Saturday night’s matchup between 15th-ranked LSU and Georgia State is not a marquee game on the college football schedule. But Heisman voters will pay attention to quarterback Jayden Daniels’ performance.
Tigers Coach Brian Kelly says Daniels has not been bothered by the increased media coverage associated with his push to win the Heisman Trophy.
“We’ve had an Amazon crew in here most of the year doing a documentary, we’ve had cameras around most of the year, he’s used to the distractions, he’s done a great job keeping them at bay,” said Kelly.
After his record setting performance against Florida last Saturday, LSU has turned up the volume on Daniels’ Heisman Trophy campaign.
You are seeing more social media posts from LSU athletic accounts about Daniels’ accomplishments. He appeared on ESPN’s Sportscenter on Thursday and you’ll start to see billboards not only in Louisiana but across the country with Daniels’ face on them.
He’s not expected to play four quarters against Georgia State on Saturday. The Panthers are struggling. They’ve lost three in a row, and they’ve given up 40 or more points in all three of those losses.
But Daniels has still managed to put up big numbers in previous lopsided victories against non-conference opponents.
Against Grambling, Daniels threw five touchdown passes in the first half. When LSU beat Army 62-0, Daniels threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another score.
His main competitors for the Heisman are Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Junior. They both lead teams with better records, and they will likely face each other in two weeks in the PAC-12 championship game.
Kelly tells voters that Daniels best qualities can’t be measured by statistics.
“Certainly, nobody runs the way he can, his ability to throw the ball down the field, nobody is close to him in terms of 20-plus yards or more in terms of big plays, he’s a guy that takes the energy out of the opposition by the way he plays at the quarterback position,” said Kelly.
Who is Georgia State?
The Panthers have only been playing football since 2010. But during that short time, they’ve played in five bowl games, winning three of them. Georgia State’s current head coach, Shawn Elliot, has taken the Panthers to four bowl games, most recently in 2021, a 51-20 win over Ball State in the Camellia Bowl.
Georgia State was off to a great start this season, winning six of its first seven, but they’ve lost their last three and they’ve given up 42 or more points in each of those losses to Sun Belt East division rivals.
Georgia State’s strength is its skill position players. Quarterback Dustin Grainger is a three-year starter for the Panthers and in 2019 he started for Furman. A big kid, 6-4, 225 pounds, and he’s thrown for nearly 2,000 yards, 14 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.
He can also run the ball as he has 569 yards rushing and seven touchdowns.
Georgia State’s running back Marcus Carroll is the third leading rusher in FBS, with 1,206 yards. He’s a big back at 5-10, 210 pounds and is in his senior season.
The Panthers leading receiver is Robert Lewis, who has 52 catches for 727 yards and seven touchdowns. He caught a 97-yard touchdown pass earlier this season against Charlotte. He has been minimized the last couple of games, just six catches for 69 yards and a touchdown.
Despite GSU’s weapons on offense, it’s hard to see their defense slowing down LSU.
I like LSU to win 45-17.
