ATLANTA — The LSU Tigers are headed home with one more game left to play.
No. 1 LSU dominated No. 4 Oklahoma 63-28 in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and College Football Playoffs semifinal on Saturday as both Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Justin Jefferson rewrote the record books. LSU now advances to the national title game in New Orleans.
How It Happened:
LSU’s defense set the tone on Oklahoma’s first possession K’Lavon Chaisson sacked Jalen Hurts on the first play from scrimmage. After two more runs, the Sooners were forced to punt after managing six negative yards on three plays.
The punt was short and LSU wasted little time getting on the scoreboard.
Burrow hit tight end Thaddeus Moss on the first play and two plays later found Jefferson for a 19-yard touchdown. LSU needed only three plays and 52 seconds to go 42 yards.
LSU’s defense pressured Hurts on Oklahoma’s second possession and the Sooners quickly went three-and-out once more. The Tigers though would have its ending drive end quickly as well as LSU was forced to punt after going three-and-out. That drive saw starting guard Damien Lewis get injured and had to be carted off the field.
Oklahoma’s offense finally responded on its third drive as the Sooners needed only 2:21 to go 69 yards.
Hurts found All-American wide receiver CeeDee Lamb down the left sideline for a 51-yard pass. The Sooners then scored on the next play as Kennedy Brooks powered his way into the end zone from three yards out.
LSU though answered with a 9-play, 75-yard scoring drive, which featured Clyde Edwards-Helaire coming into the game and taking a handoff for a 14 yards, and was capped with a 8-yard touchdown pass from Burrow to Terrace Marshall Jr.
After forcing Oklahoma to punt again, LSU marched down the field again and found the end zone yet again. The drive featured a stellar completion by Marshall Jr. down the right sideline for 24 yards. The drive was capped with Burrow’s third touchdown drive of the game — this one to Jefferson for 35 yards.
After forcing OU to punt again, LSU quickly responded with yet another touchdown drive. The Tigers went 80 yards in 6 plays and finished it off with Burrow throwing a 42-yard touchdown to Jefferson. That touchdown throw tied the Peach Bowl record for most passing touchdowns in a game with four.
East Carolina’s Jeff Blake (1991) and Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel (2013) also threw for four touchdowns in the Peach Bowl.
LSU’s defense then came up with a huge play as Kary Vincent Jr. intercepted a pass down the right sideline. Tigers took advantage as a few minutes later Burrow found Jefferson for a fourth touchdown — this one from 30 yards out.
The four touchdowns hauled in by Jefferson set a new Peach Bowl record, new College Football Playoff record and tied all bowl record.
Oklahoma would add a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Hurts with less than five minutes to go before halftime which cut the lead to 35-14. LSU quickly answered with a 27-second drive as Burrow threw his sixth touchdown pass of the game with a 62-yard bomb to Moss. That gave Burrow 353 yards in the first half which set a new single-game CFP record.
The records kept falling right before halftime.
Burrow threw his seventh touchdown pass as he found Marshall for a 2-yard score right before halftime. That touchdown pass set a new single-game record for an LSU player and any player in the history of the College Football Playoff history.
The two teams traded touchdown drives in the third quarter.
LSU opened the second half with a 13-play, 74-yard drive which was capped with a 3-yard touchdown run by Burrow. Oklahoma meanwhile had a 13-play, 75-yard drive which ended with a 12-yard touchdown run by Hurts.
Oklahoma would add a 1-yard T.J. Pledgers touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
LSU added another score late as John Emery Jr. scored on a 6-yard run with four minutes left in the ball game.
Big Number: 8
LSU’s Joe Burrow became the first player in FBS bowl history to be responsible for 8 touchdowns in a bowl game. Those touchdowns were a 19-yard pass to Justin Jefferson, a 8-yard pass to Terrace Marshall Jr., 35-yard pass to Jefferson, 42-yard pass to Jefferson, 30-yard pass to Jefferson, 62-yard pass to Thaddeus Moss, 2-yard pass to Marshall and a 3-yard run.
Players of the Game: Joe Burrow & Justin Jefferson
Burrow completed 29-of-39 passes for 493 yards with seven touchdown passes which were all in the first half of Saturday’s game. Burrow also added 22 rushing yards on 5 carries with another rushing touchdown in the third quarter. Jefferson meanwhile set new Peach Bowl records with receptions (14), receiving yards (227) and receiving touchdowns (4).
Up Next:
LSU advances to play in The College Football Playoff National Championship game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on Monday, January 13. LSU will play the winner of the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Clemson.