Brian Kelly discusses Jayden Daniels injury, belief in Garrett Nussmeier

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Jayden Daniels has been on the receiving end of some big hits over the past couple of weeks. Brian Kelly knows what he is getting into though, giving Daniels the freedom to scramble when under pressure. Missouri got to him a few times on Saturday, forcing him to leave the game at one point early in the fourth quarter.

“He got banged up,” Kelly said on the LSU starting quarterback. “Yup. He got banged up.”

So, what was going through Kelly’s mind when Daniels went down? Most head coaches would be left scratching their heads when QB1 is injured. Kelly is not one of those. He has total belief in Garrett Nussmeier and what he can do when called upon.

“We got a really good guy that can come in Nuss,” Kelly said. “That’s what I was thinking.”

Nussmeier is not your ordinary backup, potentially being one of the best in the SEC. If he had entered the NCAA transfer portal this offseason, teams would have been lining up to sign him. Instead, he decided to stay true to LSU and accept his role on the 2023 squad. His time is coming at one point or another.

But Nussmeier knows his role is to be ready whenever called upon and likely on short notice. He attempted two passes against Missouri and both of them fell incomplete. It was just a short-term thing with Daniels eventually getting back onto the field. The state line might not show the quality Nussmeier possesses but Kelly clearly has a ton of trust in him.

Despite being banged up, Jayden Daniels has monster day vs. Missouri

Daniels might have been banged up but he had quite the day against Missouri. It’s not secret the LSU defense has not been great this season and the offense has needed to put on a show. Two losses are on the record but Daniels has been a baller throughout the 2023 season.

Of his 21 pass attempts, Daniels completed 15 of them for 259 yards and three touchdowns. He added 130 yards and a touchdown on the ground. A truly efficient day for the quarterback and the home team had no kind of answer for him.

LSU needed every single one of those yards too. From the beginning, Daniels was playing from behind and attempting to get the Tigers back ahead. The performance paid off in a big way.