Advertisement

Jayden Daniels' Heisman campaign: 5 advanced stats that best show the LSU QB's dominance

koki riley, lafayette daily advertiser
·3 min read

BATON ROUGE — No quarterback in the country has been as dominant as Jayden Daniels this season.

LSU football's signal-caller last weekend against Florida became the first player in FBS history to have at least 350 passing yards and 200 rushing yards in the same game. He also set the SEC record for total yards in a single game with 606 in the Tigers' 52-35 win.

Daniels this season leads the FBS in total yards, passing touchdowns and passing yards per attempt. But to fully understand his dominance this year and why he should arguably be the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, a dive into the advanced statistics he's accumulated this season is needed.

Here are five advanced numbers that best show Daniels' historic campaign.

EPA

Expected Points Added is an advanced statistic that measures how well a team or player performs in relation to what the expected outcome of a play is.

Daniels leads the FBS in this category, according to ESPN's Win Probability model, by a long shot.

Daniels has added 102.5 expected points this season, per ESPN. The next closest quarterback is Oklahoma's Dillon Gabriel who has accumulated 76.3 expected points.

Part of the reason behind Daniels' dominance in EPA is because of the amount value he adds on his rushing attempts. Daniels leads all FBS quarterbacks with a 40.8 EPA on runs, according to ESPN, which is 13.2 expected points more than the next quarterback, Thomas Castellanos from Boston College.

PAA

Points Above Average is an advanced statistic that measures how many points a player contributes to his team's scoring output in comparison to the average player at his position.

Daniels leads all FBS quarterbacks in this category too. According to ESPN, Daniels has helped contribute 98.8 more points than the average FBS quarterback this season, 25.7 more points above average than Oregon quarterback Bo Nix who is in second place.

QBR

Adjusted Total Quarterback Rating is an advanced statistic from ESPN that fully encompasses a quarterback's output on a scale of 0-100 while also adjusting for the quality of the opposing defenses the player has faced.

Just like with EPA and PAA, Daniels leads the FBS in this category as well with a 94.1 rating. Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy is just behind him with a 92.7 rating.

LSU BOWL PROJECTIONS: LSU football bowl projections following Week 11 win over Florida

THE DANIELS HEISMAN CAMPAIGN: Brian Kelly isn't afraid to stump for Jayden Daniels in his Heisman Trophy campaign. Here's why Daniels needs his help

JAYDEN DANIELS' HEISMAN MOMENT: Jayden Daniels agrees: His performance vs. Florida was his Heisman moment

Strength of Schedule

Not an individual statistic, but the competition Daniels and LSU has faced this season should be a major factor into his Heisman Trophy case this season.

The Tigers have had the fourth hardest schedule in the country this season, only trailing Arkansas, Ole Miss and Indiana, according to ESPN. None of the three teams ahead of LSU have a legitimate candidate for the Heisman Trophy either.

Daniels' primary competition for the Heisman Trophy — Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis, Nix and McCarthy — do not have a strength of schedule that is within the top 35 in the country.

Offensive efficiency

Offensive efficiency, which ESPN calculates on a scale of 0-100, is the best way to summarize the total output of an offense while adjusting for factors such as the units strength of schedule.

LSU's offense led by Daniels is the No. 1 offense in the country in this metric and 4.5 points ahead of second place Michigan. Oregon, Washington and Southern Cal round out the top-5.

One player doesn't define a unit. But there is no position on the field that influences the success of an offense more than the quarterback.

For LSU, Daniels is that quarterback. He's the main reason why the Tigers have the best offense in the country.

Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.

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: Jayden Daniels: Statistics that show LSU quarterbacks dominance