The Bayou Bengals were without two of their stars in this one, with both Kayshon Boutte and BJ Ojulari unavailable Saturday night, but it didn’t waver their confidence.
The offensive game plan was executed to perfection by Jayden Daniels. The LSU signal-caller looked much more comfortable with the ball in his hands against the Lobos, taking what the defense gave him while reading through his progressions.
“Really good performance, something to build off of,” Brian Kelly said after the game. “I told our guys one time’s an accident, second time’s a coincidence, third time’s a habit. They’ve won three in a row; they’re building good habits and we look to continue to build on that heading into SEC play.
Opening the first quarter with a strong drive, Daniels connected with a few different receivers, running back Armoni Goodwin, capping it off with a touchdown run up the middle.
Saturday night answered questions with the LSU rushing attack. It was nice to see the Tigers answer the call against New Mexico as a piece of their offense that was somewhat missing through three games. Goodwin played just three quarters, but finished the night with eight carries that resulted in two touchdowns.
His partner in crime: Noah Cain. Cain finished the night with eight carries for 78 yards and two touchdowns of his own. Although he played sparingly, the Penn State transfer took control during his action and capitalized on his chances.
Aside from the run-game, it was the Jayden Daniels show through three quarters. His efficiency was off the charts when he connected on passes with nine different teammates in the first half.
An injury suffered in the third quarter sidelined Daniels for the remainder of the game, but it appears to be precautionary as Daniels was up on his feet next to Brian Kelly for the entire fourth quarter.
“Jayden [Daniels] strained his lower back,” Kelly said. “He could have gone back in but there was no need at that time of the game. He was cleared by all doctors.”
