Alabama prepping for LSU QB Jayden Daniels after 'he killed us last year'

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama defense will be tested this week by the nation’s top offense and a player many believe to be the Heisman frontrunner, LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels. 

Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban opened his Monday press conference by praising his next opponent and calling Daniels “a phenomenal player” in what will be the second matchup against the former Arizona State starter. In 2022, Daniels helped lead the Tigers to a 32-31 overtime win over Alabama in Baton Rouge, La., and Saban sees improvement in his game.

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

“All those things were evident last year, I think, by the way he played, and I think 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.”

Daniels is the SEC’s leading passer with 2,573 yards, 25 touchdowns and three interceptions on 163-of-223 passing (73.1). Daniels ranks first nationally with a passer rating of 204.32 – the only player above 200 – and an average of 11.5 yards per pass attempt. He leads the country in total offense with 3,094 yards, which includes his 521 yards on the ground this fall. 

Daniels ranks eighth in the SEC in rushing yards and has scored five touchdowns with his legs in the first eight weeks, which is tied for eighth in the league. Last year, Daniels ran 18 times for 95 yards and the final touchdown of the game (25 yards) before the two-point try.

While LSU is known for calling quarterback draws for its 6-foot-4, 210-pound starter, some of the plays Daniels made a season ago, Saban said, were because of a lack of execution.

“Two of his long runs in the game in critical situations came on busts up front in terms of gap control and he just saw it and took off running,” Saban said. “So it looked like a quarterback draw, but I don’t really think it was a designed quarterback draw.

“They do have designed quarterback draws. It was a zone option play that he scored on us in overtime, a 25-yard run. Another mistake that we made in run support, didn’t adjust to the motion. So those are the kinds of things that you cannot afford to make those kinds of mistakes when you’re playing against a quarterback like this, who basically is a great passer but also has triple-option type plays in the running game to get him on the perimeter.”

The Crimson Tide tallied a season-high six sacks against the Tigers last year, but Daniels was still able to make plays with his arm and legs. He also threw for 182 yards and two touchdowns on 22-of-32 passing. Alabama enters this season’s meeting with 28 sacks and will look to keep Daniels contained when the Tigers travel to Tuscaloosa on Saturday, Nov. 4.

“We want our guys to play aggressive,” said Saban of Alabama’s pass rush approach. “I don’t think you want guys getting pushed by the pocket. You don’t want guys to lose contain on the guy. So there’s a fine line between that. If you get pushed from the pocket, we’re playing with 10 guys now. If you lose contain and he gets outside, you put everybody in harm’s way that’s trying to sort of plaster their coverage and stay with the guys they gotta guard.”

The Tide’s defensive players are well aware of the challenge that awaits them this weekend.

“When their quarterback runs the ball, it can hurt the defense,” linebacker Deontae Lawson said. “Anytime you have a mobile quarterback, it can be a challenge for the defense to stay in there and get a stop. But I feel like that’s what they do best. They run the ball nice. They have some elite receivers outside. We just got to be sound and disciplined.”

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