Brian Kelly on Jayden Daniels: 'He's just got a heart of a champion"
LSU pulled out a thrill 49-39 win over No. 21 Missouri on Saturday, using a second-half comeback fueled by a heroic performance from quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Daniels was hurt early in the fourth quarter but returned to the game to lead some winning drives late in the contest against the Tigers.
“He’s just got a heart of a champion,” coach Brian Kelly told the ESPN broadcast crew after the game. “You don’t get many chances to coach a guy like that, and I’m just so happy that I got an opportunity to have him on my team. And then find a way to keep the points down when you’ve got a player like that.”
Daniels did it all, using his legs to extend drives in key situations and hitting his talented receivers in the passing game.
Star receiver Malik Nabers recorded six catches for 146 yards and a touchdown, while fellow receiver Brian Thomas Jr. recorded four catches for 66 yards and a score.
The LSU quarterback finished 15-of-21 passing for 259 yards and three touchdowns, while also adding 15 carries for 130 yards and a touchdown.
The Tigers put together back-to-back touchdown drives after Jayden Daniels was briefly knocked out of the game with a rib injury, with the veteran quarterback gutting it out and leading two long drives down the field.
That helped LSU overcome a forgettable defensive performance.
“Just a lot of resolve. We’ve got a lot of young guys out here competing, and I’m just so proud of them,” Kelly said. “This is a tough environment, coming on the road in the SEC, sold-out crowd. They made it homecoming. I obviously didn’t think from our perspective playing four out of six on the road, it’s a tough run our guys have been on. I’m just so proud of the way they competed defensively.”
After giving up quite a bit to Brady Cook and Missouri, LSU’s defense clamped down as the game wore on. A forced fumble on Cook late ruined one Missouri drive with the game on the line, then the Tigers forced him into a pick-six at the hands of safety Major Burns.
That effectively sealed the game after Jayden Daniels’ heroics, with the defense doing what it needed to to earn the win after the early miscues.
“They fixed a lot of things, and now we’ve got to fix a few more things,” Kelly said. “But that quarterback’s pretty good for LSU.”