LSU’s offense is drawing striking similarities to the infamous 2019 LSU squad.
The Tigers did their business on Saturday night with a 62-0 shutout of Army.
LSU has scored at least 48 points in its past four games, a first for the Tigers during the Southeastern Conference era, and led the nation with 47.4 points per game.
It all starts at the quarterback position with Heisman candidate Jayden Daniels.
Daniels finished with three touchdown passes and ran another one before being pulled from play at halftime on Saturday night versus Army.
Daniels leads the nation in passing touchdowns with 25 through eight games, ranking second in LSU history to 2019’s Heisman trophy winner Joe Burrow, who had 30 through that span.
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He’s also accounted for 30 total touchdowns, 25 passing and five rushing, which ties him for first in the country with USC’s Caleb Williams. His 30 touchdowns through eight games stands behind only Burrow’s 33 in 2019.
While they are two very different quarterbacks with two different play styles, it’s hard not to compare Daniel’s numbers this year to Burrow’s historic 2019 campaign.
Burrow was a lot of a pocket passer, taking what the defense gave him and meticulously punishing their coverage choices with his two-star wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase.
More of a scrambler, Daniels can hurt the defense in many ways, averaging 321.6 passing yards and 65.1 rushing per game. He ranks fourth among quarterbacks in the nation with 521 rushing yards this season.
Daniels also leads the country in pass efficiency and passing yards per attempt, and he’s one of only two players nationally to throw and run for a touchdown in the same game four times.
Daniels is the only 5,000-yard passer and 1,000-yard rusher in LSU history, a true dual-threat quarterback.
It’s safe to say that Daniels isn’t just a scrambler. He plays the game his own way and has bigger aspirations than being a three-time SEC Player of the Week this season. He and the rest of the Tigers are looking for a lot more.
To put up all these astounding numbers, Daniels needs somebody to throw to. He has two big ones in the form of Malik Nabers, leading the nation in receiving yards, and Brian Thomas Jr., leading the country in touchdown catches. LSU is the only school in the nation with two receivers ranked in the top 10 in receiving yards.
Both Nabers and Thomas are drawing comparisons to 2019’s Jefferson and Chase, who led the Tigers to a National Championship and are now dominating superstar wide receivers who can take over any game in the NFL.
Nabers and Thomas demand the attention of defensive coordinators on every snap. It’s only time until both of them step onto NFL grounds.
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As we move through the final week of October, the comparisons of this LSU offense to the legendary 2019 squad only grow louder.
The 2019 LSU offense led the nation with 48.4 points per game. Burrow finished the season with 5,671 yards and a 60 touchdown passes and six interceptions, a 20-1 TD/INT ratio. Both Jefferson and Chase finished with over 1,500 receiving yards on the year and with 18 and 20 receiving touchdowns respectively.
While Burrow, Jefferson and Chase may have made for one of the best offenses in college football history, this year’s offense might be even more dynamic.
Daniels’ legs add another dimension to this LSU offense that Burrow didn’t back in 2019. The threat of the quarterback taking off on nearly every play opens up running lanes for running back Logan Diggs and forces the safeties to play up, giving more space for Nabers and Thomas to work.
While this current LSU Offense is constantly being compared to that of 2019’s unit, these Tigers hope this season also ends in a national championship.
