LSU’s offense never fails to impress.
The Tigers beat Florida 52-35 Saturday night, led by a 606-yard performance from Jayden Daniels and 701 total yards from the offense. The win improves LSU’s record to 7-3, keeping the hope of a 10-win season alive.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
Jayden Daniels should win the Heisman Trophy
Daniels might’ve had his Heisman moment against Florida.
Maybe it was the 85-yard touchdown run. Maybe it was the 51-yard touchdown run to give LSU the lead in the third quarter. Maybe it was the 37-yard touchdown pass to Brian Thomas Jr. to put the game on ice.
PLAY BY PLAY: LSU football vs. Florida
There were a lot of moments to choose from. That’s natural when you account for 606 yards and five touchdowns.
Just like he has been since he stepped on LSU’s campus, he was everything for the offense on Saturday. He accounted for 86% of LSU’s offense against Florida. He averaged 19.5 yards per carry. He threw for 372 yards on 19 completions.
With that performance, Daniels broke the Southeastern Conference single-game record for total offense. He also became the first player in FBS history to throw for over 350 yards and rush for over 200.
No one in college football is performing at Daniels’ level.
His team isn’t undefeated. He won’t play for a national championship. But if the Heisman Trophy truly is an individual award, it’s becoming harder and harder to argue against Daniels winning it.
LSU’s offensive line doesn’t get enough credit
With all the deserved praise that LSU’s offense has received this season, one group often gets overlooked. Especially on a night where LSU threw for 372 yards and rushed for 329, it’s easy to look past where the success starts.
None of it is possible without elite offensive line play.
The offensive line has been elite for LSU this season. Tackles Will Campbell and Emery Jones have both made a case to be All-Americans, and Charles Turner, Garrett Dellinger and Miles Frazier have all been consistent in the interior.
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That consistency leads to an offense that averages over 200 rushing yards per game. It allows an elite quarterback like Daniels to methodically pick apart defenses and break off big scrambles when he has to.
The only difference is that the offensive line’s consistency won’t show up in the box score. But similarly to the 2019 offensive line that won the Joe Moore award, this offensive line allows the offense to be elite.
There isn’t a better receiver duo in college football than Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr.
Of Daniels’ 372 passing yards, 282 of those yards came from Nabers and Thomas. With the growing comparisons to the 2019 LSU team, Nabers and Thomas are showing shades of Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson.
Thomas was the big play receiver on Saturday, catching a 37-yard deep ball in the endzone and making another catch on a deep ball down the sidelines for 52 yards.
He continues to be LSU’s best deep threat receiver and a weapon in the red zone. His 150 yards were a career high and a good bounce back after having just 36 yards against Alabama.
Nabers continued his case for the Biletnikoff award, catching six passes for 132 yards. If it’s possible to have a quiet 132 yard night, Nabers did it, but he continued to show his reliability as Daniels’s top target.
He was most effective in the intermediate passing game against Florida, making catches in traffic while also burning the Gator defense with yards after the catch.
A case can be made for both receivers to be drafted in the first round, but while they’re at LSU, they’re nearly unstoppable.
