LSU head football coach Brian Kelly’s word to describe his quarterback Jayden Daniels is “decisive.”
“I’ve used this word maybe 100 times – he is so decisive,” Kelly said. “There is no question about what he sees (reading defenses) and how he acts.”
Unlike Kelly, I can’t limit myself to a single word after watching Daniels vaporize defense after defense after defense in one of the greatest seasons ever for a college football quarterback.
It’s ridiculous Daniels has joined former Texas A&M 2012 Heisman Trophy-winning QB Johnny Manziel as one of only two players in SEC history to pass for 3,500 yards (3,812) and rush for 1,000 yards (1,113).
It’s absurd Daniels became the first player in FBS history to in a single game pass for 350 yards (372) and rush for 200 yards (234) in a 52-35 win over Florida, when he set the SEC record for total offense with 606 yards.
It’s outrageous Daniels has the SEC’s longest pass play (an 86-yard TD to Brian Thomas Jr. vs. Army), the longest-running play (an 85-yard TD vs. Florida) of the season and the second most rushing yards (234 vs. Florida) by any SEC player this season. His 8.4 yards per carry is No. 1 nationally.
It’s incredible that Daniels’ total offense yardage in each game was the highest allowed this season by every team on LSU’s schedule except Army (he played just the first half in a 62-0 blowout) and the regular season-ending 42-30 win over Texas A&M.
It’s unbelievable Daniels’ nation-leading 412.2 total offense yards per game is more than 104 of the 130 FBS (Division 1-A) teams average, including 3 of the top 10 teams in the College Football Playoffs rankings (No. 2 Michigan, No. 8 Alabama, No. 10 Penn State).
It’s stunning that Daniels’ 50 TDs (40 passing, 10 rushing) are equal or more than 109 FBS teams including Alabama, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 7 Texas and No. 9 Missouri.
It’s mind-blowing that 81 of Daniels’ 89 plays of 20 yards or more have gone for 27 TDs and 54 first downs.
It’s unfathomable that Daniels and Oregon quarterback Bo Nix are flip-flopping almost daily as the Heisman Trophy favorites. If Daniels’ name isn’t engraved on the Heisman when it is awarded on Dec. 9, it will be the biggest rip-off in the 89 years that the trophy has been awarded.
It will mean the majority of Heisman voters in the media are too lazy to deep-dive into every available stat. Instead, they’ll just decide to give the award to the best player on one of college football’s best teams still in the national championship picture.
Sometimes, that holds true like LSU’s Joe Burrow in 2019, Florida State’s Jameis Winston in 2013, Auburn’s Cam Newton in 2010, and Florida’s Danny Wuerffel in 1996, just to name a few Heisman winners who played on teams that eventually won the national title.
But most of the time, the award stays true to the criteria that says it’s awarded to the most outstanding player in college football.
That’s regardless of the record of the Heisman winner’s team. It means the voting shouldn’t be tilted toward Nix because No. 5 Oregon is 11-1 heading into Friday’s Pac-12 title game vs. No. 3 Washington and No. 13 LSU is 9-3 and just waiting for bowl bid day on Sunday.
Daniels not only leads Nix in 25 of 28 stat categories including the incomparable rushing yards total – Nix trails Daniels by 975 yards with his longest run of 16 yards – but both players have each quarterbacked the same amount of possessions (not counting the end of halves kneeling to run out the clock).
In 110 possessions each, Daniels led LSU to 66 TDs and 10 field goals compared to 65 TDs and 9 field goals for Nix.
Daniels has had 10 games of 350 or more yards total offense including one 600-yard, two 500-yard and three 400-yard games. Nix has had five games of 350 or more total offense with three 400-yard games.
Daniels has accounted for 4 or more TDs in nine games including an 8-TD game vs. Georgia State and 5-TD games vs. Grambling, Ole Miss and Florida.
Nix has had 4 or more TDs in five games including a 6-TD performance vs. Arizona State.
But here are three differences that separate Daniels from Nix even further.
Daniels has played against a stronger schedule, faced more top-50 ranked defenses and has had to play without leads considerably longer than Nix.
According to ESPN’s College Football Index, LSU’s strength of schedule is ranked No. 7 nationally compared to No. 62 for Washington.
Also, according to current NCAA stats, Daniels has played against seven defenses ranked among the top 50 in total defense, averaged 390.9 yards and accounted for 23 TDs. Nix played against just two top-50 defenses, averaged 324.5 yards and accounted for 6 TDs.
And because Oregon’s defense is ranked 15th nationally, allowing 306.9 yards per game and LSU’s defense is 101st, giving up 409.2 yards, Nix has had the luxury of playing with his team leading on the scoreboard for much more of the time than Daniels.
Oregon has trailed in four games this season for a total of 67:08 or 1 hour, 7 minutes and 8 seconds. LSU trailed in eight games for 189:34 or 3 hours, 9 minutes and 34 seconds.
Daniels is having a season for the ages. Compared to the last 11 quarterbacks who have won Heismans, Daniels is first in 7 of 9 stat categories, Nix leads in one and Burrow in the other.
Finally, former Auburn QB Nix transferred a year ago from the SEC, which has won 13 of the last 17 national championships and led all conferences in NFL draft picks for 17 straight years, to the Pac-12, which hasn’t won a national title since 2004 (USC).
On the other hand, former Arizona State QB Daniels transferred from the Pac-12 to the SEC.
Some guys just like running toward the fire.
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com