Jayden Daniels had a magical season en route to a Heisman Trophy campaign and now, it was time for the LSU quarterback legend to pass the torch to his backup Garrett Nussmeier, who has waited three years to get his shot, and he took full advantage of it as he led the Tigers to their 10th win of the season with a 35-31 win over the Wisconsin Badgers in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
The Nuss Bus made its first stop in Tampa and it rolled its way to a MVP performance as the Tigers’ gunslinger completed 31 of 45 passes for 395 yards and three touchdowns to only one interception, but what was most impressive was that he led the Tigers to a 98 yard scoring drive to win the game.
“His ability to manage the moment, be calm in those situations, speaks to a guy that is going to only excel and get better as he plays more football.”
LSU Head Coach Brian Kelly on Garrett Nussmeier
While Nussmeier stepped in and played well for Daniels, the wide receiving core stepped up after Malik Nabers left the game. The All-American wide receiver left the game once he broke Josh Reed’s career receiving yard record with 3,002 yards. Stepping up for him is Brian Thomas Jr., who had eight catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns including the game winning touchdown to give the Tigers a four point lead with three minutes left.
Chris Hilton Jr. showed his big play ability with three catches for 56 yards and a touchdown while Kyren Lacy and Mason Taylor combined for 13 grabs for 183 yards. The other two touchdowns were scored on the ground by Kaleb Jackson and most surprisingly, linebacker Harold Perkins, who got the Tigers first on the board with a rushing touchdown.
The Tigers had to battle their way back after trailing the majority of the game including being down 14-0. Wisconsin had one of their most productive passing days this season as Tanner Mordecai, who came in only throwing nine touchdowns this season, threw for three touchdowns today to go with 378 yards through the air. Two of Mordecai’s top receivers each had over 100 yards receiving as Will Pauling had 8 catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns while Bryson Green had seven catches for 105 yards and one touchdown. Jackson Acker added a 33 yard rushing touchdown to help complete the scoring for the Badgers.
Despite struggling throughout, the Tigers’ defense came up big when it mattered most. After trailing 31-28 entering the fourth quarter, LSU’s defense pitched a shutout in the final 15 minutes to give the Tigers the win. What made the difference was the pressure as Mekhi Wingo, who made his return back to the lineup after a lower body injury he suffered earlier this season, had two sacks on two consecutive drives to help close the deal.
Without two of their star All-American players in the lineup, LSU showed some grit and heart down the stretch in order for the Tigers to head into the offseason with a lot of momentum as Brian Kelly ends his second year with his second straight ten win season to kickoff the new year.
“A team that’s won 20 games over the last two years has a good foundational piece of what LSU Football expectations are. This is a team that year in and year out should be competing for a national championship.”
LSU Head Coach Brian Kelly
1st Quarter:
2nd Quarter:
3rd Quarter:
4th Quarter:
Final Stats:
Offensive Cumulative Stats
| STAT | Wisconsin | LSU |
|---|---|---|
| NET TOTAL YARDS | 506 | 492 |
| NET RUSHING YARDS | 128 | 97 |
| Rushing Attempts | 34 | 25 |
| Average Per Rush | 3.8 | 3.9 |
| Rushing TDs | 1 | 2 |
| Yards Gained | 170 | 103 |
| Yards Lost | 42 | 6 |
| NET PASSING YARDS | 378 | 395 |
| Completion-Attempts | 27-40 | 31-45 |
| Completion Percentage | 68% | 69% |
| Avg Per Completion | 14.0 | 12.7 |
| YAC | 143 | 148 |
| Passing TDs | 3 | 3 |
