2023 Citrus Bowl: Purdue Football Dominated by LSU in 63-7 Loss

Purdue managed just 256 yards of total offense as LSU rolled to victory in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Monday at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

D.J. Fezler | Jan 2, 2023

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ORLANDO — Without its top offensive players, Purdue football couldn’t keep up with LSU’s tempo and execution in a 63-7 thrashing on Monday in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium.

Quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier engineered seven touchdown drives for the Tigers, who amassed 594 yards of total offense. Wide receiver Malik Nabers hauled in nine passes for 163 yards and a touchdown while also completing two passes for 50 yards and another score through the air.

Sixth-year senior Austin Burtin and redshirt sophomore Michael Alaimo combined to throw for 105 yards passing, one touchdown and a pair of interceptions for the Boilermakers. Redshirt freshman running back Devin Mockobee tallied 74 total yards.

After forcing a punt on LSU’s opening possession, Purdue struggled to find a rhythm on either side of the football. Burton — who made his third career start in place of Aidan O’Connell — managed just 73 yards through the air in the first half, and the Tigers took advantage with five straight touchdown drives.

Daniels and Nussmeier combined to complete 18 of their first 22 throws for 204 yards, and each threw for a touchdown before halftime. Running back John Emery Jr. opened the scoring with a 1-yard scoring plunge in the first quarter.

Noah Cain found the end zone twice in the first half, with the second coming from nine yards out following a 37-yard scamper by Daniels. The dual-threat quarterback accounted for a team-high 67 yards on the ground.

Purdue punted on its first four possessions before passing midfield for the first time in the second quarter. But the 13-play, 50-yard drive ended in a turnover as Burton fired a pass into the end zone that was intercepted by LSU.

The Tigers needed only five plays to go 87 yards and cross the goal line on the subsequent possession, which led to a 35-0 lead at halftime. The Boilermakers had 86 total yards in the entire first half of play.

Purdue failed to turn things around at the start of the second half, turning the ball over on downs and throwing an interception on its first two possessions to open the third quarter. LSU went on to add another score as Nabers threw a pass to Daniels in the end zone from the 5-yard line.

The Boilermakers stopped the Tigers from crossing the goal line on consecutive drives as redshirt senior cornerback Jamari Brown intercepted a pass from Nussmeier. It was the team’s only takeaway of the game.

However, Nabers would put the exclamation point on his offensive performance by taking a short pass behind the line of scrimmage and weaving through the Purdue defense for a 75-yard score.

The Boilermakers reached the end zone in the fourth quarter when Alaimo completed a 16-yard touchdown pass to redshirt junior wide receiver TJ Sheffield to cap an eight-play drive. Sheffield led the team with 56 yards receiving on seven catches.

LSU added a touchdown run in the final quarter as running back Derrick Davis Jr. barrelled his way through the defense from 12 yards away. The Tigers ran for 225 yards on the ground and four scores.

Redshirt senior quarterback Jack Albers finished the game for Purdue, guiding the team into the red zone before throwing an interception that was returned 99 yards for a touchdown. The Boilermakers totaled 256 yards offensively.

After earning its first Big Ten West title in program history, Purdue ends its season with back-to-back losses and an 8-6 record overall.

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