Jayden Daniels throws for 3 TDs, runs for another score as No. 19 LSU routs Army 62-0

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Jayden Daniels throws 26-yard TD pass to Malik Nabers

Jayden Daniels increases LSU's lead with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Malik Nabers.

Oct 22, 2023, 04:31 am

BATON ROUGE, La. -- — Jayden Daniels threw for three touchdowns and ran for another score to lead No. 19 LSU to a 62-0 win over Army on Saturday night.

In only the second meeting between the schools, and first since 1920, LSU scored on six of its seven possessions in the first half.

“Offensively this is the seventh consecutive week we had at least 500 yards of total offense,” LSU head coach Brian Kelly said. “Consistency of performance on that side of the ball and continue to make that improvement necessary to have a team that can compete for an SEC Championship. That was the goal coming into this year.

“We ran into a couple of rough spots as we were moving through the schedule, but I’m really proud of how our guys responded to some adversity and have put themselves into a good spot with four games remaining to be in the thick of the SEC race.”

Daniels quickly led LSU (6-2, 4-1 SEC) down the field on its opening possession, completing passes of 15, 28 and 17 yards before Logan Diggs took it in from 2 yards to make it 7-0.

Later in the opening quarter, Daniels connected with Brian Thomas, Jr. on an 86-yard scoring pass, the third-longest in school history, to make it 14-0.

Making his first career start under center for Army (2-5), freshman quarterback Champ Harris was intercepted twice, the first by Andre’ Sam that led to another Daniels touchdown pass to Thomas, this one from 8 yards.

Taking advantage of two more Army turnovers in the first half, Daniels had a 1-yard rushing TD and connected with Nabors for a 26-yard score, sandwiched around a 35-yard field goal by Damon Ramos. LSU led 38-0 at halftime.

Daniels was 11 of 15 for 279 yards before giving way to back-up Garrett Nussmeier in the third quarter.

“The offensive efficiency is one where you look towards one guy and then somebody else steps up,” Kelly said. “Last week, Brian Thomas had two catches and had an explosive night tonight.

“We just have so many different options and so many different weapons. I don’t know if there are enough superlatives to talk about it, but it’s balanced, it’s physical, there are playmakers and it’s led by a quarterback that is as hot as anyone in the country.”

Thomas was the leading receiver for the Tigers, finishing with three receptions for 122 yards and a pair of scores.

Freshman running back Kanye Udoh was the leading rusher for Army, finishing with 108 yards on 21 carries.

THE TAKEAWAY

Army: Turnovers continue to plague the Black Knights. Army committed four more turnovers against LSU, bringing its season total to 12.

LSU: Daniels continues to make his case to be in the Heisman discussion, accounting for 30 overall touchdowns and 3,094 total yards.

GOVERNOR COIN FLIP

Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards, a 1988 graduate of Army, was a ceremonial captain for the game and conducted the coin flip prior to the game

UP NEXT

Army: Hosts Massachusetts on Saturday.

LSU: Travels to Alabama on Nov. 4.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll