Five takeaways from LSU’s Citrus Bowl win over Purdue
LSU had itself a day.
Looking for 10 wins and wanting to make a statement, it played its most complete game of the year from start to finish, winning 63-7. This one got out of hand early for Purdue and LSU took a 35-0 lead into the half.
At that point, the Tigers were just having fun.
The second half saw LSU draw up a couple of trick plays and an interception followed by a team celebration with Cheez-It mascot. LSU was favored by more than two touchdowns and covered that with ease.
It was an emphatic performance on both sides of the ball and gave LSU the spark it needed after a sour end to the regular season. Here are five takeaways from LSU’s win in Orlando.
LSU takes advantage of undermanned Purdue
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LSU is no stranger to a lack of personnel in bowl games. The Tigers faced Kansas State with 39 scholarship players last year and paid the price, getting blown out. LSU was on the other end of that problem today. Aside from a few opt-outs, LSU’s roster remained largely intact.
Purdue, already with an interim head coach, was without its starting quarterback, its top two receivers, and its best offensive linemen. The Boilermaker defense was without some of its top contributors too and in injuries sustained during the game worsened the issue.
Purdue didn’t have the depth to match the production it lost. LSU controlled this game on both sides of the ball. The Tigers had a different class of athlete out there and it showed.
Daniels and Nussmeier both see real action
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[autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] drew eyeballs when he appeared in relief of [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] in the SEC Championship Game. Nussmeier led LSU’s offense on a second-half explosion as he slung the ball all over the yard.
It was still Daniels’ job, but Nussmeier’s play earned him serious playing time against Purdue. After Daniels led LSU to the end zone on the second drive, Nussmeier appeared in the third.
It was Nussmeier’s first action that wasn’t due to a Daniels injury or the game being a blowout. LSU ran a two-quarterback system in the bowl game. Neither QB was in there as a gimmick — both saw real action.
Both were good, too.
Daniels averaged 10.9 yards per play, rushing and passing. Nussmeier averaged 11.5 yards per pass and added a couple of touchdowns. Both players had deep shots where receivers could have made a better play on the ball.
Daniels missed a throw here and there and Nussmeier did throw a pick in the red zone, but LSU got some of the best quarterback play it saw all year from both today.
Daniels has announced his intention to return to Baton Rouge and there’s no immediate sign that Nussmeier is transferring. It’ll be interesting to see how LSU handles its QB room in the spring and summer.
LSU will generate buzz this summer
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LSU is going to return several of its key contributors. The dust isn’t completely settled and roster situations remain fluid, but no matter how it shakes out, LSU will have a solid core to build around.
With that comes expectations. LSU is going to generate plenty of buzz as the 2023 season approaches. The SEC is a tough conference, but LSU won its division in Brian Kelly’s first year. That progress paired with the returning talent will lead some to predict LSU gets back to Atlanta and goes even further.
Whether it’s fair or not, whatever the 2023 expectations were entering the bowl game have only been raised. Expect to see LSU on plenty of preseason top-10 lists.
Malik Nabers had a day
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With [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag] opting out and declaring for the draft, there was no doubt who LSU’s top receiver was — Malik Nabers. The Citrus Bowl was a prime opportunity for the sophomore to continue his emergence. He was up to the task, posting career numbers.
He finished the day with nine catches for 163 yards. A couple of trick plays allowed Nabers the chance to air it out too, where he went 2/2 for 50 yards and a touchdown.
Nabers’ year became one of the better receiving seasons in program history. His 2022 campaign ranks top 10 on LSU’s single-season receptions and yards list.
Nabers eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark, making it just the tenth 1,000-yard season in LSU history. He’ll have a real chance to be one of the top receivers in the conference and country next fall.
LSU gets to 10 wins
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LSU’s win was its tenth of the year. It’s the 17th 10-win season in program history and LSU’s first since 2019. It’s Kelly’s 11th 10-win season, and he joins [autotag]Les Miles[/autotag] and [autotag]Mike Archer[/autotag] as the only three coaches to win 10 games in their first year on the job.
This will also be the first time since 2019 that LSU finishes the year ranked.
Kelly stabilized LSU in year one and not many thought this group would reach 10 wins. It’s a mark LSU would have liked to reach against Texas A&M or Georgia, but it’s hard to imagine it closing out the year any better than it did in Orlando.
Reaching double-digit wins was a real achievement and is a reason for optimism moving forward.
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