LSU Rolls Over Grambling 72-10 Behind Jayden Daniels’ 5 Touchdown Passes

The LSU Tigers took out their frustrations last week with a blowout victory over the Grambling Tigers 72-10 as the Tigers offense scored touchdowns on nine of their ten drives and did not need the services of their punter Jay Bramblett while doing so. Offensively, the Tigers accounted for 622 total yards with 320 being through the air and 302 yards being on the ground.

Jayden Daniels had his most productive game as a passer setting personal records with five touchdown passes in the first half. Daniels is the second LSU quarterback to throw five touchdown passes in a half joining LSU Tigers legend Joe Burrow. Despite Daniels’ dynamite and record performance, head coach Brian Kelly still thinks there are some more opportunities out there from the first half.

“It’s hard to take issue with five touchdown passes tonight, but when I say the huddle, Jayden, myself, Mike Denbrock, Joe Sloan, he left some throws out there that we need to get better at. I am pleased. We are not going to walk away and be ungrateful for the things that he accomplished, but we have some work to do.”

LSU Head Coach Brian Kelly on Jayden Daniels’ performance

Daniels’ five touchdown performance was a personal single game record for him, and it was all in the first half as he completed 18 of 24 passes for 269 yards. The second year Tigers’ starter spread the wealth. After a disappointing night by the wide receivers against Florida State, the talent showed out tonight as four different receivers had touchdown catches tonight.

Brian Thomas Jr. finished with six catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns. Malik Nabers finished with five catches for 87 yards and a touchdown. Kyren Lacy finished with three catches for 62 yards and a touchdown. Finally, Chris Hilton Jr. finished the night with two catches for 53 yards including a 47-yard touchdown catch.

Just as lethal as the passing game was, the Tigers’ balanced running attack was just as efficient with four different players scoring touchdowns on the ground. Two running backs that certainly impressed the most and led the deep running back rotation were Logan Diggs and Kaleb Jackson. After not seeing the both of them get carries against Florida State, both backs showed a lot of promise with the Notre Dame transfer finishing the night with 115 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries and the talented freshman Baton Rouge product also finding the end zone twice to go along with 62 yards on 11 carries. Noah Cain and quarterback Garrett Nussmeier also added touchdowns on the ground throughout the night.

“I mean, it’s bittersweet. It’s been a really long journey, a really long summer for me battling injuries. But God was on my side tonight and it felt really good, especially being able to come back home and play in front of the home crowd. I’m glad to wear those colors and put on for my state.”

LSU RB Logan Diggs on his debut performance

There were a lot of positives to take away from the Tigers on the offensive side of the football, but the defensive side of the football was a little bit rocky to start the game giving up two plus 80-yard drives with one drive resulting in a Grambling touchdown pass and the other resulting in a field goal.

“Twice we were in dime personnel, and they ran the ball. You are looking to take away some things in the passing game and you are vulnerable in the running game. We got out of dime and got into our buffalo package, which was four defensive linemen and that took care of that situation.”

LSU HC Brian Kelly on defensive performance.

The defense ultimately settled in the game outscoring the Tigers 58-0 after having a slim 14-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. Greg Penn got the first turnover of the season on a knee clinching interception. In Maason Smith’s return with the Tigers, the talented defensive lineman finished the night with only one tackle while Harold Perkins returned back to his normal outside linebacker/jack position with a tackle, a QB hurry, and a PBU. Smith’s counterpart Mekhi Wingo had another productive outing on the interior with three tackles and a half TFL.

The secondary gave up some plays early on, especially Grambling’s only touchdown of the night, which was a 13 yard touchdown pass from Myles Crawley to JR Walters as the touchdown was scored on the Tigers’ heralded transfer Denver Harris. Zy Alexander finished as the team’s leader in tackles with six along with two pass breakups.

After a sluggish start, the defense finished the game strong by forcing two turnovers and four punts, but like the offense, Kelly is certainly not 100% pleased with that side of the football.

“We got to tackle better. The competition does pick up. We are not leaving with the impression that we got this thing figured out. We got to tackle better. We missed too many tackles, and we have to continue to develop our players. You saw first time starters out there tonight. Denver Harris is a first time starter for us. You saw Ashton Stamps and other young guys that played key roles for us. There is still a lot of work to be done.”

