Jayden Daniels leaves game vs. Missouri with apparent injury

First and goal from just outside the end zone went as poorly as it could for LSU, who scored a touchdown, but had it called back over a questionable holding call while quarterback Jayden Daniels was also injured on the play.

Daniels was slammed to the turf after scoring on the play that was called back in what certainly could have been flagged for a late hit but wasn’t. After crouching down following the hit, Daniels was joined by trainers and left the field. Following the injury timeout, ESPN’s Kris Budden gave the following update:

“You can see Jayden Daniels back out on the field after being helped out. He did not go into the injury tent. The trainers are taking a look at the rib area. He’s going to walk off. But he was just throwing the ball. He’s going to go speak with the trainers a little bit more.”

However, just a couple of plays after that update, the broadcast updated viewers to note that Daniels had just entered the tent for the time being.

After Daniels went out, backup QB Garrett Nussmeier came in to run the Tigers new goal-to-goal series, which had been pushed to just outside the 10-yard line thanks to the iffy holding call. With the late hit that caused an injury to Daniels and that holding call on the heels of an obvious missed false start on the most recent Missouri touchdown… well, you can guess that head Tiger coach Brian Kelly had a face as purple as the numerals on LSU’s uniforms.

Update: DANIELS IS BACK! HE SCORES!

He’s a true warrior, because Jayden Daniels shrugged off the rib injury — or whatever it was that was plaguing him — and immediately returned for the next possession. And he wasn’t playing timid either. Daniels took a hit on a QB scramble on his very first snap back in the game and then used his legs to make a first down out of a third and long.

Then, on the next set of downs, Daniels found his favorite target, Malik Nabors, near the middle of the field to get LSU right back into Mizzou territory. To cap off that drive, Daniels converted another third down with his legs, this time a third-and-three that he took all the way to the end zone from just outside the 30-yard line.

Jayden Daniels is unbelievable.

Injured ribs, Daniels gets LSU to the endzone with his legs and then converts the two point attempt on a throw to Malik.

LSU leads 35-32, 7:54 4Q pic.twitter.com/TtOONWgtvz

— Matthew Brune (@MatthewBrune_) October 7, 2023

In the wake of a massively high-scoring loss at Ole Miss last week, LSU has found themselves back in another shootout during an SEC road trip. This time around, instead of Jaxson Dart and Quinshon Judkins lighting the Tigers up, it’s Brady Cook and his tremendous crop of wideouts giving the LSU defense trouble, especially sophomore phenom Luther Burden.