When it was announced that Jayden Daniels would be coming back to LSU for another season, many believed that the Tigers had the best returning offense in the SEC. Even with Kayshon Boutte out the door, the quarterback would be joining an offense with most of its starters returning, along with some new faces acquired through recruiting and the transfer portal that were expected to make an impact.
All that amounted to LSU having a realistic chance to compete for a playoff spot again come next season. But before it could look ahead, it had put a bow on the current season, the one which gave us those expectations in the first place. Though the season hadn’t concluded the way fans were hoping for, there was still a great opportunity to come out of it with 10 wins, a number which they struggled to obtain in the two prior seasons combined.
That opportunity came in the Citrus Bowl, normally one of the most prestigious bowls in college football. In terms of significance, it was trumped by only the College Football Playoff and other New Year’s Six bowls, but this particular rendition had a catch, one that has typically affected prestigious bowls as of late.
LSU’s opponent, Purdue, a team that finished the regular season as the Big 10 West champion, a strong accomplishment despite its division’s clear inferiority to its eastern counterpart, lost its head coach to Louisville and endless players to opt-outs.
Star quarterback Aidan O’Connell, receiver Charlie Jones, tight end Payne Durham and safety/linebacker Jalen Graham were just a few of the number of players opting out for Purdue in this game. Even with LSU having opt-outs of its own to deal with, the prospect of it winning this thing went from being expected to practically guaranteed for the Tigers, unless Purdue’s backups were somehow able to pull off a miracle.
The spread skyrocketed to a bowl-season high of 15 points and while it can be a relief to face a depleted team like Purdue, it also ups the stakes if that team comes out on fire. Pittsburgh faced a similar situation against UCLA in the Sun Bowl and came out on top. Though the Panthers weren’t nearly as gutted, it still proves it’s possible.
But despite the possibility, the worst-case scenario didn’t occur. It didn’t even come close.
The first drive might not have offered fans much comfort, but the six straight that ended in touchdowns following it might have done the trick. The Tigers didn’t just win, they obliterated their competition, finishing the game with an exclamation mark in the form of a 99-yard pick-six by scout-team defensive back Quad Wilson to go up by a staggering 56 points with just 40 seconds to go.
In a game where they needed to impress, they made a statement.
LSU was coming off three straight conference games where the team looked borderline unrecognizable compared to the team that showed up against Ole Miss and Alabama. Rather than coming out as the team that beat Saban or demoralized Kiffin, it came out as the team that stumbled against Auburn and Tennessee.
It needed its confidence back if it wanted to dominate the following season and make it to the playoff for the second time. That confidence is what earned back-to-back top-ten wins and had it controlling its own destiny in November.
The same stadium the Tigers played in on Monday awaits them in September, as they will face off against one of the most promising teams in the country and an expected ACC title contender in Florida State. They should head into that game sporting a confident mindset on top of a full spring and summer of added preparation now, a game that could have playoff implications come next December.
Not only does this provide the team with confidence heading into 2023, it further cements the season as a success. Though the SEC West title and win over Alabama would always be seen as milestones that were achieved ahead of schedule, they wouldn’t hold the same weight if their five games featured two multi-score losses to Texas A&M and Georgia and sluggish wins over Arkansas and Purdue.
Acquiring its 10th win in style was the best way it could have finished the season, and you can now add it to the list of Brian Kelly’s achievements in his first season with the program, an addition that doesn’t warrant an asterisk next to it. While it doesn’t establish the team as a playoff contender in 2023 just yet, it hints at it. And to the people that wondered where the team that beat Alabama went, they got their response.
