Yahoo Finance The 5 Peach Bowl plays that propelled LSU to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game
Everything went LSU’s way in its 63-28 Peach Bowl blowout over Oklahoma.
Heisman-winning QB Joe Burrow threw seven first-half touchdowns in the blowout that was over sometime in the second quarter. All LSU had to do was simply show up for the second half and run down the clock and the Tigers were going to end up with a win.
In games so lopsided like this it can be hard to pick just five key plays that pushed a team to victory. But if you somehow missed the game, these five plays will tell you all you need to know about how LSU demolished Oklahoma.
19-yard TD pass from Joe Burrow to Justin Jefferson
Oklahoma got the ball to start the game and promptly lost six yards before punting after three plays.
It only took LSU three plays to score. Burrow found Thaddeus Moss for 17, Terrace Marshall Jr. for six and then Jefferson for a 19-yard score. It was a drive that went 42 yards in 52 seconds and gave LSU a lead less than three minutes into the game.
Sometimes early scores are not harbingers of things to come over the course of a 60-minute football game. This time it definitely was.
35-yard TD pass from Joe Burrow to Justin Jefferson
This is where LSU put Oklahoma on notice that it could be a blowout. The Tigers’ wide receivers against Oklahoma’s defensive backs was a mismatch all night. A great example was Burrow’s 35-yard toss to Jefferson, who easily got open in man coverage and did a little dance afterward as the Tigers went up 21-7.
Just look at how impressed Joe Burrow’s dad was after the touchdown.
— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) December 28, 2019
Jefferson finished the game with 14 catches for 227 yards and four scores.
Kary Vincent Jr. interception of Jalen Hurts
Hurts had an awful first half. He completed five passes while Burrow threw seven touchdowns. He also threw an awful interception that ended up helping LSU put the game out of reach just after that 35-yard touchdown pass from Burrow to Jefferson.
With Oklahoma’s offense struggling, coach Lincoln Riley went for a trick play. WR CeeDee Lamb pitched the ball back to Hurts who threw downfield ... with a safety coming over the top that he didn’t see.
Vincent Jr. had the pass diagnosed perfectly and snagged the ball before he fell out of bounds just shy of midfield. The pick put LSU in prime position for another score and a 35-7 lead.
Brendan Radley-Hiles’ targeting penalty
That 35-7 lead shouldn’t have happened when it did. LSU was facing a third-and-10 three plays after Vincent’s interception and Burrow was forced to run to his right to escape the pocket.
As he did so, RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire was crossing the field in the same direction. Instead of running toward Burrow, Radley-Hiles decided to deck Edwards-Helaire.
Brendan Radley-Hiles was more concerned with laying out Clyde Edwards-Helaire than making the tackle on Joe Burrow pic.twitter.com/4mZYm8hGav
— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) December 28, 2019
The decision to launch himself into Edwards-Helaire was insanely costly. It allowed Burrow to get the first down and also gave the Tigers an extra 15 yards when officials reviewed the play and ejected Radley-Hiles for targeting.
Three plays later, Burrow hit Jefferson for 42 yards and another touchdown to give the Tigers a 35-7 lead.
24-yard pass to Terrace Marshall Jr. from Joe Burrow
Burrow’s best play of the night wasn’t a touchdown pass. On LSU’s fourth drive of the game he scrambled to his right and was getting forced out of bounds on a third and two. Somehow, Burrow saw that he could throw up a pass over the Oklahoma defenders on Terrace Marshall and put Marshall in a position to catch it.
And Marshall caught it. Yeah, he went out of bounds, but officials ruled that he had been forced out, so the play wasn’t reviewable.
JOE BURROW IS A MAGICIAN pic.twitter.com/S4f4ArgJPo
— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) December 28, 2019
It was a scramble that was reminiscent of Burrow’s exceptional play at the SEC championship game. And — as you can guess — it helped set up another LSU TD as Burrow hit Jefferson for that 35-yard TD pass three plays later.
– – – – – – –
Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
More from Yahoo Sports:
