WATCH: Brian Kelly picks Cheez-It up off field, eats it in celebration of LSU's Citrus Bowl win
Brian Kelly welcomed a Cheez-It bath as the final seconds ticked off the clock at the 2023 Citrus Bowl. The LSU headman isn’t one to waste, and he did what any reasonable man would due in celebration – eat the Cheez-Its right off the ground.
His actions are justified, though. His team drubbed Purdue 63-7 in LSU’s largest margin of victory in bowl history Monday, and not even the five-second rule could ruin Kelly’s confidence at that moment.
LSU’s 56-point victory is the largest winning margin of the season for the Tigers, and have only surpassed to 60-point threshold once this season – a 65-17 win over Southern in September.
The win summed up what was an outstanding turnaround for LSU in season one under Kelly’s leadership. After falling off the wagon following the 2019 national championship, a 10-win season is exactly what the doctor ordered in Baton Rouge this year.
Brian Kelly names Jayden Daniels 2023 starting QB, says Garrett Nussmeier can compete
Brian Kelly just ended his first year as LSU’s head coach with a dominant win in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl over Purdue, one in which quarterback Jayden Daniels had a strong showing. That appears to have confirmed he will hold down the starting job next year, as Kelly said Daniels is, “clearly,” the Tigers’ starter in 2023. However, Kelly will also give Garrett Nussmeier a chance to compete for the job, per Shae Dixon of The Bengal Tiger from the On3 network.
“What we have committed to is an open mind and an open process,” Kelly said, per Dixon.
Both quarterbacks played in the bowl win over the Boilermakers and both had strong showings. Daniels went 12-of-17 for 139 yards and a score, while Nussmeier was 11-of-15 for 173 yards and two touchdowns in the air. Daniels also added in 67 yards on the ground.
Prior to the bowl game, Daniels had posted an impressive stat line on the 2022 season. In his first year with LSU after his transfer from Arizona State, Daniels threw for 2,774 yards, 16 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Daniels also ran for 818 yards and 11 touchdowns before this game. Daniels could have gone off to the NFL, but decided to return to the Tigers for another season.
“I took my time on evaluating and gathering information,” Daniels said before the game. “But ultimately, it was the best decision for me to come back and accomplish things in college I feel like I need to grow on. I feel like I have unfinished business at college, so I wanted to come back and compete for a National Championship.”
Assuming Nussmeier elects to remain at LSU and not hit the transfer portal, he will give Daniels a run for his money. Nussmeier threw for just 627 yards and three touchdowns prior to this game. However, his bowl performance showed that he can also compete for the starting job. For now, though, that job belongs to Daniels and he is eager for what is yet to come next year.
“What I take for next season, really the growth that I had this past season,” Daniels said. “I had so much more football that I needed to learn that I thought I didn’t, so there is another level that I can tap into as far as growth. But really just the competition, going out, actually playing in the SEC instead of just watching it on TV. It’s a different level. So you guys know that each and every week is going to be a grind — each and every week in the off-season, you have to treat it the same way.”