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Bowl season is underway, and the LSU Tigers and the Purdue Boilermakers will compete for postseason bragging rights in the Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium at 1 p.m. ET on Monday. With a combined 1,005 yards of offense in their previous games, we can expect a fast-paced game.
LSU received a tough blow four weeks ago as they fell 50-30 to the Georgia Bulldogs. Despite the loss, the Tigers had strong showings from WR Malik Nabers, who caught five passes for one TD and 128 yards, and WR Kayshon Boutte, who caught six passes for one TD and 107 yards. Near the top of the highlight reel was Jayden Daniels' 53-yard TD bomb to Boutte in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, Purdue's and the Michigan Wolverines' matchup four weeks ago was up for grabs at halftime, but Purdue was thoroughly outmatched 29-9 in the second half. Purdue found themselves the reluctant recipients of an unpleasant 43-22 punch to the gut against Michigan. The Boilermakers were surely aware of their 16-point disadvantage in the point spread, but the foreknowledge did nothing to prevent the result. Their defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of RB Devin Mockobee, who punched in one rushing touchdown, and WR Charlie Jones, who caught 13 passes for 162 yards.
Most of the squad's points came courtesy of special teams, which contributed 16. K Mitchell Fineran delivered a perfect 5-for-5 game.
The Tigers are the favorite in this one, with an expected 14.5-point margin of victory. Now might not be the best time to take LSU against the spread since they've let down bettors for the past two consecutive games.
A couple numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: LSU ranks 15th in the nation when it comes to thrown interceptions, with only six on the season. But Purdue enters the contest having picked the ball off 14 times, good for 19th in the nation. We'll see which of these strengths -- offense or defense -- will win out.