LSU HC Brian Kelly on defensive performance

Overall, the Tigers picked up the level of play after an embarrassing season opening loss. Although Kelly might not be bullish on the way his team played tonight, he believes this type of result can be a great springboard to the rest of the season.

“We certainly started fast, built great momentum, and came out in the third quarter. We asserted out will in the third quarter and finished it off the right way. I am pleased with the way we played the game. The game of football is hard, regardless of the competition and who you are playing. Grambling wanted to win. They worked hard and practiced hard all week, and they are well coached. I told the coach that and I think they are a difficult team to defend. They showed that. They were very different early on until we had to make some adjustments and I thought we settled down. Obviously, then we had ten straight possessions with touchdowns and no punts. That is a pretty effective and efficient way of doing things in week two. Again, we played the game the way it needs to be played here at LSU and we need to meet and exceed that standard week in and week out.”

LSU HC Brian Kelly

The LSU Tigers pick up their first win of the season and will even the record at 1-1. Next week, the Tigers will go on the road to play 2-0 Mississippi State at 11:00 A.M. central time. Meanwhile, Hue Jackson and the Grambling Tigers will fall to 0-2 to start the season.

Check out some of the LSU photos that were taken by Billy Metcalf! The entire photo gallery will be posted this week!

Final Stats:

Offensive Cumulative Stats:

STATGSULSU
NET TOTAL YARDS320622
NET RUSHING YARDS163302
Rushing Attempts2948
Average Per Rush5.66.3
Rushing TDs05
Yards Gained188305
Yards Lost253
NET PASSING YARDS157320
Completion-Attempts15-3124-34
Completion Percentage48%71%
Avg Per Completion10.513.3
Passing TDs15
TOTAL 1ST DOWNS1635
Rushing 1st Downs818
Passing 1st Downs714
Penalty 1st Downs13
TOTAL PLAYS6082
Avg Yds/Play5.37.6
Rushing-Passing29-3148-34

Offense Efficiency Comparison:

STATGSULSU
RED ZONE ATTEMPTS2-38-8
Red Zone Points1056
RZ TDs Rush-Pass0-15-3
RZ FG Made-Att1-20-0
RZ Turns00
3rd Downs3-1211-14
4th Downs0-11-3
Penalties13-1042-20
Fumbles-Lost3-11-0
Pts Off Turns014
POSSESSION TIME26:4933:11

Special Teams Comparison:

STATGSULSU
Punts-Avg4-44.00-0
Inside2010
Field Goals1-20-0
Kick Returns7-934-86
Punt Returns0-01-22

Defensive Comparison:

STATGSULSU
TACKLES8972
Solo Tackles4524
Tackles for Loss24
TFL Yards-6-5
Pass Breakups16
QB Hurries04
Sacks11
Sacks Yards-3-1
Takeaways FR-INT0-01-1
Forced Fumbles10
Fumble Recoveries01
FR Yards00
Interceptions01
INT Yards00
TDs INT-FR0-00-0

Grambling Passing:

#PLAYERC-AYDSTDIC%RTG
7CRAWLEY,MYLES14-251481156110.9
4CALVEZ,JULIAN1-59002035.1
16JONES,JACOB0-100000
PASS TOTALS15-311571148

Grambling Receiving:

#PLAYERNOYDSTDLNGAVGTGTC%
19JONES,ANTONIO78103411.6888
8ROBINSON,JAVON125025251100
11DICKERSON,NAE’SAAN11501515333
1WATERS,JR11311313333
10RASH,LYNDON11201212333
17WILLIAMS,TYLON11101111250
2WILLIAMS,CHANCE120221100
84QUIETT,JOSHUA10000250
3CHALK,FLOYD1-200-2250
9 RECEIVERS1515713410.53050

Grambling Rushing:

#PLAYERATTYDSTDLNGAVG
2WILLIAMS,CHANCE710603615.1
16JONES,JACOB44701911.8
3CHALK,FLOYD7250133.6
6RICHARD,DAJON57031.4
23ELDER,KEILON31010.3
4CALVEZ,JULIAN1-100-1
6 RUSHERS291630365.6

