No. 15 LSU football romps Georgia State as Jayden Daniels tallies 8 total TDs
BATON ROUGE — Temperatures dropped with the sun setting beyond Tiger Stadium as No. 15 LSU football and Georgia State kicked off Saturday night.
Seems the early execution from the Tigers, especially on defense, was just as chilly. The Panthers scored two TDs by early second quarter, answering Jayden Daniels on offense for LSU.
But the defense adjusted and while Daniels turned the heat up with his eight totals TD and 509 total yards to help the Tigers (8-3) down the Panthers, 56-14.
Dating back to the Florida win, LSU's offense has scored a touchdown on 13 of its last 14 drives. The lone no-score drive was the kneel down at the end of the Florida game.
Jayden Daniels pads stats for Heisman Trophy candidacy
Before the game was 20 minutes old, Daniels accounted for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns.
His efficiency wasn't shocking, but with the Tigers out of the running for the SEC West division title and a spot in the College Football Playoffs, opportunities to run it up against lesser opponents are going to factor into his campaign.
Daniels started the game 15-of-19 with four passing scores on the opening drive, rushed for 57 yards on just four carries with another TD. He had 330 yards by halftime.
He finished the night with 445 yards and seven touchdowns. He was nearly perfect going 22-of-26 passing for a 260 passer rating and averaged nearly 10 yards per carry.
LSU's defense adjusts from early-game issues to stifle Panthers
Georgia State is one of the better offensive teams in the Sun Belt Conference. Running back Marcus Carroll is a 1,200-yard rusher this season and quarterback Darren Grainger is an experienced signal caller and a dual threat player.
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The Panthers (6-5) had some early success throwing the ball against the Tigers' soft coverage out wide.
But defensive coordinator Matt House brought his cornerbacks up closer to the line of scrimmage while Ashton Stamps, Sage Ryan and other defensive backs performed much better from the second quarter on. Georgia State managed 59 yards after halftime.
Tigers miss Logan Diggs to some extent
LSU's running game was nearly nonexistent outside of Daniels.
Noah Cain had one rush for 20 yards, while starter Josh Williams carried the ball three times for 17 yards. Freshman Kaleb Jackson had three rushes for 23 yards, 18 of those coming on a play in the fourth quarter.
Seven carries from a true tailback in a 42-point win is an absurd stat, but the Tigers have proven that its offense runs through Daniels.
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU/UL athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: No. 15 LSU football romps Georgia State as Jayden Daniels has 8 total TDs
