Grading LSU football, Jayden Daniels' dominant performance against Mississippi State
STARKVILLE, Miss. – LSU football had its most impressive win of the young season Saturday, dominating Mississippi State in its SEC opener in Starkville, 41-14.
Coach Brian Kelly and the Tigers jumped out to a 24-7 lead by halftime on the back of dominant performances from Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers. LSU then scored a touchdown and made a field goal to extend its lead to 27 before the fourth quarter.
Here are our grades from LSU's blowout win over the Bulldogs.
Offense: A+
Daniels completed his first 13 passes and 23 of his opening 24 throws and Nabers had 188 yards receiving before the end of the first half. It's hard to play any better than that.
Defense: A+
LSU's front seven owned Mississippi State's offense. The Tigers allowed just 7 yards of offense until the Bulldogs' final drive of the first half and were all over Will Rogers the entire game.
Special teams: B
LSU's kick return coverage had some shaky moments, but LSU didn't muff any punts and Damian Ramos made both of his field goal attempts.
Coaching: A
Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock did a good job of putting Daniels and Nabers in a position to succeed. Defensive coordinator Matt House was able to generate consistent pressure against Bulldogs quarterback Rogers.
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Overall: A+
A one-sided win on the road against any SEC opponent is worthy of an A+. Saturday was also arguably the best game of Daniels' career.
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Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU football, Jayden Daniels grades vs. Mississippi State
