ASHBURN, Va. — A smile crept over Jayden Daniels’ face.
It was his first news conference as a member of the Washington Commanders, and Daniels, wearing an all-black suit and dark gray Commanders ball cap, was listening to a question from a local reporter.
The night prior, after selecting the former LSU quarterback No. 2 overall in the 2024 draft, Washington general manager Adam Peters colorfully told reporters Daniels, at his best, can have a soul-stealing impact on opposing defenses.
The reporter, echoing Peters’ words, was looking to get some clarity on the comment from the rookie QB.
“What does that look like when Jayden Daniels takes the soul away from a defense?” he asked.
“The 2023 Florida game,” Daniels said, his smile broadening.
“Can you elaborate?” the reporter asked.
The quarterback, now laughing, responded: “Just turn on the tape and watch that game.”
What Daniels did to the Florida Gators on Nov. 11, 2023, was historic. He became the first FBS quarterback to throw for at least 350 yards and run for at least 200 in a game. He also set an SEC record with 606 all-purpose yards. He finished with 372 passing yards and three touchdowns on 17 completions while running 12 times for 234 yards and two more scores. Daniels’ performance in the 52-35 victory over Florida elevated him into the lead spot for the Heisman Trophy, which he later won. For Peters and the Commanders, it showed off the accurate arm and electric running ability they hope will help revive a flagging franchise.
“That was kind of like, ‘OK, this is for real,'” Peters said. “It’s a really unique game. I don’t think you’re going to see too many games like that from anybody ever.”
Daniels has shown flashes of the skills displayed against the Gators during his first two NFL games. He rushed for 88 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the opener. He led seven scoring drives — using his arm (226 yards) and legs (44 yards) — to beat the New York Giants in Week 2. He’ll get his next opportunity against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night (8:15 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN/ESPN+) as the Commanders eye a 2-1 start to 2024.
Coming off a 4-13 season — their seventh consecutive without a winning record — the franchise is in the midst of a rebuild. It will need more than just Daniels to ascend in order to be a serious playoff contender. But Peters and new coach Dan Quinn like him to be a centerpiece, and the Florida game is strong evidence why.
Here is the story of that night in Baton Rouge, from those who were there.
The prelude
There was concern about Daniels’ status heading into the game. He’d entered the concussion protocol after being knocked out of LSU’s 42-28 loss to Alabama the previous week. Daniels left with 219 yards passing and 163 rushing and regret over a game he told his coaches they would have won if not for his injury. That led to an anxious week for LSU before the Florida game. Daniels participated in a non-contact workout three days before, then practiced the following day and passed the protocol later that night. But doubts about his availability — or how effective he would be — persisted.
Former Florida offensive line coach Darnell Stapleton, now a Commanders assistant line coach: Our defensive coordinator [Austin Armstrong] was a little happy that he might’ve missed that game, but he showed up and he showed out. He came out Saturday and just f—— lit it on fire.
Peters: Throw away the numbers, just to come back and play is unbelievable and play the way he did with the courage and just the mindset. It just speaks to his competitiveness.
The legs
One of Daniels’ signature plays came with LSU leading 10-7 midway through the second quarter. Running a read-option with running back Kaleb Jackson, Daniels kept the ball when he saw Florida defensive end Princely Umanmielen crash down on Jackson. He outran cornerback Jalen Kimber to the left sideline before sprinting untouched for an 85-yard touchdown.
Daniels: Usually nobody really crashes that hard on outside zone. That was pretty much the only time I ever pulled one of those, which is ironic and crazy to say. But it happened. That safety … played it wrong. [Receiver] Malik Nabers made a great block getting two [defenders] and from there it was just me down the sideline. … In my head I was like, man, I got this score.
Former LSU offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock: [Daniels runs] so damn smooth that I think that’s what fools people, you know what I mean? They’re kind of like, yeah, OK, he’s fast. And then nobody’s catching him when they’re playing against him, and they’re kind of like, “Oh s—. No, he’s legit fast.”
LSU radio play-by-play announcer Chris Blair: Jayden looks like he’s on a [moving sidewalk] from the waist up. He just kind of looks like he’s floating. … Look at the separation, look at how dominant this is. … When anybody says Florida 2023, I say Jayden Daniels in 85 yards.
Denbrock: I looked to the people around me in the press box and just went, “This game’s over.”
