Nick Saban on Jayden Daniels improvement: 'He killed us last year'

Nick Saban knows Jayden Daniels won’t be an easy foe. On Monday, the Alabama head coach raved about the LSU quarterback ahead of the two teams’ matchup this weekend.

“They’re the No. 1 offensive team in the country and it starts with the quarterback, Jayden Daniels,” Saban said. “This guy is a phenomenal player. He’s a dual threat player, he’s great passer, he makes lots of plays with his feet, he’s fast. Not only can he scramble to run, but he can scramble to throw.”

“He killed us last year,” Saban said. “The guy was a really good player last year. He’s a really good player now. I think, overall, they execute their offense to perfection. It starts with him because he makes the right reads relative to runs and passes and zone option plays and pass-down plays.”

Daniels was excellent in LSU’s 32-31 overtime win over Alabama last season. In the victory, Daniels tallied 182 passing yards and two touchdowns while throwing zero interceptions. Daniels’ arm wasn’t his only threat.

The 6-foot-4 locomotive also rattled off a team-high 95 rushing yards in the win and a score on the ground. The performance was enough to knock off Alabama and, effectively, end its hopes at reaching the College Football Playoff.

Jayden Daniels will be even better this time

Saban certainly hasn’t let the outstanding performance slip from his memory.

“He’s very good at reading coverages, makes really quick decisions. All those things were evident last year by the way he played,” Saban said. “He’s probably even better now because he has even more experience and knowledge in the offense, and they’ve got really good players around him.”

Saban is correct. Daniels is even more dangerous this season, leading the country with 25 passing touchdowns. He also averages 321.6 passing yards per game while connecting on 73.1% of his pass attempts.

Most recently, Daniels rattled off 279 passing yards and three touchdowns in LSU’s 62-0 win over Army. The performance was enough to earn Daniels the No. 1 spot in On3’s Week 10 Heisman Power Rankings. After enjoying a bye last week, Daniels will bring extra energy into Tuscaloosa on Saturday.

Of course, Alabama welcomes the challenge. The Crimson Tide have won six straight games since falling to Texas in Week 2. With revenge at stake, Alabama will be ready for the Tigers. The two teams will square off at 7:45 p.m. ET on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on CBS.