LSU dominates Purdue 63-7 to claim Citrus Bowl win

Jayden Daniels slipped past a Purdue defender before finding himself wide-open in the end zone.

It didn’t take much for LSU receiver Malik Naber, who took a pitch from tailback John Emery Jr. before lofting the football into the Tigers quarterback’s hands for a 5-yard touchdown.

LSU’s version of the Philly Special went off without a hitch, much like the rest of the gameplan, as the Tigers rolled to a 63-7 win over the Boilermakers at the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl Monday afternoon.

The victory capped a remarkable 10-win season for first-year coach Brian Kelly, who helped guide No. 16 LSU (10-4, 6-3 SEC) to its first double-digit-win season since 2019. He joined Mike Archer (1987) and Les Miles (2005) as the only first-year coaches in school history to win at least 10 games.

“We’ve had that [play] in there for a while, but what better time to bring it out than the bowl game,” Daniels said of his touchdown catch, the first of his collegiate career. “I was hoping he was going to throw to me because I knew I was going to catch it.”

It was a record-setting performance by the Tigers, who set Citrus Bowl records for points, total touchdowns (9) and total yardage (594). Nabers became the eighth player in bowl history to record at least 160 receiving yards, finishing with a career-record 163 yards highlighted by a 75-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter.

For his performance, the sophomore was awarded Most Valuable Player honors.

“He’s maturing,” Kelly said of Nabers. “We’ve gone through understanding how to be in the right zone emotionally to his preparation and practice where he’s preparing harder than anybody else to flipping the switch to performance.”

Added Nabers: “This performance shows I can come out and perform at a high level with anybody in any conference. It’s something I can build on to next year and keep my confidence up.”

LSU outgained Purdue (8-6, 6-3 Big Ten) 538-147 in total offense through three quarters before the Boilermakers put together a 75-yard touchdown drive at the start of the fourth quarter. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Michael Alaimo found receiver TJ Sheffield for a 16-yard score that prevented the program’s first shutout since 2013.

“We believed in what we were doing,” interim coach Brian Brohm said. “They practiced hard. I thought they gave great effort today and we didn’t have enough and didn’t execute enough to win the football game.”

Both teams faced roster management issues, with more than a handful of players on each side choosing to either opt out of the game to prepare for the NFL Draft or enter the transfer portal.

Purdue was without starting quarterback Aidan O’Connell, receiver Charlie Jones, tight end Payne Durham and cornerback Cory Trice. LSU was without edge rusher BJ Ojulari, defensive end Ali Gaye, defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy and cornerback Jay Ward, who opted out to prepare for the draft along with receivers Kayshon Boutte and Jaray Jenkins.

Austin Burton, a sixth-year senior, struggled to fill in for O’Connell, going 12 of 24 for 74 passing yards and an interception. He was replaced midway through the 3rd quarter by Alaimo as the Boilermakers used four quarterbacks in hopes of finding an offensive spark.

Purdue running back Devin Mockobee was the most consistent performer on offense, rushing for 48 yards on 13 carries.

Daniels, who went 12 of 17 for 139 yards and a touchdown while adding 67 yards on 6 carries, split time at quarterback with backup Garrett Nussmeier. The sophomore finished 11 of 15 for 173 yards with 2 TDs and an interception. Freshman Walker Howard also saw some snaps in the blowout.

Kelly quickly shot down any thoughts of a quarterback controversy heading into the offseason.

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“There is no quarterback controversy, and Jayden is our No. 1 quarterback,” Kelly said. “Garrett will get an opportunity to compete, though. The most important thing is when you have two really great quarterbacks, you have to have an open mind.

“I 100% believe all three quarterbacks will be with us [next season].”

Daniels already committed to coming back for the Tigers next season, who return to Camping World Stadium on Sept. 3 to take on Florida State in the 2023 opener.

This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osmattmurschel.