Field Level Media
21 Nov 2023, 04:55 GMT+10
(Photo credit: Matthew Dobbins-USA TODAY Sports)
Another monster day on the stat sheet has propelled LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels into the current driver's seat for the Heisman Trophy.
Daniels went over 1,000 rushing yards for the season and tied Joe Burrow's single-game school record with eight touchdowns in the Tigers' 56-14 beat-down of Georgia State on Saturday night.
The senior is now the -130 favorite at BetMGM and the -125 favorite at DraftKings. Daniels' performance on Saturday night helped him leapfrog Oregon's Bo Nix and Washington's Michael Penix Jr., who had been ahead of him last week when Daniels was being offered at 400 and 380 by the two books.
Daniels has thrown for 3,577 yards with 36 touchdowns and four interceptions this season. He has added another 1,014 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.
HEISMAN TROPHY ODDS (BetMGM/DraftKings)
Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU (-130/-125)
Bo Nix, QB, Oregon (140/150)
Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington (600/600)
Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State (3000/4000)
Carson Beck, QB, Georgia (3300/6000)
Daniels, Nix, Penix, Southern California's Caleb Williams and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy have all spent time as the Heisman Trophy favorite over the course of the season.
The question remains whether Heisman voters will bestow the honor upon a player on a three-loss team. All three of LSU's losses have come against ranked teams -- Florida State, Ole Miss and Alabama -- but the Tigers will close out their regular season with Saturday's game against unranked Texas AM.
Meanwhile, Nix and Penix are on a collision course for a potential rematch in the Pac-12 championship game. Penix threw a game-winning touchdown against Oregon at home on Oct. 14. A rematch would provide them with a final opportunity to create a "Heisman moment" before final ballots are cast.
LSU coach Brian Kelly is stumping for Daniels, whom he said is the best player he has ever coached.
"I think, right now, the way he is playing and the decisiveness in the way he is taking over games he is the best player," Kelly said Saturday night. "I would say that because the numbers are reaching levels that nobody thought he would touch. He tied Joe Burrow's record tonight.
"I would say he's the best."
The Georgia State game came after an historic performance the week before against Florida. Daniels racked up an SEC-record 606 yards of total offense while becoming the first player in FBS history to pass for 350 yards and rush for 200 yards in the same game.
"I'm chasing being great each and every week," Daniels said Saturday. "I know I still have a long way to go. But, you can't take games off because if you do, you can get beat."
He has one final chance to distance himself before conference championship week, and he will get to do so at home in a noon kickoff against the Aggies.
Daniels has clearly left an impression with the public. He leads all players with 58 percent of the money wagered at DraftKings backing him to win the Heisman. He also leads the way with 13.3 percent at BetMGM.
"People are starting to see how assertive and decisive of a football player he is," Kelly said.
--Field Level Media
Get a daily dose of Tampa Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Tampa Star.
More InformationIsrael has acknowledged and thanked the United States and President Joe Biden for standing firmly by Israel's side at the ...
NEW YORK: This week, New York City officials said that one person was killed and six others were injured when ...
NEW YORK, New York - The United Kingdom refrained from supporting demands for a ceasefire in the two-months long Israel-Gaza ...
NEW YORK, New York - The U.S. was alone on Friday in a 13-1 vote for a ceasefire in the ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: The Associated Press (AP) reported that Manuel Rocha, a former American diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to ...
MADISON, Wisconsin: On November 30, Hridindu Sankar Roychowdhury from Wisconsin pleaded guilty to firebombing a conservative anti-abortion group's office on ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: U.S. gasoline prices could fall below US$3 a gallon for the first time since 2021 and are currently ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: To fix issues that could lead to further bank failures in the U.S., such as the collapse of ...
ARLINGTON, Virginia: This week, Reuters reported that Boeing delivered 46 narrowbody 737s jets in November. The total brings the U.S. ...
NEW YORK, New York - A positive employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicating a fall in ...
DALLAS, Texas: This week, AT&T said that by late 2026, it will use open radio access network (ORAN) technology for ...
NEW YORK: This week, ratings agency Moody's warned that it could downgrade China's credit rating, citing costs to bail out ...