Daniels displayed his running ability again late in the third quarter. This time, on a designed pass play with LSU trailing 28-24, Daniels waited in the pocket for four seconds before bursting through the middle of the line. By the time he reached the end zone, he’d outraced and weaved through seven defenders en route to a 51-yard score.
Former LSU WR Brian Thomas: How did he even get out of that situation or how did he make this play display? I mean, it is just crazy to be able to watch it and be able to be a part of something like that. It’s just amazing to see him go out there and be able to make some guy miss like that.
SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic, who called the game: That one was just obviously the most ridiculous runs that he had in the game.
Former Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall: A lot of [teammates] were like, he’s fast, but really how fast is he? I mean, he outran our defense, so he’s pretty dang fast.
Peters: This is Florida, this isn’t like Middle Tennessee State or something. … It was just him just running and just killing the angles of high-end athletes.
The arm
Daniels showed a knack for reading coverage throughout the win. He had completed five passes that gained 38 yards or more before finishing the game with three touchdown passes in the final 18 minutes. Earlier on, he showed the ability to use his eyes, a sign of growth in his game. He connected with Thomas for 41 yards in the second quarter, holding the safety with his eyes before connecting on a deep ball down the left sideline.
Peters: He was really good as a passer in that game really early, putting the ball in the right spot. Just making the easy throws easy. Not everybody can do that. And then obviously made a lot of really nice deep throws too. It just shows how well he prepared mentally, because early on in that game, he was very calm in the pocket, went through his progressions, made really good reads, got the ball out quickly.
Daniels’ last big play against Florida was a 37-yard touchdown pass to Thomas, who would be selected 23rd overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars the following spring. Before the series, Denbrock told Daniels if Florida’s safeties were too close to the line of scrimmage, they had a chance at a big play. With just over nine minutes remaining and LSU up 38-35, Daniels got the look he wanted and floated a perfect post pass to Thomas.
Denbrock: I told Jayden if we could get Brian matched up one-on-one with the corner it was a done deal. … BT blew by the corner, and Jayden saw that very thing and obviously put the ball on the money.
Thomas: Once I saw how the DB was playing me, I knew what I was about to do. I knew it was coming to me.
Daniels: [Nabers] was open down the middle, but I saw the safety right there, so I knew Brian was behind him so I was able to throw the post and he made a great catch for a touchdown. It’s just playing with vision and letting my guys go make plays.
The Heisman pose
After the touchdown pass to Thomas, Daniels ran to the sidelines where he and backup quarterback Garrett Nussmeier struck a Heisman pose.
Daniels: It’s a little kid’s game. I think people put too much hype [and] expectation on it because obviously as you got older, it turned more into a business, but that was fun. And then after that I think I had broke my second long touchdown before Garrett was like, “Man, you got to hit it.” And then right there I was like, “Man, hopefully I win. I’m going to hit it real quick.”
Stapleton: He hit a Heisman pose after one of the touchdowns. I think we single-handedly helped him capture that one.
Blair: You just kind of felt like, is there a better player in the country than what this guy does consistently? … To me it was a no-brainer.
Pearsall: We kind of got to him in the beginning, and I know some of my teammates were getting under his skin and I don’t know what happened, but two seconds later, he just started turning up on this and you’re like, OK, here we go. It’s the Heisman right here.
Stapleton: We knew he was the dominant player. We knew he was someone that we were not going to be able to completely stop. We just had to manage. But he over-exceeded the expectations of what I thought he was going to do.
The aftermath
Daniels said he’d received at least 100 text messages by the next morning, which helped him realize the magnitude of his performance.
Daniels: [This game] helped me make that jump into a different category where my name was mentioned. Obviously being able to go out there and accomplish something that nobody in the NCAA history, football accomplished before. And then from there it was like, OK, everybody started to recognize me more.
Cubelic: A lot of guys can go out there and take over a game in one way or two ways. But he proved that he could do it with his eyes, he could do it with his legs, he could do with his arm, probably do it with his brain. Whatever you were going to give him, he wasn’t just going to take it. … The things he did were just insane.
Stapleton: When he first came on his [pre-draft visit in April], I brought [the game] up and he laughed and giggled and smirked as cool as he could, and I kind of walked away like, f—. But he’s f—— sharp. I’m excited to be on the same team as him.