| Drops (%) | 3 (08%) | 1 (02%) |
| TOTAL 1ST DOWNS | 22 | 26 |
| Rushing 1st Downs | 7 | 7 |
| Passing 1st Downs | 14 | 18 |
| Penalty 1st Downs | 1 | 1 |
| TOTAL PLAYS | 74 | 70 |
| Avg Yds/Play | 6.8 | 7 |
| Rushing-Passing | 34-40 | 25-45 |
Offense Efficiency Comparison:
| STAT | Wisconsin | LSU |
|---|---|---|
| RED ZONE ATTEMPTS | 3-4 | 4-4 |
| Red Zone Points | 17 | 28 |
| RZ TDs Rush-Pass | 0-2 | 2-2 |
| RZ FG Made-Att | 1-1 | 0-0 |
| RZ Turns | 1 | 0 |
| 3rd Downs | 6-15 | 3-9 |
| 4th Downs | 0-2 | 0-1 |
| Penalties | 7-50 | 5-45 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 2-1 | 0-0 |
| Pts Off Turns | 0 | 0 |
| POSSESSION TIME | 31:00 | 29:00 |
Special Teams Comparison:
| STAT | Wisconsin | LSU |
|---|---|---|
| Punts-Avg | 5-35.4 | 5-38.0 |
| Inside20 | 3 | 1 |
| Field Goals | 1-2 | 0-0 |
| Kick Returns | 4-85 | 4-59 |
| Punt Returns | 0-0 | 1-5 |
Defensive Comparison:
| STAT | Wisconsin | LSU |
|---|---|---|
| TACKLES | 77 | 73 |
| Solo Tackles | 25 | 37 |
| Tackles for Loss | 3 | 7 |
| TFL Yards | -5 | -42 |
| Pass Breakups | 3 | 2 |
| QB Hurries | 3 | 3 |
| Sacks | 0 | 5 |
| Sacks Yards | -0 | -36 |
| Takeaways FR-INT | 0-1 | 1-0 |
| Forced Fumbles | 0 | 2 |
| Fumble Recoveries | 0 | 1 |
| FR Yards | 0 | 0 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 0 |
| INT Yards | 10 | 0 |
| TDs INT-FR | 0-0 | 0-0 |
Wisconsin Passing:
| # | PLAYER | C-A | YDS | TD | I | C% | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | MORDECAI,T | 27-40 | 378 | 3 | 0 | 68 | 171.6 |
Wisconsin Receiving:
| # | PLAYER | NO | YDS | TD | LNG | AVG | TGT | C% | YAC | DR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | PAULING,W | 8 | 143 | 2 | 53 | 17.9 | 10 | 80 | 71 | 0 |
| 9 | GREEN,B | 7 | 105 | 1 | 36 | 15 | 13 | 54 | 8 | 2 |
| 12 | KEKAHUNA,T | 4 | 64 | 0 | 24 | 16 | 4 | 100 | 11 | 0 |
| 86 | ANTHONY,V | 3 | 15 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 75 | 16 | 0 |
| 5 | BURROUGHS,Q | 2 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 7.5 | 3 | 67 | 1 | 0 |
| 34 | ACKER,J | 1 | 22 | 0 | 22 | 22 | 1 | 100 | 24 | 0 |
| 87 | RUCCI,H | 1 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 1 | 100 | 9 | 0 |
| 37 | NOWAKOWSKI,R | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100 | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | WILLIAMS,C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 RECEIVERS | 27 | 378 | 3 | 53 | 14 | 38 | 71 | 143 | 3 |
Wisconsin Rushing:
| # | PLAYER | ATT | YDS | TD | LNG | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | ACKER,J | 14 | 86 | 1 | 33 | 6.1 |
| 25 | YACAMELLI,C | 7 | 45 | 0 | 21 | 6.4 |
| 8 | MORDECAI,T | 13 | -3 | 0 | 11 | -0.2 |
| 3 RUSHERS | 34 | 128 | 1 | 33 | 3.8 |
Wisconsin Punting:
| Punter | NO | YDS | AVG | LNG | I20 | 50+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BERTRAMS,A | 5 | 177 | 35.4 | 48 | 3 | 0 |
Wisconsin Field Goals:
| Kicker | Time | Dist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| N.Vakos | 2nd-03:56 | 51 | MISSED |
| N.Vakos | 3rd-01:18 | 21 | GOOD |
| TOTAL | 1-2 | LONG OF 21 | |
Wisconsin All Purpose Yards:
| Player | Tot | Rush | Rec | KOR | PR | IR-FR | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PAULING,W | 143 | 0 | 143 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| ACKER,J | 108 | 86 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| GREEN,B | 105 | 0 | 105 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Wisconsin Defense:
