ORLANDO, Fla. — Jayden Daniels had 211 total yards of offense and Noah Cain scored two rushing touchdowns as No. 16 LSU jumped out to a 35-0 first-half lead before cruising to a 63-7 win over Purdue to claim the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl Monday at Camping World Stadium.
The 63 points by the Tigers set a bowl record.
LSU (10-4, 6-3 SEC) 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.
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.
Standouts
LSU
Daniels: The quarterback went
Noah Cain: The running back had six carries for 39 yards with a pair of 9-yard touchdown runs in the first half. It was the third game this season in which the junior had multiple touchdowns.
Nabers: The receiver had six catches for a career-high 163 yards, highlighted by a 75-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter. He also went 2-for-2 passing with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Daniels in the third quarter.
PURDUE
Austin Burton: The sixth-year quarterback, who was making his second start of the season, finished 12 of 24 for 74 passing yards and an interception.
Devin Mockobee: The walk-on running back finished with 41 rushing yards on 11 carries. He also added three catches for 26 yards.
Michael Alaimo: The redshirt sophomore quarterback found receiver TJ Sheffield for a 16-yard touchdown at the start of the 4th quarter that snapped a 49-0 scoring streak by LSU and prevented a shutout.
Noteworthy
— Daniels completed nine straight passes to end the first half before throwing an incompletion on his first throw in the second half.
— After punting on its first possession of the game, LSU scored touchdowns on five straight drives to jump out to a 35-0 first-half lead over Purdue.
— Nabers took a pass from backup quarterback Garrett Nussmeier in the backfield before lofting a 45-yard pass of his own to receiver Kyren Lacey, who caught it at the Purdue 23 and took it down to the 10-yard line. The Tigers scored on the next play, as Nussmeier found Brian Thomas for a touchdown.
— Purdue converted a 4th-and-1 on their o9-yard line with a fake punt as defensive end Jack Sullivan took the direct snap and rushed for 5 yards.
— LSU’s first touchdown of the second half was a version of the Philly Special as running back John Emery Jr. took the direct snap from center and pitched it to Nabers, who found Daniels wide-open in the end zone for a 5-yard score.
