Alabama Football: LSU fans sure Jayden Daniels better than Bryce Young

Based on LSU football fan sites and message boards the confidence level in Baton Rouge is high. Even LSU fans unsure the Bengal Tigers will take down an Alabama football team for only the second time since the 2011 season are sure LSU ‘can’ win.

Most of the LSU optimism comes from two factors. One is reality-based and the other is not. The factor tethered to reality is that the Alabama Crimson Tide is no longer an unbeatable juggernaut in big games. Alabama football fans may only reluctantly agree, but losses in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, and some close calls in road games are facts.

The other reason for LSU’s optimism is understandable, but at the same time misguided. The Corn Dogs believe Jayden Daniels is a better quarterback than Bryce Young.

The not-fully visible bottom of the graphic is 21 total touchdowns for each quarterback.

Refuting the ‘Daniels is better than Young’ claim is not hard. More stats are included below to provide a clearer picture. But the most important distinction can only be partially understood by numbers.

Jayden Daniels has put up solid numbers. The main reason why is the LSU offense is designed to frequently use his running skills. He is the leading rusher for the Bengal Tigers, both in the number of carries and in rushing yards. The most used LSU running back, Josh Williams has 66 carries. Jayden Daniels has 113.

A quarterback that is a true running threat is valuable. But too much dependence on one player can hurt team cohesion. Not many weeks ago, there were repeated rumors LSU receivers were unhappy with the Daniels-centric LSU offense. Wins over Florida and Ole Miss may have healed those rifts. But some LSU receivers have reason to feel under-used, to the detriment of NFL Draft value. For example, despite a much-maligned Alabama football receiver group, the Tide’s top five pass catchers have 1,528 yards in receptions. The top five for LSU have 1,229 yards.

Getting back to passing stats, Bryce Young is not the SEC’s passing leader. Based on QB Passer Rating, Bryce is No. 3 in the SEC at 162.67. Young trails Hendon Hooker and KJ Jefferson. Jayden Daniels is No. 6 at 150.35.

A fair expectation is a Bryce Young, who had played eight games without any shoulder problems, would have rated higher than 162.67. Daniels has 236 passing attempts in eight games. Bryce has 221 attempts in seven games. Daniels has 12 passing touchdowns. Bryce Young has 18. That is no small difference.

Note: Player stats in this post were provided by Sports Reference and cfbstats.com

A disclaimer is in order. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote Bryce Young is the best QB in CFB. My opinion is unchanged.