| # | Player (Starter) | TotTk | Solo | Sack | TFL | Int | BrUp | QBH | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | M.Njongmeta (LB) | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 9 | A.Brown (S) | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | N.Fourqurean (DB) | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | H.Wohler (S) | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | J.Chaney (LB) | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 98 | C.Goetz (LB) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | R.Hallman (CB) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | K.Latu (S) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | P.Zachman | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | D.Peterson (LB) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 39 | T.Grass | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | O.Arnett | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 44 | J.Pietrowski | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 68 | B.Barten | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 90 | J.Thompson Jr. (DE) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 94 | G.Paez | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | J.Duclona | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | C.Alliegro | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 43 | G.Bortolotti | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 43 | J.Trudgeon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 59 | A.Witt | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 92 | C.Neal (DT) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 77 | 25 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
Wisconsin Punt Returns:
| Returner | NO | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD |
|---|
Wisconsin Kick Returns:
| Returner | NO | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANTHONY,V | 3 | 63 | 21 | 28 | 0 |
| KEKAHUNA,T | 1 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 4 | 85 | 21 | 28 | 0 |
Wisconsin Team Stats By Quarter:
| 1st | Rush | Pass | CAI | TotY | Avg | 3rds | Pens | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 4 | 5-20 | 5-127 | 5-5-0 | 147 | 14.7 | 1-2 | 2-10 |
| 2nd | 7 | 8-52 | 15-92 | 9-15-0 | 144 | 6.3 | 0-3 | 2-10 |
| 3rd | 6 | 10-48 | 8-76 | 5-8-0 | 124 | 6.9 | 2-4 | 2-20 |
| 4th | 5 | 11-8 | 12-83 | 8-12-0 | 91 | 4 | 3-6 | 1-10 |
| Total | 22 | 34-128 | 40-378 | 27-40-0 | 506 | 6.8 | 6-15 | 7-50 |
Wisconsin Scoring Summary:
| Qtr | Clock | Score | Type | Play | Drive | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 08:28 | TD | PASS | B.Green 20 yd reception thrown by T.Mordecai (PAT KICK by N.Vakos GOOD) | 5/78/2:15 | 0-7 |
| 1 | 00:23 | TD | PASS | W.Pauling 53 yd reception thrown by T.Mordecai (PAT KICK by N.Vakos GOOD) | 2/60/0:28 | 0-14 |
| 2 | 00:47 | TD | PASS | W.Pauling 9 yd reception thrown by T.Mordecai (PAT KICK by N.Vakos GOOD) | 5/75/0:41 | 14-21 |
| 3 | 12:14 | TD | RUSH | J.Acker 33 yd rush (PAT KICK by N.Vakos GOOD) | 8/75/2:46 | 14-28 |
| 3 | 01:18 | FG | N.Vakos 21 yd Field Goal | 6/42/3:19 | 28-31 |
LSU Passing
| # | PLAYER | C-A | YDS | TD | I | C% | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | NUSSMEIER,G | 31-45 | 395 | 3 | 1 | 69 | 160.2 |
LSU Receiving
| # | PLAYER | NO | YDS | TD | LNG | AVG | TGT | C% | YAC | DR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | THOMAS JR.,B | 8 | 98 | 2 | 38 | 12.3 | 13 | 62 | 24 | 0 |
| 86 | TAYLOR,M | 7 | 88 | 0 | 25 | 12.6 | 7 | 100 | 45 | 0 |
| 2 | LACY,K | 6 | 95 | 0 | 37 | 15.8 | 7 | 86 | 29 | 1 |
| 17 | HILTON JR.,C | 3 | 56 | 1 | 43 | 18.7 | 5 | 60 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | NABERS,M | 3 | 23 | 0 | 11 | 7.7 | 5 | 60 | 9 | 0 |
| 27 | WILLIAMS,J | 3 | 22 | 0 | 11 | 7.3 | 3 | 100 | 28 | 0 |
| 28 | JACKSON,K | 1 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 1 | 100 | 13 | 0 |
| 7 RECEIVERS | 31 | 395 | 3 | 43 | 12.7 | 44 | 70 | 148 | 1 |
LSU Rushing
| # | PLAYER | ATT | YDS | TD | LNG | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | WILLIAMS,J | 12 | 51 | 0 | 12 | 4.3 |
| 21 | CAIN,N | 6 | 31 | 0 | 12 | 5.2 |
| 28 | JACKSON,K | 2 | 15 | 1 | 12 | 7.5 |
