LSU Football: Three Observations From LSU's Win Over Arkansas
Jayden Daniels and the No. 12 ranked LSU Tigers came out of Death Valley with a victory on Saturday in a shootout against Arkansas led by another monster performance from the offense.
It was a big night for LSU’s wide receiver tandem of Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., dominating the final three quarters in order to propel LSU to another conference victory.
Three Observations From Week 4:
Daniels Delivers, Wideouts Shine
It was Malik Nabers who stole the show against Mississippi State in Week 3, but fast forward to Week 4 against Arkansas and it was all Thomas for the Tigers. Through three quarters, LSU’s WR2 tallied 132 yards on just four catches with two touchdowns.
It was a slow start for Daniels and the offense, but it’s hard to put the blame on the wide receivers. Nabers and Thomas consistently beat the Razorbacks’ defense over the top, but misreads and under throws from Daniels resulted in wasted opportunities.
The end of the second quarter was a completely different story. Back-to-back 35+ yard completions by Daniels to Thomas sent shockwaves across Tiger Stadium with the duo propelling the Tigers to instant offense.
After Daniels and Thomas electrified the crowd, The Closer came alive. Nabers entered the fourth quarter shot out of a cannon and put the Tigers on his back to cap things off.
Jayden Daniels: 20-for-29, 320 yards, 4 touchdowns and 1 interception
Malik Nabers.: 8 receptions, 130 yards and two touchdowns
Brian Thomas Jr.: 5 receptions, 133 yards and two touchdowns
True Freshmen Making An Impact
LSU linebacker Whit Weeks earned the start once again for the Tigers after Omar Speights was ruled out for Saturday with a hip flexor injury. The youngster shined in Week 3 against Mississippi State and carried his success into Week 4 against the Razorbacks.
Brian Kelly has relied on his youngsters in a big way this season with several first-year Tigers making an impact: Weeks, DL Da’Shawn Womack, RB Kaleb Jackson, TE Mac Markway, and OT Zalance Heard are just a few who have stepped up when called upon.
On Saturday, it was Weeks and Womack who answered the call. The composure and poise of Weeks is what gives the Tigers a boost, and against the Razorbacks he shined once again at the second-level of defense.
Along with Weeks, we saw flashes from Womack. The dynamic pass rusher came up with a monster sack, rejuvenating the LSU crowd when the Tigers needed it most. We’ve seen the freshmen shine through four weeks with several looking to carve out an expanded role moving forward.
Impressive Response: Slow Start, Big-Time Finish
Jayden Daniels and Co. were simply ineffective on their first three drives of the game. It started with a quick punt on the first drive followed by an interception by Daniels on the second. The third drive? Another punt. After the first three possessions for LSU’s offense, this group got in a groove and never looked back.
Down 13-3 with under a minute left in the first half, Daniels connected with Brian Thomas Jr. on back-to-back plays to get the Tigers in the end zone, going into halftime down 13-10. A 75-play, 18 second touchdown drive rejuvenated the LSU crowd in Tiger Stadium and the LSU offense put it together.
After three possessions with zero points, the Tigers showed why this offense ranks among the best in the nation. Daniels led four consecutive scoring drives: FG - TD - TD - TD and the Tigers broke open the scoring. Led by the Daniels - Thomas Jr. connection, the Arkansas defense had no answer for what offensive coordinator was dialing up.
