Resilient LSU and Purdue set to face off in Citrus Bowl

LSU’s Brian Kelly and Purdue’s Brian Brohm may be worlds apart in their college coaching experiences, but their respective teams have one thing in common: resiliency.

That resiliency will be displayed when No. 16 LSU takes on Purdue in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Monday (1 p.m., ABC) at Camping World Stadium.

The Tigers went from a disappointing 6-7 season in 2021 to a 9-4 campaign that saw them capture the SEC West Division. Much of the turnaround can be attributed to Kelly, who joined the program in the offseason after 12 seasons at Notre Dame.

“We wanted to restore the pride in our program,” Kelly said. “Going from last to first would probably encapsulate our success during the year. We bounced back. We lost our opener in a very difficult fashion but came back and played good football for most of the season, then maybe ran out of gas at the end.

“The team itself found ways to win.”

Purdue went through its trials this season, losing two of its first three games before winning seven of its last nine to capture the Big Ten West crown and a spot in the conference championship game. Soon afterward, head coach Jeff Brohm left to take over at alma mater Louisville, leaving the Boilermakers to pick up the pieces heading into this week’s bowl game.

“Our team is resilient,” said Brohm, who took over as coach on an interim basis for the bowl game. “We had some ebb and flow to the season. Our team dug deep, finding ways to win and get to the position in the Big Ten Championship game.

“It’s been a very influx time. We’ve had the opt-outs, the senior guys going to take their talents to the next level and opting out of the game. There were a lot of fluctuations, but we’ve done a good job of holding it together, and once we figured out who was opting out and who was playing, we put a great game plan to get these guys ready to go.”

Where: Camping World Stadium

When: 1 p.m.

TV: ABC

Radio: SiriusXM Ch. 84

Weather: 74 degrees, 6% rain chance

Favorite: Tigers by 15.5

Online: @osmattmurschel on Twitter.

Quick slant: This is the first meeting between these two programs, but Kelly was 6-0 vs. Purdue while at Notre Dame. … The Tigers are 9-5 all-time against Big Ten opponents but are 0-2 in two previous bowl meetings in Orlando (2010, 2005). … Kelly is 1-1 in bowl games in Orlando after winning the 2019 Camping World Bowl against Iowa State. … Purdue has appeared in two Orlando bowl games: the 2006 Champs Sports Bowl and the 2002-03 Capital One Bowl. … LSU returns to Camping World Stadium to kick off the 2023 season against Florida State on Sept. 3.

Coaches: Brian Kelly, first season, 9-4 (293-101-2 overall); Brian Brohm, first season, 0-0

About LSU (9-4, 6-3 SEC): Kelly said the Tigers would have 65 scholarship players on the roster entering the bowl game. “We are chock-full of players, and I don’t know what we are going to do with all of them,” he said with a smile. That’s better than the 39 scholarship players LSU featured in last season’s Texas Bowl. The defense will be without edge rusher BJ Ojulari, defensive end Ali Gaye and defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy, who opted out to prepare for the NFL draft. The unit will also be without cornerback Jay Ward (NFL) and linebacker Phillip Webb (transfer). On offense, the Tigers will be without two of their top three receivers: Kayshon Boutte (NFL) and Jaray Jenkins (NFL).

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About Purdue (8-5, 6-3 Big Ten): The Boilermakers are in flux as they transition from previous head coach Jeff Brohm to new coach Ryan Walters. Brohm’s brother Brian was promoted to interim coach before he, too, heads back to his alma mater. The coaching staff has been a skeleton crew, leaving the Boilermakers to elevate all their quality-control assistants to full-time coaches. The roster also took a hit with a handful of starters choosing to skip the game, led by quarterback Aidan O’Connell, receiver Charlie Jones, tight end Payne Durham and cornerback Cory Trice. Purdue will also be without a trio of defensive linemen who left via the transfer portal.

THREE THINGS TO WATCH

1. Can Purdue slow down Jayden Daniels? The LSU quarterback worked to rehab from an injury he suffered in the SEC title game to get back in time for the bowl. He says he’s 100% and that’s good news for the Tigers, who’ve seen their offense flourish under the dual-threat quarterback. Daniels is one of just two quarterbacks in the country with at least 2,000 passing yards and at least 800 rushing yards. (UCF’s John Rhys Plumlee is the other.)

2. It’s Austin Burton’s time to shine. The sixth-year senior is making his final collegiate appearance after being thrust into the starting quarterback job following the departure of O’Connell. Burton appeared in five games (1 start) this season, passing for 199 yards with 3 TDs and an INT. He previously appeared in seven games in 2021, and before that he spent three seasons at UCLA.

3. Can Devin Mockbie continue his strong season? The freshman walk-on tailback has given Purdue a massive boost in its ground game, averaging 77 yards per game. Where he’s stood out has been in the red zone, where he’s scored 8 of his 9 touchdowns.

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