ATLANTA—LSU’s Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Joe Burrow had a game for the ages, the type that turns you into a legend in SEC folklore.
The fifth- year senior, a one-time transfer from Ohio State, threw a record seven touchdowns, all in the first half; and added a three-year scoring run as the top-seeded Tigers (14-0) blasted fourth seeded and Big 12 champion Oklahoma, 63-28, in the early national semi-final game here yesterday before a sellout crowd of 70,743 at the Georgia Dome. Wide receiver Justin Jefferson caught 14 passes for 227 yards and four TDs of 19, 35, 42 and 30 yards, tying a bowl record.
LSU’s 63 points was a record for a playoff semi-final. The Tigers rolled up 692 yards total offense—497 in the first half alone when they took a 56-14 lead—and scored on eight of their first nine possessions to power their way to the national championship game Jan. 13 in nearby New Orleans, just across the Bayou.
“There is going to be a purple and gold crowd at the Superdome,’’ LSU coach Ed Orgeron said. “The state of Louisiana is going to be on fire.’’
Burrow, who has his name—Burr-eaux– spelled in Cajun on the back of his No. 9 jersey, completed 29 of 39 passes for 493 yards—403 in the first half– before leaving the game with seven minutes to play. It is hard to imagine any quarterback having this kind of success against a marquee opponent in post-season.
“We go into every game thinking we can score every time we touch the ball,’’ Burrow said. “This wasn’t my sharpest night. My receivers bailed me out of a lot of misreads and being late with the football.’’
You could have fooled Orgeron, who has watched Burrow ring up 55 touchdown passes so far and can’t remember any quarterback having a better season. I’ve been part of some good football teams, but I’ve never been part of an offense like this.’’
The Tigers were totally focused, and the final score could have been more lopsided if Orgeron hadn’t taken his foot off the gas pedal, pulling his defensive starters midway through the third quarter. This was never a competitive game as LSU continued to turn contenders into pretenders during this magical season.
The Tigers turned the blowout into a memorial for Carley McCord, a young TV sportscaster who is the daughter-in-law of LSU offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger, who was killed earlier in the day when a light plane transporting her and five others to the Peach Bowl crashed in a field in Lafayette, Parish, La. Shortly after takeoff. LSU coach Ed Orgeron, who knew Carley well, told Ensminger about the crash prior to team walk through.
Ensminger had tears running down his cheeks during warm-ups, but he was in his usual spot high above the field when the game kicked off, calling plays along with passing game coordinator Joe Brady.
It was a brilliant poignant performance in the face of such tragedy.
“He was distraught, but there was no question he was going to work,’’Orgeron said. “He never hesitated. He called a great game. That tells me something about the integrity of the people on this team. I was a little concerned there might be a lull. But we didn’t skip a beat. He’s going to get the game ball.’’
Orgeron kept the news from the players until post-game. “I feel so bad for him,” Jefferson said. “We all do. It’s sad.”
Ensminger and Brady have changed the culture of this program by installing an electrifying downfield passing offense that takes advantage of Burrow’s considerable passing skills.
The Tigers looked as impressive in the spotlight as any SEC national championship team in recent memory and that includes Florida in 2006 and Alabama in 2012.
They shocked the Sooners (12-2) into submission, much like Alabama did last year, when the Tide defeated the Sooners, 45-34, in the national semi-finals at the Orange Bowl. “It was 28-0 before we could even catch our breath,’ OU coach Lincoln Riley said. “When you get to this level, you’re going to face good teams. If you don’t play your best, they’re going to jump on you.’’
“The first half, we got a little frantic,’’ he added. “Give them credit. LSU is good enough team. I felt we would be able to stand in there and trade blows. But we made some uncharacteristic mistakes in first second quarter we haven’t made. You can’t give a team like that hope. We lost our composure, sense of purpose. They made a big run and got some separation.’’
The Tigers’ defense limited OU quarterback Jalen Hurts, who finished second in the Heisman voting, to 217 yards passing on 15 of 31 attempts and 43 yards rushing in 14 attempts. The Sooners only had 97 yards rushing. “You can’t leave money on the table,’’ Hurts said. “You got to take advantage of every opportunity. It’s hurts me in my heart When I decided to come here, I told coach Riley, I’;mn going to win a national championship and I failed to do it. I hope our guys learn from this. It hurts me the most because usually when you come up short, you can fix it. I can’t come back and fix it. I’ll never play college football again.’’
