Texas A&M Aggies QB Jaylen Henderson Almost Outduels Heisman Hopeful Jayden Daniels in Loss to LSU Tigers
It was close for a time, but in the end, the LSU Tigers pulled away late for a 42-30 win over the Texas A&M Aggies in Baton Rouge on Saturday.
It was a day highlighted by Heisman hopeful Jayden Daniels in his last chance to impress voters, and he did not disappoint.
DANIELS FOR HEISMAN
LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels was held in check in the first half by the Aggies defense. Texas A&M even held a 17-14 lead at the break. But Daniels is a Heisman candidate for a reason, and he showed it on Saturday. Daniels' first half was not impressive, as he was held to just 52 yards on 7 of 10 passing with one touchdown. But in the second half, he almost single-handedly broke the game open with 168 yards on 8 of 12 passing and two touchdowns. Daniels finished the day with 235 passing yards, 120 rushing yards, and four total touchdowns.
MISSED FIELD GOAL
With 7:43 left in the third quarter, and a 24-21 lead over the Tigers, Aggies kicker Randy Bond missed a 31-yard field goal wide right, missing by just inches. It turned out to be a turning point in the game, as Texas A&M was outscored 21-6 the rest of the way, and quarterback Jaylen Henderson threw an interception that turned into an LSU touchdown on the next series.
3RD DOWN? 4TH DOWN? NO PROBLEM
If there's one thing the Aggies did well on Saturday, it was converting on third and fourth downs. Henderson and the Aggies converted nine of 18 third downs and three of five fourth down attempts, keeping them in the game most of the day.
JAYLEN OR JAYDEN?
Aggies quarterback Jaylen Henderson quietly had a very good day on the field, passing for 294 yards on 25 of 35 passing with two touchdowns and one interception. He routinely kept drives alive with his feet and found open receivers in the Tigers' secondary.