Junior transfer quarterback Jayden Daniels will always remember a few things from last Saturday’s 31-16 LSU victory over Mississippi State in his first-ever SEC game.
There was the Tigers’ 75-yard scoring drive in 88 seconds just before halftime to flip momentum.
“It was huge for getting our rhythm going,” Daniels said.
There was LSU’s shutdown defense, limiting MSU to just a field goal in the game’s final 32 minutes.
“They kept us in the game, they did a helluva job,” Daniels said of defense that grounded the Bulldogs' Air Raid offense.
Finally, the Tigers started true freshmen Will Campbell (his third college start) and Emery Jones, (his first start) at left and right offensive tackle respectively.
“It’s different having two freshmen tackles, especially in the SEC,” Daniels said. “They did a great job.”
So well that they’ll both start again in Tiger Stadium tonight at 6:30 when LSU (2-1) plays New Mexico (2-1) in a first-ever meeting. It’s also the first time this season the Tigers will start the same offensive line combination in consecutive games.
Pro Football Focus graded the 6-6, 325-pound Campbell and the 6-6, 335-pound Jones as No. 1 and No. 4 in pass protection among SEC offensive tackles in last Saturday’s games. They played a combined 98 total pass block snaps vs. MSU and allowed zero pressures.
Campbell, a five-star prospect from Monroe Neville who rated by 247Sports as the 54th best high school player in the nation and the 4th best offensive tackle, enrolled in LSU in January. It took just a week or so in spring practice for him to move into the starting left tackle spot.
Jones, a four-start signee from Baton Rouge Catholic, tabbed by 247Sports as the 54th best high school player in the nation and the 5th best offensive tackle, didn’t graduate from high school until May.
During preseason practice, Jones’ name was mentioned often by Kelly to the media. Two Saturdays ago when Jones drove a Southern University D-lineman back 15 yards and pancaked him on one of the goal-line pylons, Kelly got the hint it might be time for Jones to join his buddy Campbell as the first pair of true freshman starting offensive tackles in LSU history.
“These two are the best players at their positions and clearly earned their right to start,” Kelly said Thursday. “We had Will here in the spring, so we got an opportunity to see him. He earned that opportunity through evaluation and through live reps.
"Emery took a little bit longer because he wasn't here yet. We had to go through camp and actually a game or so before he earned that opportunity.”
Campbell and Jones, who became friends through the recruiting process, have several things in common. They are both freakishly athletic and possess maturity beyond their years.
“You get young guys that come in here, they don't really know what to expect from college ball,” starting junior center Charles Turner said. “But Will and Emery came in here physically gifted, physically ready to play the game. Mentally, they were ready. They come to meetings early, trying to get extra time and ask veterans like me and Anthony Bradford those extra questions."
Campbell and Jones both have another thing in common. They are nice, polite guys until they put on shoulder pads and a helmet and get in a three-point stance.
Ask Campbell to name a few reasons why he’s excelled. His answer: “Really just being violent, I guess you could say I’ve got a quick temper.”
Ask Jones his preseason goal. His answer which he revealed this week on The Jordy Culotta Show: “I was thinking just go in and be nasty. When I got that chance to finally get in the game to show what I’ve got, I knew I was liable to kill somebody.”
The Campbell-Jones off to on-the-field transformation hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“They have that dog in them,” junior running back Josh Williams said of Campbell and Jones. "They come to practice with that energy every day and they never back down from battle. No matter if you're a senior or you're the same age as them, they're gonna go at you every time. That's what I love about them so much.”
The visiting Lobos are a 31½-point underdog to LSU. Realistically, the Lobos represent the Tigers’ last no-risk chance to win while making mistakes in their growth process before SEC play resumes next Saturday at Auburn.
“It's focusing on process over outcomes,” Kelly said, “thinking about outcomes as much as you do sticking to a consistent approach in preparation and how you practice.
“You get what you deserve in this business in terms of how you practice and how you prepare. If you prepare the right way, if you put in the right work, there’s a payout at the end.
“Now, you’ve still got to go play the game. You still have to execute. You still have to tackle. You have to do those things. But if your preparation is right and you’re consistent and you meet that standard, you put yourself in good position to have success.”