| 4 | PERKINS JR.,H | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | DIGGS,L | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 25 | HOLLY,T | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 RUSHERS | 25 | 97 | 2 | 12 | 3.9 |
LSU Punting
| Punter | NO | YDS | AVG | LNG | I20 | 50+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRAMBLETT,J | 5 | 190 | 38 | 49 | 1 | 0 |
LSU Field Goals
| Kicker | Time | Dist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 0-0 | LONG OF 0 | |
LSU All Purpose Yards
| Player | Tot | Rush | Rec | KOR | PR | IR-FR | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| THOMAS JR.,B | 98 | 0 | 98 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| LACY,K | 95 | 0 | 95 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TAYLOR,M | 88 | 0 | 88 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
LSU Defense
| # | Player (Starter) | TotTk | Solo | Sack | TFL | Int | BrUp | QBH | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | M.Burns (DB) | 13 | 9 | 0 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | W.Weeks | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | A.Sam (S) | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | G.Penn III (LB) | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | S.Ryan | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | O.Speights (LB) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | H.Perkins Jr. (LB) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | O.Oghoufo (LB) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | D.Womack | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | M.Wingo | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | A.Stamps (DB) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | R.Yaites | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | S.Jones (DE) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 99 | J.Jefferson (DT) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 0 | M.Smith (DE) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | J.Allen | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | J.Howard | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 25 | J.Toviano (S) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | J.Williams | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 94 | P.Shand | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 73 | 37 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
LSU Punt Returns
| Returner | NO | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLAYTON JR.,G | 1 | 5 | 05 | 5 | 0 |
LSU Kick Returns
| Returner | NO | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NICHOLAS,J | 4 | 59 | 15 | 25 | 0 |
LSU Team Stats By Quarter
| 1st | Rush | Pass | CAI | TotY | Avg | 3rds | Pens | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 5 | 6-11 | 14-82 | 10-14-0 | 93 | 4.7 | 0-3 | 2-10 |
| 2nd | 9 | 8-42 | 12-97 | 8-12-1 | 139 | 7 | 1-2 | 1-15 |
| 3rd | 9 | 6-28 | 11-119 | 8-11-0 | 147 | 8.6 | 1-1 | 2-20 |
| 4th | 3 | 5-16 | 8-97 | 5-8-0 | 113 | 8.7 | 1-3 | 0-0 |
| Total | 26 | 25-97 | 45-395 | 31-45-1 | 492 | 7 | 3-9 | 5-45 |
LSU Scoring Summary
| Qtr | Clock | Score | Type | Play | Drive | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 06:00 | TD | RUSH | H.Perkins Jr. 1 yd rush (PAT KICK by D.Ramos GOOD) | 8/60/3:11 | 7-14 |
| 2 | 01:28 | TD | RUSH | K.Jackson 12 yd rush (PAT KICK by D.Ramos GOOD) | 7/67/2:28 | 14-14 |
| 3 | 10:33 | TD | PASS | B.Thomas Jr. 38 yd reception thrown by G.Nussmeier (PAT KICK by D.Ramos GOOD) | 5/75/1:36 | 21-28 |
| 3 | 04:44 | TD | PASS | C.Hilton Jr. 14 yd reception thrown by G.Nussmeier (PAT KICK by D.Ramos GOOD) | 8/70/3:10 | 28-28 |
| 4 | 03:08 | TD | PASS | B.Thomas Jr. 4 yd reception thrown by G.Nussmeier (PAT KICK by D.Ramos GOOD) | 8/98/3:02 | 35-31 |
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