Malik Nabers Erupts, No. 14 LSU Takes Down Mississippi State 41-14

Jayden Daniels and No. 14 LSU put together a complete performance in Starkville, taking down Mississippi State 41-14 in Davis Wade Stadium to kick off SEC play.

The Daniels and Malik Nabers connection stole the show in Week 3, propelling the Tigers to a victory in their SEC opener.

The instant takeaways:

The Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers Show

Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers put together a historic afternoon in Week 3 against Mississippi State after starting off the day shot out of a cannon.

The two developed a connection throughout the offseason, and fast forward to SEC play, it came alive against the Bulldogs.

At halftime, Daniels was 21-22 with 255 yards and two touchdowns through the air with Nabers being on the receiving end on most of the throws. Through two quarters, Nabers totaled 10 receptions for 188 yards and two touchdowns.

It was a historic day for Nabers, but it didn’t end after the first 30 minutes. Fast forward to the second half and the dynamic duo carried their success into the final two frames. Daniels connected on his first five passes with Nabers once again being his top target.

Mississippi State had no answer for Nabers on Saturday. The separation he created at the line of scrimmage with no safety help early allowed him to simply be wide open on just about every play throughout the first half.

The Tigers’ WR1 ended the day with 13 receptions for 239 yards and two touchdowns. The vertical threat showcased it all to open SEC play.

For Daniels, it may have been his most complete game as a Tiger.

The second-year signal-caller totaled 361 yards through the air, completing 30 of his 34 passes with two touchdowns. On the ground? 15 rushes for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Sheer dominance from the star quarterback.

Front Seven Shines Defensively

Mississippi State had no answer for LSU’s front seven on Saturday. The Tigers out-gained the Bulldogs 310-79 in the first half from a yardage perspective with 52 of their 79 yards coming on one play from running back Woody Marks.

Jacobian Guillory, Jordan Jefferson, Mekhi Wingo and Maason Smith held it down on the interior with Sai’vion Jones making his plays on the outside.

At the second level, true freshman linebacker Whit Weeks earned the start for LSU and didn’t disappoint. There was a certain level of hype surrounding Weeks after a big-time Fall Camp showing, and fast forward to his first SEC game as a Tiger, and he earned the start alongside Harold Perkins.

LSU dominated defensively against the Bulldogs with their big guys up front easing the load. Mekhi Wingo, Sai’vion Jones, Harold Perkins and Major Burns all tallied a sack with the defense adding seven tackles for loss.

Balanced Attack Comes Through

LSU had a goal of receiving production on the ground against Mississippi State on Saturday, and after totaling over 160 yards rushing, their plan worked to perfection.

Jayden Daniels carried the heavy lifting through the air but also handled business in his rushing attack. With 64 yards and two scores to show for it, Daniels provided a calming sensation with the rock in his hands.

The Tigers went with Logan Diggs in the backfield to start things off. Nine carries and 41 yards later, Diggs led all running backs from a production standpoint with more to come as SEC play ramps up.

It was a complete performance from this LSU offense. With 367 yards through the air and another 163 on the ground, this unit came through in a big way to walk out of Starkville with a 41-14 victory over an SEC foe.