Grambling Punting:

PunterNOYDSAVGLNGI2050+
ILES,JIMMY4176444710

Grambling Field Goals:

KickerTimeDistResult
Rinker,Tanner1st-02:2123GOOD
Rinker,Tanner2nd-11:3923MISSED
TOTAL1-2LONG OF 23

Grambling All Purpose Yards:

PlayerTotRushRecKORPRIR-FRTDs
WILLIAMS,CHANCE10810620000
JONES,ANTONIO810810000
JONES,JACOB474700000

Grambling Defense:

#Player (Starter)TotTkSoloSackTFLIntBrUpQBHFF
2Thomas,Kevin (DB)115000000
14Johnson,Norey (DB)86000001
4Anderson,Cedric (CB)53010000
18Webster,Davonte (LB)54000000
27Wilson,Robert (DB)53000000
29Williams,Christen (DB)52000000
43Darling,Josh (LB)53000000
57Matthews,Lewis (LB)52000000
3Britten,Marquis (DB)41000000
19Johnson,Keyshawn (DL)42000000
97Lewis,Lane (DL)41000000
10Burnett Jr.,Medrick (LB)31000000
20Daigre,Chris (DB)32000000
49Richmond,Jaquavis (LB)31000000
96Sykes,Markeis (DE)31000000
0Henry,Trent (DB)22000100
44Garner,Micheal (DL)22000000
98Hardy,Jaden (DL)200.50.50000
6Jones,Andrew (LB)11000000
7Talley,Quintin (DB)11000000
9Anderson,Sundiata (DL)100.50.50000
11Zito,Blaze (DL)10000000
13Jackson,Andrew11000000
13Jones,David (DB)10000000
40Schofield,Jakobe (DL)10000000
72Scott,J’cobe (DL)11000000
91Meline,Tabias (DL)10000000
99Cousar,Xavier (DL)10000000
1Waters,JR00000000
38Rinker,Tanner00000000
TOTALS8945020101

Grambling Punt Returns:

ReturnerNOYDSAVGLNGTD

Grambling Kick Returns:

ReturnerNOYDSAVGLNGTD
JOHNSON,JOSHUA23518180
BRITTEN,MARQUIS22714180
GUIDRY,C.J.11818180
ELDER,KEILON11010100
ROBINSON,JAVON130330
TOTAL79313180

Grambling Team Stats By Quarter:

1stRushPassCAITotYAvg3rdsPens
1st88-8210-917-10-01739.61-24-30
2nd46-4510-414-10-0865.41-43-34
3rd13-18-254-8-1262.40-34-30
4th312-353-00-3-0352.31-32-10
Total1629-16331-15715-31-13205.33-1213-104

Grambling Scoring Summary:

QtrClockScoreTypePlayDriveScore
109:15TDPASSWaters,JR 13 yd reception thrown by Crawley,Myles7/83/02:567-7
102:21FGRinker,Tanner 23 yd Field Goal12/80/05:5914-10

LSU Passing:

#PLAYERC-AYDSTDIC%RTG
5DANIELS,JAYDEN18-242695075237.9
13NUSSMEIER,GARRETT4-6480067133.9
10COLLINS,RICKIE2-2300100112.6
PASS TOTALS24-343205071

LSU Receiving:

#PLAYERNOYDSTDLNGAVGTGTC%
11THOMAS JR.,BRIAN67822613786
8NABERS,MALIK58713017.4956
1ANDERSON,AARON4130143.34100
2LACY,KYREN36213820.73100
17HILTON JR.,CHRIS25314726.5450
3DIGGS,LOGAN118018181100
84MARKWAY,MAC180881100
88PIMPTON,KA’MORREUN110111100
86TAYLOR,MASON10000333
9 RECEIVERS2432054713.33569

LSU Rushing:

#PLAYERATTYDSTDLNGAVG
3DIGGS,LOGAN151151217.7
28JACKSON,KALEB11622215.6
27WILLIAMS,JOSH6430127.2
21CAIN,NOAH7331154.7
5DANIELS,JAYDEN5290125.8
10COLLINS,RICKIE3190136.3
13NUSSMEIER,GARRETT11111
7 RUSHERS483025216.3

