Nick Saban breaks down challenging matchup vs. Jayden Daniels, LSU offense

Some SEC coaches probably feel like one week is not enough to prepare for LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels. Nick Saban will be thankful he has two, with Alabama enjoying a bye week. But come Saturday night on Nov. 4, the stress of defending Daniels will be high in a game potentially determining the SEC West winner.

Saban has some time but he broke down the tough matchup Daniels will present to his team. He understands the challenge ahead of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, seeing it firsthand last season when LSU pulled off the upset at Tiger Stadium.

“We played against him last year,” Saban said on Thursday during Hey Coach!. “First of all, the guy is an outstanding athlete. He’s a dual-threat quarterback. He can run, he can make you miss, he can extend plays, and he’s a really good passer. And they have really good skill guys on offense.”

Daniels currently ranks No. 1 in the SEC in passing yards, yards per attempt, and touchdowns. He has been on an absolute roll and is throwing to one of the best wide receiver rooms in the country. Alabama is going to have its hands full attempting to defend the LSU passing attack.

As Saban mentioned though, Daniels is a dual-threat quarterback. His 521 rushing yards currently rank seventh in the SEC and his YPC of 5.7 sneaks just inside of the top 10 too. There is so much more to defending Daniels in the LSU run game than trying to stop the quarterback.

With Alabama defenders being so aware of Daniels taking off, it gives more opportunities to the running backs. LSU has the ability to win inside of the tackles while defenders are worried about bringing down No. 5.

“They have great balance on offense too,” Saban said. “They run the ball effectively. They got a really good scheme in terms of how they use (Jayden Daniels) to create triple option-type plays that you have to defend — which really helps their running game. Not just because he can run but it helps their runners run because of the way you have to defend (Daniels) on the perimeter.”

Just like Alabama, LSU will be coming off a bye week with two weeks to prepare. Head coach Brian Kelly is surely going to have something up his sleeve to get one over Saban. However, Daniels is going to be the focal point of the offensive game plan, hoping the better quarterback can win the game.