Ten things to know: Purdue-LSU Citrus Bowl matchup

Purdue faces a formidable task when it takes on No. 17 LSU in the Citrus Bowl on January 2.

The Tigers won the SEC West, bringing a 9-4 mark (6-3 SEC) to Orlando. LSU was in the hunt for a College Football Playoff spot late in the season until getting upset 38-23 at Texas A&M in the regular-season finale. That was followed by a 50-30 defeat vs. No. 1 Georgia in the SEC title game.

Still, while LSU has lost its last two games, few expected the Bayou Bengals to have this much success in their first year under Brian Kelly. Purdue (8-5; 6-4) will have its hands full as a 14-point underdog while in the midst of a coaching transition from Jeff Brohm to Ryan Walters.

Here are 10 things to know about the Purdue-LSU matchup …

1 – Brian Kelly coached Notre Dame for 12 years (2010-21) before taking over the Tigers prior to the 2022 season. In his time leading the Fighting Irish, Kelly forged a 6-0 mark vs. the Boilermakers, including a 27-13 decision in South Bend in 2021. Kelly’s first Notre Dame victory came against the Boilermakers, a 23-12 win on Sept. 4, 2010.

2 – LSU star QB Jayden Daniels was on the sideline for the Tigers in the SEC championship game. Daniels was knocked out of the tilt with a leg injury. But with a month between the championship game and LSU’s Citrus Bowl matchup against Purdue, Daniels is good to go. He’s a dynamic dual-threat signal-caller who began his career at Arizona State.

3 – How good is Daniels, who already has announced he will return to LSU in 2023? He is one of only two FBS signal-callers to have 800-plus rushing yards and 2,000-plus passing yards this year. Daniels has rushed for a team-high 818 yards (second most among QBs in the nation) and passed for another 2,774 yards. The other QB in the 800-2,000 club is UCF’s John Rhys Plumlee.

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4 – This will be the second season in a row the Boilermakers will have played an SEC team in the postseason, beating Tennessee 48-45 in OT in the Music City Bowl last season. It also will be the third bowl in succession Purdue will have played an SEC squad, losing to Auburn 63-14 in the 2018 Music City Bowl. LSU is 9-15-2 all-time against current members of the Big Ten. LSU last played a Big Ten club in the 2016 season-opener, dropping a 16-14 decision to Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.

5 – While Purdue is dealing with a roster depleted by the opt-outs of Aidan O’Connell, Payne Durham, Charlie Jones, Jalen Graham and Cory Trice—along with the transfer of Spencer Holstege—LSU will have no sympathy. Last year led by an interim head coach, the Tigers were ravaged by defections in their Texas Bowl loss to Kansas State, having just 38 scholarship players and a wide receiver playing quarterback in the 42-20 defeat to the Wildcats.

6 – LSU has used six different starting combinations on its offensive line this year. The Tigers start two true freshmen on the o-line: Will Campbell (12 starts at left tackle) and Emery Jones Jr. (11 starts at right tackle). LSU also starts a true freshman tight end: Mason Taylor. It’s the first time in school history LSU has had three true freshmen as primary starters on offense. On defense, keep an eye on another true freshman: LB Harold Perkins, who is third on team in tackles with 69 and leads the squad in tackles for loss (11.5) and sacks (6.5).

7 – LSU has had its share of opt-outs for the Citrus Bowl. The Bayou Bengals will be without starting defensive linemen BJ Ojulari, Ali Gaye and Jaquelin Roy, along with wideout Jaray Jenkins and cornerback Mekhi Garner. The Tigers also have had 10 players enter the portal and top receiver Kayshon Boutte announced Wednesday he is entering the NFL draft.

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8 – This will be Purdue’s first bowl trip to Florida since the Boilermakers lost 24-7 to Maryland in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando after the 2006 season. Purdue played in the Citrus Bowl (then known as the Capital One Bowl) in Orlando after the 2003 season, losing 34-27 in OT to Georgia. The Boilers only other bowl in Florida came after the 1999 season, when they lost 28-25 in OT to Georgia. All three bowls in the Sunshine State came with Joe Tiller as head coach.

9 – This will be the first meeting between LSU and Purdue. The schools have battled in men’s basketball, women’s basketball and baseball. Purdue is 1-1 vs. LSU in men’s basketball (L, 94-87 in 2 0T in 1986 NCAA Tournament first-round; W, 80-56 in 2003 NCAA Tournament first-round). Purdue is 3-2 vs. LSU in women’s basketball. The Boilermakers are 0-7 vs. LSU in baseball.

10 – Brian Brohm will be the second interim head coach to lead Purdue in a bowl game. The first was Patrick Higgins, a receivers coach who filled in for the Heart of Dallas Bowl for Danny Hope after he was fired at the end of the 2012 season. The Boilermakers lost to Oklahoma State, 58-14, to finish 6-7.