10 Standouts: LSU's Citrus Bowl win

The LSU football team finished the season with 10 wins following a 63-7 victory over Purdue in the Citrus Bowl.

For the Tigers, it means a big rebound from this time a year ago when LSU suffered the program’s first losing season since 1999.

With Brian Kelly at the helm, the Tigers not only won double-digit games, but also captured both an SEC West title and Citrus Bowl trophy – and a likely Top 15 ranking to close out the first year of Kelly’s tenure.

After LSU set the record for most points in a Citrus Bowl, as well as the largest margin of victory, here are 10 standouts from the afternoon in Orlando.

Jayden Daniels … Jayden Daniels got the starting nod and finished the game 12-for-17 passing for 139 yards and a touchdown. He also led the team in rushing with 67 yards on six carries. Daniels was clearly banged up to end the season, and he was forced to sit out the second half of the SEC Championship game loss to Georgia, but a month of rehab allowed him to get back towards full strength. Daniels has already announced he plans to return for the 2023 season, giving the Tigers a quarterback who now has 40-plus college starts under his belt.

Garrett Nussmeier … Backup quarterback Garrett Nussmeier put on a show with his downfield passing in the second half of the SEC Championship in December, and he stepped into the Citrus Bowl on the third series on offense and quickly drove the Tigers down the field for a touchdown. Brian Kelly said the plan was to get Nussmeier in on the third series and see where things went from there, and he closed out the game 11-for-15 passing for 173 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Both LSU’s quarterbacks were above 70-percent with their completion percentage in the Citrus Bowl, and Nussmeier’s deep ball abilities shined once again. After the game, Kelly said neither quarterback plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal as the competition will carry into the offseason.

Malik Nabers … Nabers became the first wide receiver to finish the season with more than 1,000 yards receiving since the 2019 National Championship season when both Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase eclipsed the mark. Nabers finished the game as the Citrus Bowl MVP with nine catches for 163 yards and a touchdown. He also passed the ball twice on gadget plays, once for 45 yards and another for a five-yard touchdown to quarterback Jayden Daniels. Kayshon Boutte didn’t play in the Citrus Bowl, but it was clear all season long that Nabers was LSU’s best wide receiver. Now, he enters his junior season as the clearcut No. 1 wideout on the roster.

Mason Taylor … LSU’s freshman tight end did nearly all his damage in the first half, and he finished out the game with five catches for 88 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown came on an impressive 34-yard catch-and-run on a pass by Daniels, and it was a fitting end to a season where Taylor not only scored the winning points in an overtime win over Alabama, but also carved out a clearcut role as the top tight end on LSU’s roster. With the Tigers signing three high school tight ends in December, Taylor is the lone scholarship tight end back on roster from the 2022 season. His sophomore campaign should be another big one.

The 1-2 punch of John Emery and Noah Cain … LSU was without starting running back Josh Williams, whose knee injury required surgery and kept him from traveling to the bowl. So, the Tigers turned to Emery and Cain. Emery finished with seven carries for 52 yards and a touchdown, while Cain finished with eight carries for 58 yards and 2 touchdowns. When the Tigers got into the red zone and needed points, the pair punched it in. And with 7.4 yards per carry for Emery and 7.3 yards per carry for Cain, the Purdue defense didn’t have an answer for either of them.

The Offensive Line … This hat tip belongs to the entire offensive line. The Tigers got things rolling with true freshmen Will Campbell and Emery Jones at the tackle spots, Charles Turner at center and Garrett Dellinger and Anthony Bradford at guard. Turner was eventually banged up, but Marlon Martinez stepped in and looked the part. Miles Frazier, who had been the starter at left guard after Dellinger was injured a couple months back, stepped in as a rotational piece. And by game’s end, the Tigers were able to get players like Tre’mond Shorts and Kardell Thomas into the game. And across four quarter, LSU gave up zero sacks and the offensive line paved the way for 225 yards rushing and 369 yards passing. 

Micah Baskerville … LSU’s senior linebacker has been a key piece for the defense all season long, so it was no surprise to see the Louisiana native turn in a big final game in purple-and-gold. Baskerville closed the game out with five tackles, four solo stops, and two pass breakups. That included a fourth down stop coming out of the half. If not for Baskerville’s ability to anchor the linebacker room and excel both against the run and in pass coverage, the defense could have looked far different for LSU this season. 

Harold Perkins … While Baskerville wrapped up his college career at the Citrus Bowl, Perkins simply put a final exclamation point on a Freshman All-American season. Perkins had three tackles, two solo stops, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack. He also turned in the defense’s lone quarterback hurry and lone forced fumble. There’s not many defensive players in America better than Perkins as a true freshman. The sky is the limit for No. 40.

Defensive backs Greg Brooks Jr. and Jarrick Bernard-Converse … Brooks and Bernard-Converse can be argued as two of LSU’s best transfer additions this past offseason, and they kept things rolling in the Citrus Bowl. Brooks had five tackles, four solo stops, a tackle for loss and an interception. Meanwhile, Bernard-Converse also had an interception to go along with three solo stops. Both showed up versatility by playing multiple positions this season, and while Bernard-Converse’s eligibility is now complete, Brooks’ decision to return for one more season in 2023 is massive new for the defense.

Defensive tackles Jacobian Guillory and Fitzgerald West … Yes, starting defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo had two solo tackles, a sack, and two tackles for loss. But let’s give some love to a pair of guys who stepped up at one of the thinnest positions on the team. With Jaquelin Roy opting out of the game as he prepares for the NFL Draft, Guillory was all over the field with three tackles, two solo stops and a tackle for loss. Meanwhile, in his first significant action as a true freshman, West had two tackles, one solo stop and showed the ability to get penetration throughout the day. LSU will get star defensive lineman Maason Smith back from injury for the 2023 season, and Wingo will start alongside him. And the Tigers also added a couple defensive tackles out of the transfer portal in West Virginia’s Justin Jefferson and Florida’s Jalen Lee. That said, the emergence of a veteran in Guillory and a true freshman in West bodes well for a position that could have turned into a big worry spot ahead of the 2023 season.

Honorable mention … Let’s give one more shout out, and this time to a preferred walk-on in defensive back Quad Wilson, the son of LSU running backs coach Frank Wilson. With Purdue driving for points in the final minutes, Wilson picked off a pass and returned it 99 yards for a touchdown. The 99 yard return was a Citrus Bowl record, and the big moment from a player who spent all season on scout team brought nearly the entire bench onto the field for a celebration. With opt outs taking top talents off the roster for teams across the country, Wilson’s big moment on the interception returned for a touchdown reminds fans what college football games are all about.