It wasn't always perfect for Jayden Daniels in his debut as LSU's quarterback, but even with a close competition throughout camp, Brian Kelly shut down any QB controversy before it could even get started heading into Week 2.
In fact, a change to QB Garrett Nussmeier was never even considered despite the Tigers offense managing just 3 points in the first half of the season-opening loss to Florida State.
"That was never a conversation," Kelly said during his Tuesday press conference. "And right now, Jayden is our No. 1 quarterback."
Still, Kelly referred to his new quarterback's debut as a "mixed bag." He used his legs well and had a game-high 114 rushing yards, but there were some clear areas he could improve. Daniels needs to recognize fronts more quickly and make sure he's getting his protection where it needs to be, something that improved as the game went on and particularly when the Tigers went to a more up-tempo approach.
His pocket presence also improved as the game went on, and he led three consecutive scoring drives late in the game that would've set the Tigers up for a chance to steal the game in overtime if not for a blocked PAT to end it.
Daniels finished the game 26-39 passing for 209 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a clutch, 99-yard touchdown drive that was finished off in the back of the end zone by Jaray Jenkins in the final seconds.
"Jayden is very sharp. He understands the offense. So that's something that we'll have to do a better job coaching and making sure he recognizes [the fronts he's facing]," Kelly said. "Is he able to get us in the right protection, get the ball out quicker, which he did when he saw that later in the game, which prompted them on the long drive to drop 8 and be in a 3-man rush. And he had time in a 3-man rush and when nothing was open, it created opportunities for him to run."
But it wasn't only Daniels who started slowly -- that was an issue across the board, and one the Tigers will be working to fix this week heading into a matchup with Southern and as the rigors of SEC play approach quickly.
That was the biggest emphasis in the team meeting to start the short week heading into the next matchup.
"There are things that we did well, and I kind of mentioned them already, but we showed resolve," Kelly said. "But what we have to do better is consistent execution. And what we learned is we got to play four quarters of football and that means we've gotta start fast and we did not start fast."
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LSU's star defensive tackle suffered a torn ACL in the opener, Kelly confirmed, and he'll be done for the year.
"Our doctors confirmed an ACL tear yesterday after an MRI, which, obviously, we're crushed for him because he was celebrating for a teammate on the play and trying to show his support for teammates. So any time you suffer an injury under those circumstances, you know, it's extremely disappointing. He's a great player, you know, you're gonna miss great players. But you know, it's next-man in now for us from that standpoint, so you gotta count on other guys to step up, and they did in the game. I think our defensive line rallied, played as hard as they could. You certainly wouldn't single that out as a reason for us not having success."
WAS THERE ANYTHING TO ADDRESS WITH KAYSHON BOUTTE AFTER THE GAME?
LSU's star wide receiver struggled in his first action since working back from an injury-plagued sophomore season, and his body language made that clear. Kelly said he's not concerned about Boutte, but there were conversations after the game regarding how he handles adversity throughout games and going forward.
"I think there were a number of those guys that were disappointed in their play and they're hard on themselves. They want to succeed at such a high level. So yea, I had a conversation with Kayshon, and his standard is so high and obviously it was a difficult day for him. It wasn't his best, but he's going to have great games, and it's gonna be in the totality of his work that he's gonna be evaluated. ... He's the least guy that I'm concerned about on our offense."
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"He's a young man who hasn't been in this situation before and he needs some guidance. And so we spent some time and we've worked some things out that will help him handle the scrutiny, and quite frankly the scrutiny was strong. And, you know, his reaction was probably similar to what my reaction would be as a 60-year-old, and he has handled it in a manner that he'll learn from and continue to grow from."
THOUGHTS ON ALI GAYE'S TARGETING CALL
Ali Gaye was voted a team captain prior to the season, but he made one of the game's biggest blunders when he got called for targeting on Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis. Gaye will be suspended for the first half in the matchup against Southern, and Kelly wouldn't give his star edge rusher a pass on the subject.
"If you look that up in the dictionary, that's what targeting is, so that was a young man who is regretful of the decision and how that went about. He'll sit the first half. He's gotta be better, he knows that."
To Gaye's credit, he reached out to Travis and apologized after the game.
IS POOR TACKLING A PROBLEM AT THIS POINT?
"Tackling is an art, right? I mean, it's something that you have to develop that skill. We tackled as much as we could. Let's give Florida State's quarterback a lot of the credit, too. He's extremely elusive. We had 16 missed tackles on him and that's too many. We had him wrapped up for tackles for loss on a number of occasions that would've gotten us off the field, but we've got to be better, there's no question."
IS SAFETY PLAY/THIRD DOWN EXECUTION A CONCERN?
A clear issue for LSU in the opener was an inability to get off the field at critical points. Florida State converted on 6 of its first 7 third down opportunities, and 11 of 17 overall.
"When you don't get off the field on third down it's not just the safeties, it's not just the corners, it's not just the pass rush. Everybody's responsible for that. You know, we've got to play better at that position in particular. We've got to tackle better. We've got to blitz better. We've got to be on body in coverage better," Kelly said. "So is there room for major improvement there? Yes, there is. There's room for improvement in my coaching and our playing and we've got to get better there as well."
