A Tiger Showcase

By Jim Gazzolo

Jayden Daniels and Joe Burrow put on a show Monday night for the nation to see.

For the first time in NFL history, two Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks from the same college faced off.

Daniels’ Washington Commanders held off Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals in a game where both QB’s strutted their stuff.

However, the real winner of this battle was neither pro team but rather LSU.

The Tiger football program was on full display as Daniels and Burrow fired footballs into the teeth of the opposing defense. 

Daniels, the second pick overall last spring in the NFL Draft, finished an eye-popping 21 of 23 for 254 yards in the 38-33 victory. 

Washington head coach Dan Quinn called his young QB “a real cool customer, and he's got a real poise about him.”

Burrow was even better. He threw for a season-high 224 yards and three touchdowns. 

The play of the dueling quarterbacks was music to the ears of those inside the LSU program. With the game being showcased on national television, it was the perfect 3-hour free infomercial for the school and Tiger football.

You can’t buy publicity like that. 

During their senior seasons, both Daniels and Burrow set records while finishing their college careers in Tiger Stadium. Ironically, both didn’t start their journeys in Baton Rouge. 

Burrow began at Ohio State, where lost out on the starting job and transferred to LSU in search of playing time. Daniels was the starter at Arizona State for a couple of seasons before he bolted to play for the Tigers.

Their play and growth while in college are the best recruiting tools LSU has at its disposal when looking for its next Heisman hopeful.

Nothing excites a recruit more than seeing somebody from a possible choice of his have success on the national stage. All young high school stars dream of playing in the NFL. They want to go to a program that is going to help make that happen.

Daniels and Burrow aren’t just pro football players, they are walking billboards for LSU. 

And don’t think for a minute that LSU head coach Brian Kelly isn’t willing to use this game for the Tigers' benefit.

“If you want to be the next guy, that next potential Heisman Trophy winner, we can develop you here at LSU,” Kelly said before the game on a national sports talk show. “Nothing speaks to it better than squaring off on ‘Monday Night Football.’ It’s just a great opportunity to show off two great young men.” 

Daniels and Burrow did just that, proving LSU can produce quarterbacks as well as anybody.

It is likely that their play Monday night, and over the years, will pay at least a few dividends for future LSU teams.

Burrow’s career is one thing. He has already been in the league a few seasons and has had success, taking the Bengals to a Super Bowl and a couple of AFC title games. Daniels is just getting started. 

Monday night was only his third career game as he threw his first two touchdown passes along the way. 

Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers McNeese athletics. He is the host of Poke Nation on CBS-Lake Charles