LSU Punting:

PunterNOYDSAVGLNGI2050+

LSU Field Goals:

KickerTimeDistResult
TOTAL0-0LONG OF 0

LSU All Purpose Yards:

PlayerTotRushRecKORPRIR-FRTDs
JACKSON,KALEB13462072002
DIGGS,LOGAN133115180001
NABERS,MALIK870870001

LSU Defense:

#Player (Starter)TotTkSoloSackTFLIntBrUpQBHFF
24Alexander,Zy (CB)65000200
33Weeks,West (LB)61000000
8Burns,Major (DB)52000000
14Sam,Andre54000000
30Penn III,Greg (LB)5200.51000
3Brooks Jr.,Greg41000000
17Womack,Da’Shawn (DE)42000000
40Weeks,Whit (LB)41000000
18Wingo,Mekhi (DT)3000.50000
35Jones,Sai’vion (DE)30010020
99Jefferson,Jordan (DT)31110000
2Oghoufo,Ovie (LB)20000100
25Toviano,Javien21000000
26Stamps,Ashton (DB)21000100
34Robinson Jr.,Ryan (DB)21000000
52Malbrue,Princeton (DE)20000000
81Langston,Bryce (DL)20000000
0Smith,Maason (DE)11010000
1Speights,Omar (LB)10000000
4Perkins Jr.,Harold (LB)11000110
5Welch,Laterrance (DB)10000000
11Howard,Jaxon (DE)10000000
13Swinson,Bradyn (DE)10000010
29Hughes,Jeremiah (DB)10000000
42Blue,Lane (DE)10000000
55Ibieta,Jake (DE)10000000
68West Jr.,Fitzgerald (DL)10000000
90Guillory,Jacobian (DL)10000000
96Lee,Jalen (DT)10000000
10Harris,Denver (CB)00000100
2Lacy,Kyren00000000
3Diggs,Logan00000000
8Nabers,Malik00000000
11Thomas Jr.,Brian00000000
13Nussmeier,Garrett00000000
17Hilton Jr.,Chris00000000
21Cain,Noah00000000
28Jackson,Kaleb00000000
31Dibert,Nathan00000000
34Ramos,Damian00000000
TOTALS7224141640

LSU Punt Returns:

ReturnerNOYDSAVGLNGTD
CLAYTON JR.,GREGORY12222220

LSU Kick Returns:

ReturnerNOYDSAVGLNGTD
JACKSON,KALEB37224270
CLAYTON JR.,GREGORY11414140
TOTAL48622270

LSU Team Stats By Quarter:

1stRushPassCAITotYAvg3rdsPens
1st97-579-1327-9-018911.82-20-0
2nd1513-9717-13711-17-02347.84-42-20
3rd715-884-343-4-01226.42-40-0
4th413-604-173-4-0774.53-40-0
Total3548-30234-32024-34-06227.611-142-20

LSU Scoring Summary:

QtrClockScoreTypePlayDriveScore
112:16TDPASSThomas Jr.,Brian 26 yd reception thrown by Daniels,Jayden8/77/02:407-0
108:24TDPASSHilton Jr.,Chris 47 yd reception thrown by Daniels,Jayden3/76/00:4514-7
214:17TDPASSNabers,Malik 7 yd reception thrown by Daniels,Jayden7/69/02:5421-10
207:22TDRUSHDiggs,Logan 3 yd rush9/80/04:1728-10
202:00TDPASSThomas Jr.,Brian 10 yd reception thrown by Daniels,Jayden9/70/03:5135-10
200:01TDPASSLacy,Kyren 3 yd reception thrown by Daniels,Jayden10/85/01:1542-10
309:30TDRUSHNussmeier,Garrett 1 yd rush6/54/02:5949-10
304:47TDRUSHJackson,Kaleb 5 yd rush7/29/03:2156-10
413:30TDRUSHJackson,Kaleb 3 yd rush10/58/03:5463-10
410:39TDRUSHCain,Noah 1 yd rush5/20/01:5970-10
409:15SAFSafety72-10