Jayden Daniels shares excitement for Florida State rematch

The LSU Tigers had an impressive first year under head coach Brian Kelly. But the season did not kick off the way the Tigers would have liked as they lost to the Florida State Seminoles in Week 1.

Fast forward to this offseason, and LSU has been hard at work preparing for their rematch against the Seminoles to open the season. And Tigers starting quarterback Jayden Daniels took some time, while at the Manning Passing Academy held at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, LA, to address the excitement he has for the two power programs’ highly anticipated rematch.

“We just really want that one back,” said Daniel. “It’s sad the way we lost. It sucked. But we know that we’re a better team now. They’re a better team, also. But another year in our system with the coaches, with the players. We expect the outcome to be different and go out there and put on the show.

LSU’s Week 1 24-23 loss to Florida State undoubtedly had a ton of emotion attached to it. The Tigers struggled on special teams for much of the game, and their offense was still being worked on then. Still, Daniels was able to lead LSU on a 99-yard drive to score a touchdown as time expired, setting up an extra point attempt that would have forced overtime. But the Tigers’ special teams woes reared their head once again, as the extra point attempt was blocked.

Daniels and LSU won’t have to wait too long to try and get their revenge. The two teams are set to face off on Sept. 3 at 6:30 P.M in Orlando, FL.

Daniels reveals which LSU players are standing out in practice

The Tigers quarterback also discussed a few Tigers that believe they’re ready to take the next step, and one of the players who didn’t get a chance to help a year ago is itching to make his mark. That’s defensive lineman Maason Smith, who missed the season with an injury after getting hurt in the season opener against Florida State. Daniels believes the college football world should watch out for Smith this fall.

“I would say they better remember who Maason Smith is,” Jayden Daniels said. “We didn’t have him all last year. He just came back, he’s causing havoc.”

Smith was a 2021 Freshman All-American, racking up 19 tackles, 5.0 tackles for a loss and 4.0 sacks in nine games played. He could make those numbers look like child’s play now that he’s healthy.

The 6-foot-6, 310-pound tackle is moving better than ever as he heads into his redshirt sophomore season.

The Bengal Tiger’s Shea Dixon contributed to this report.