Despite historic performance, quarterback Jayden Daniels has room to grow

LSU football quarterback Jayden Daniels had himself a night! Following a relatively disappointing night a week prior versus Florida State, he came out unafraid yesterday evening versus Grambling State. In the first half alone, he threw five touchdowns. Still, in the post-game press conference, Brian Kelly wasn’t shy about his room to grow.

Quarterback Jayden Daniels had a historic game versus Grambling State

This was the Jayden Daniels we’ve been waiting to see since he transferred to LSU last offseason. Last night, despite playing just one half, the senior quarterback lit up the scoreboard. He finished the half with 269 yards and five touchdowns while completing 75 percent of his throws.

Notably, with his stat line, Daniels became the second quarterback in LSU football history to have thrown for five touchdowns in one half.

LSU QBs to throw 5 touchdowns in a half

Joe Burrow – Georgia Southern (5) and Oklahoma (7)
Jayden Daniels – 5 Tonight pic.twitter.com/tLdrT07Cr1

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) September 10, 2023

Coach Brian Kelly discusses much-needed improvement

As elite a stat line as it might have been, it’s important to remember who the Tigers were playing against. The Grambling State secondary was outmatched all evening, and Brian Kelly’s offense was able to do just about anything they pleased.

For the most part, just about every pass was wide open, which is concerning when you factor in missed passes. Several shots down the field just missed the target altogether. While some might have been due to miscommunication, it doesn’t change the fact that you need to hit the open passes.

Last night, when addressing the media, coach Brian Kelly spoke specifically on Jayden Daniels and his performance.

“You know, it’s hard to take issue with five touchdown passes. But I would say that in the huddle, and when I say the huddle, I mean Jayden, myself, Mike Denbrock, Joe Sloan, we would say that he left some throws out there that we need to get better at. So, we’re pleased. We’re not going to walk away here and be ungrateful for the things that we accomplished, but we have some work to do.”

Overall, Daniels took a significant step forward with his game versus Grambling State. While he wasn’t perfect by any means, it was certainly encouraging to see the improvement. With Mississippi State on the clock, we’ll have to see if he can replicate it against SEC competition.

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