Rewind to Dec. 4 and the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl selection committee was feeling good about its Jan. 2 pairing of league championship game losers LSU of the SEC and Purdue of the Big 10
The matchup of the Purdue pass-catch duo of quarterback Aiden O’ Connell and wide receiver Charlie Jones vs. LSU edge rushers Ali Gaye and BJ Ojulari.
The Tigers were confident offensively they would have a full complement of weapons, especially wide receivers, and possess enough O-line depth to consistently protect quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Also, first-year LSU head coach Brian Kelly, who was 6-0 vs. Purdue when he coached Notre Dame, looked forward to the challenge of facing Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm’s wide-open offensive schemes.
Monday at noon CT when the Tigers (9-4) and Boilermakers (8-5) kickoff in Orlando’s Camping World Stadium, none of the aforementioned names except for Kelly and Daniels, will be in the house.
Brohm left to become head coach at his alma mater Louisville
Opt-outs and transfer portal entries have hit both teams in certain areas, Purdue mostly in its offense skill positions and LSU along its starting defensive line, its offensive line depth and defensive secondary.
Considering the Tigers had less than 40 scholarship players available for last January’s Texas Bowl loss to Kansas State when LSU had an interim coach and a wide receiver playing quarterback, Kelly isn’t fazed by who isn’t playing in Orlando.
“65. . .so we are chuck-full of players. . . I don't know what we are going to do with all of them,” Kelly said with a laugh Sunday revealing the number of scholarship players available to face Purdue.
“These guys want to play. As coaches, that is all we want. We want guys that love to play, love to compete. I think you are going to see two teams that want to be there and want to play to their very best.”
While two of LSU’s best receivers – Kayshon Boutte and Jaray Jenkins opted out because they are turning pro – Tigers’ starting quarterback Jayden Daniels said he’s returning for one last season in 2023.
Daniels, who said he's fully healed from an ankle injury that sidelined him in the second half of LSU’s SEC championship game loss to Georgia on Dec. 3, is seeking a Citrus Bowl performance that will light the fuse for the Tigers heading into the 2023 season.
“For me and the offense, it’s going out there and really just showing the world what we want to showcase for next season,” said Daniels, who has passed for 2,774 yards and 16 TDs and rushed for 818 yards and 11 TDs as one of only 2 FBS QBs to have 800+ rushing yards and 2,000+ passing yards this year. “How we finish the season is how we are going to end up starting the season.”
To that end, LSU has abundance of receivers to compensate for its lost personnel. The Tigers’ biggest concern offensively was having three backup linemen opt-out, making the O-line depth extremely thin.
The Purdue offense vs. LSU defense matchup has been completely jumbled since the end of the season.
The Boilermakers lost 93.5 percent of their season passing yardage output when starting QB O’Connell chose not to play. Also, WR Jones and tight end Payne Durham, who combined for 1,861 receiving yards and 20 TDs on 166 catches, opted out.
Three of LSU’s four starting D-linemen – Gaye, Ojulari and Jaquelin Roy – who accounted for a combined 143 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 8½ sacks – opted out as did starting defensive back Mehki Garner.
Kelly is optimistic some of the young faces he’s seen in bowl practices are ready to take their first step towards becoming 2023 defensive starters.
“A guy like (defensive end) Sai'vion Jones, who played well for us now gets an opportunity to start,” Kelly said. “You see during the year flashes, but now you see him consistently and know what kind of player you have there. It has been fun to watch him compete every single day.”
There’s more than Jones, a sophomore, who's ready to step in.
“(Sophomore defensive tackle) Jacobian Guillory has had a great week of preparation, really great couple weeks,” LSU defensive coordinator Matt House said Saturday. “Certainly, excited to see (freshman D-lineman) Quency (Wiggins) play. He has great size and athleticism and versatility. We see him as a defensive end and could potentially slide inside on pass downs.”
