on Saturday.
Daniels is now ranked No. 2 in the SEC for most passing yards, behind Vanderbilt quarterback AJ Swann, who has played one more game than the Tigers.
Head coach Brian Kelly said the game against Mississippi State was, without a doubt, the best he’d seen Daniels’ play at LSU.
Daniels ended the game with 361 yards, 30 for 34 completed passes and a completion rating of 88.2%— the best that an LSU quarterback has done in a single game.
When Daniels completed his first 13 passes of the game, his performance tied with 2019 quarterback Joe Burrow. Burrow is ranked at No. 5 on LSU’s list of quarterbacks with the most single-game consecutive completions.
“He had really worked hard the past week,” Kelly said. “He worked hard with Malik [Nabers] after practice getting on top of his throws.”
Thirteen of Daniels’ completed passes were to Nabers, who ended the game with 239 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Nabers averaged 18.4 yards per pass and had his longest reception of the season at 48 yards.
Mississippi State’s defense tried to take away LSU’s ability to utilize the short passing game, but LSU took this as an opportunity to show off Daniels’ arm.
“It presented us with higher risk, but certainly a bigger reward,” Kelly said.
Although Daniels executed the long ball against Mississippi State, many speculate whether he’ll continue executing as LSU faces more difficult opponents in the upcoming weeks.
LSU vs. Arkansas
Arkansas’ defense has done nothing but improve from its 2022 season, where it allowed 30.6 points per game. In the past three weeks, the Razorbacks have only allowed an average of 19 points per game.
This season, Arkansas hired Travis Williams, a defensive coordinator from University of Central Florida.
“He’s had great success,” Kelly said. “He was with Kevin Steele at Auburn, so we know we got our hands full.”
Its experienced defensive line is filled with speed. Linebacker Jaheim Thomas is leading the team in tackles and sacks with 30 and 2.5, respectively. He’s accompanied by sophomore Chris Paul Jr. who’s second to Thomas in tackles.
In Arkansas’ previous game, BYU quarterback Kedon Slovis had 247 passing yards, proving that a passing offense can make an impact against the Razorbacks.
If LSU’s offensive line can prevent Arkansas’ pass rush, Daniels should be able to execute the long ball just as he did against Mississippi State.
LSU at Ole Miss
Similar to Arkansas, Ole Miss hired new defensive coordinator Pete Golding, who previously served five years at Alabama.
Ole Miss has a 3-0 record and is ranked No. 3 in SEC West. The Rebels have allowed an average of 16.6 points in the last three games compared to their 2022 season at 25.54.
Ole Miss’ strong suit lies in its safeties. Trey Washington set a career high of 10 tackles against Georgia Tech, and Isheem Young set a season-high record of six tackles, including four solo and a tackle for loss.
Although some quarterbacks have achieved a successful passing game, the Rebels have out thrown all three of their opposing quarterbacks.
It will be difficult for Daniels to execute a passing game against the Rebels, and many expect the Tigers to resort to their running game.
LSU at Missouri
Missouri’s defensive team in 2022 was one of the best that the program had ever seen, and there’s speculation that this year’s will be even better.
Missouri returned 80% of its defensive team from the previous season. Although it lost some experience in the line, the replacements have been nothing less than satisfactory.
The Tigers are ranked No. 4 in the SEC East and have given up an average of 18.6 points.
Defensive backs Joseph Charleston and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. have been key players for Missouri’s defense. Charleston is leading the team with 18 tackles followed by Rakestraw with 14.
The team also has nine sacks on the season, adding up to a loss of 50 yards.
Similar to Ole Miss, Daniels will have difficulty executing the long ball against Missouri’s secondary, but he’s proven that he isn’t a player to count out and will do what is necessary to win.
