LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week for the third time in the 2023 season for his performance Saturday in the Tigers’ 49-39 win over Missouri.
Daniels is joined on the team this week by Emery Jones, who was named the SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week.
Daniels, who also won this award after beating Arkansas and Mississippi State, overcame bruised ribs to deliver another gritty performance for Brian Kelly and the Bayou Bengals. The senior became the first player in LSU history to be responsible for four or more touchdowns in five straight games. Daniels threw for three and ran for another as he led LSU to 533 yards of total offense, with 274 on the ground.
Daniels completed 15-of-21 passes, going 10-12 in the second half, while throwing for 259 yards and three touchdowns. His 130 rushing yards was a career-high as he totaled 389 yards of offense.
After missing three plays early in the fourth, Daniels came back to the game and had a great drive, connecting on a 35-yard pass to Malik Nabers before taking off on a 35-yard touchdown run to give LSU the lead with under eight minutes to play. He then found Nabers again for a 28-yard strike on their next possession that gave LSU the lead once again and put them up for good at 42-39.
Daniels rallied the Tigers from a 22-7 first-half deficit, the fifth time in two seasons LSU has won a game while trailing by double-digits in the first half.
In addition to the SEC honors, Daniels was also named the Offensive Player of the Week by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.
Jones, a sophomore from the Baton Rouge area, had a dominant afternoon on Saturday, helping the Tigers to 274 yards on the ground against a Missouri defense that led the SEC and was in the top 10 nationally in rush defense at just 75 yards per game.
The Tigers averaged 6.5 yards per carry and didn’t have a single negative play on designed runs. LSU had two 100-yard rushers in this contest, which were the first two players to top the century mark this season on Missouri’s defense.
Jones played all 73 snaps in the win as the Tigers are now 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the SEC. This is the first POTW honor for Jones.