Aggies’ road slide at 10 games
Daniels throws for 4 TDs to rally surging Tigers
BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU senior Jayden Daniels said he hoped he made his case to be a Heisman Trophy finalist in New York City in December.
Daniels did more than that on Saturday — the dynamic dual-threat quarterback perhaps wrapped up college football’s most coveted individual award with an outstanding second half in No. 14 LSU’s 42-30 win over Texas A&M in the regular season finale before 101,178 fans in Tiger Stadium.
“I would consider that the best defense we’ve played all year,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said of the Aggies, who are especially strong on the front seven. “… You may get Jayden for a little bit, but you just can’t keep him down.”
Daniels threw four touchdown passes, including three in the fourth quarter, and scrambled for a game-high 120 rushing yards as the Tigers finished out the regular season with six wins in their final seven games.
A&M for its part played as free and loose at it has all season under interim coach Elijah Robinson, but wound up with its 10th consecutive loss in a true road game (with the previous nine under the fired Jimbo Fisher).
“He’s up for the Heisman for a reason,” Robinson said of Daniels and his late outburst against the Aggies. “At any given point he can make a play — and he did.”
A&M (7-5, 4-4), which surrendered a double-digit second half lead, was trying to win at LSU (9-3, 6-2) for the first time as an SEC member, after joining the league in 2012.
A&M fired Fisher on Nov. 12 after he was 11-11 over the past two seasons, and athletic director Ross Bjork replaced Fisher with Robinson for the season’s final three games, including a bowl contest.
The Aggies return to College Station to find out their bowl destination, which will be announced next weekend. The TaxAct Texas Bowl on Dec. 27 against a Big 12 opponent is a solid possibility. A&M has not played in NRG Stadium since the 2019 Texas Bowl, a 24-21 victory over Oklahoma State in Fisher’s second season.
One of the Aggies’ season highlights was quite surprising on Saturday, and mirrored their carefree approach under Robinson: Offensive lineman Mark Nabou, who checks in at 6-foot-4 and 325 pounds, shifted to the offensive backfield and collected a 1-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the second half.
Nabou’s fun-loving touchdown lifted the Aggies to a 24-14 early in the third quarter, but A&M’s good times along the banks of the Mississippi River didn’t last long. Daniels led the charge back as the Tigers scored three consecutive touchdowns to salt away the home win on senior day.
LSU’s band, in a nod to its prolific quarterback, formed the signature Heisman pose on the field at halftime, in a memorable moment in an occasionally-forgettable season for the Tigers. LSU with its high-revving offense is not in the mix for the fourteam College Football Playoff following losses to Florida State, Mississippi and Alabama over the first three-fourths of the season. Daniels is primarily trying to edge out Oregon quarterback Bo Nix for the Heisman.
“Growing up watching college football for the 22 years of my life, I wanted to be like those guys,” Daniels told ESPN afterward of previous Heisman winners. “… Hopefully I can be next.”
The Aggies played without star receiver Evan Stewart, who has missed three of the last four games with a thigh bruise, according to a team spokesman. A&M quarterback Jaylen Henderson also earned his third consecutive start in the place of the injured Max Johnson.
Henderson finished 25 of 35 for 294 yards with two touchdown passes and an interception. He led the Aggies to a 17-14 halftime lead before LSU put away the game in the second half in more than doubling up the Aggies 28-13 over the final two quarters.
“There are some plays I wish I had back in the second half, so I just tip my hat to (the Tigers),” Henderson said. “They played a great second half on defense.”
Two years ago Johnson led LSU to a last-minute victory in Tiger Stadium over the Aggies before he transferred to A&M. Former five-star prospect Conner Weigman beat out Johnson to start this season, but Weigman suffered a season-ending broken foot in Week 4 in the Aggies’ home win over Auburn.
Robinson, Arizona’s Jedd Fisch, Duke’s Mike Elko, Washington’s Kalen DeBoer, UTSA’s Jeff Traylor and Nebraska’s Matt Rhule are possibilities to replace Fisher at A&M, among others. Ohio State’s Ryan Day also is considered a long-shot candidate.
“We’ve got one more game left, a bowl game,” A&M defensive lineman Fadil Diggs said. “Whenever (A&M) decides to announce the head coach, that’s probably when we’ll talk about it. Right now, we’re focused on (sending) the seniors out with a win in our final game.”
Daniels wrapped up the regular season with a better passing rating (208) and yards per game (412) than any previous Heisman winner, according to LSU, and his 25 points per game is second only to former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow (26.1 ppg) in 2019.