LSU football did what so many expected in the Peach Bowl, blow out Oklahoma.
The Tigers boomered... the Sooners 63-28, but in a game where the offense were all the pre-game hype but the Tigers defense continued their late season rise.
LSU versus Oklahoma was pegged as two elite offenses taking center stage in the college football semifinal matchup. The Tigers' defense had something to say about that. The Sooners gained only 324 yards of total offense, and Jalen Hurts and Sooners were bottled up from the start.
"We had pressure on the quarterback. We thought we could win one-on-ones against them. But really, I thought we stopped the run. I thought coach Aranda had a tremendous plan, that counter-read, I hadn't seen anyone stop it, LSU Head Coach Ed Orgeron said. "The key was Jalen Hurts not beating us with his feet, and we did a great job at it. We thought Ceedee Lamb would be hard to cover, but we didn't think they'd just drop back and throw the football on us and beat us. Coach Aranda made them one dimensional and we had a great pass rush. I'm proud of coach Aranda and the defensive staff, they worked very hard this week."
"Pass rushing is like a three-point shooter in basketball, when they're on a heat-streak, they're unstoppable. K'Lavon and those guys hit the heat-streak at the same time. It's crazy. This is what we expected all year," Junior Safety Jacoby Stevens said.
Junior Linebacker Patrick Queen says that everyone was calm and relaxed. "It was a regular game."
"I guess we're a complete team now, said junior center Lloyd Cushenberry. "That's a message to the outside, to committee to the people saying we weren't a complete team at first. The defense stepped up big. The offense did what we do. It's a big win.
It's a 24-48 celebration rule for LSU after the win in the Peach Bowl. But then it's time to get back to business as they prepare for Clemson in the national championship on January 13, 2019.