Three Observations: LSU Football Tops Mississippi State, Jayden Daniels Shines
Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers came through when this program needed them most on Saturday in Starkville, but a complete team effort to open SEC play stole the show for the Tigers.
No. 14 LSU dominated from start to finish against a new-look Mississippi State squad with this unit looking to be hitting their stride with more work to be done.
Three Observations From Starkville:
Four Quarters of Focus
It was a complete effort from the Tigers with four quarters of focus, discipline and aggression on both sides of the ball.
From Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers handling business offensively to Mekhi Wingo and Co. getting it done in the trenches, it was a complete effort from start to finish for No. 14 LSU in Starkville.
The Tigers were in need of playing with a competitive edge in this one in order to kick off SEC play on the right track and Brian Kelly got just that from his unit in an impressive way.
The Jayden Daniels-Malik Nabers Connection
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.
Defensive Dominance
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.
