No. 1 LSU demolished No. 4 Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl on Saturday, winning the first of two College Football Playoff semifinals to determine who will play in the national championship game.
On the surface, the meeting looked like it could be a shootout, but Joe Burrow and the LSU offense quickly left the Sooners in the dust en route to a 63-28 victory. Burrow had one of the greatest postseason games in college football history, completing 29 of 39 passes for 493 yards and seven touchdowns through the air. All of those TDs came in the first half as LSU raced out to a 49-14 lead at intermission. He also ran for an unprecedented eighth bowl touchdown.
Justin Jefferson was Burrow's favorite target with 14 receptions for 222 yards and four touchdowns, but Thaddeus Moss and Terrace Marshall Jr. caught one and two passing touchdowns, respectively, as well.
Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts wasn't nearly proficient enough to help his team keep up with the Tigers' blistering pace. He completed 15 of 31 passes for 217 yards and an interception, and he added 43 rushing yards and two scores on the ground. Biletnikoff Award finalist CeeDee Lamb was the Sooners' leading receiver, catching four passes for 119 yards, including a long of 91 yards.
Burrow and Hurts, though, weren't the only storylines from what was a one-sided meeting from the outset. Check out Sporting News' scoring updates and highlights from the Playoff semifinal game between LSU and Oklahoma:
MORE: How the Peach Bowl rose to Playoff prominence
LSU vs. Oklahoma score
Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | F | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oklahoma | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
LSU | 21 | 28 | 7 | 7 | 63 |
LSU vs. Oklahoma scoring plays
First quarter
12:03 — LSU quarterback Joe Burrow 19-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson (7-0 LSU).
7:34 — Oklahoma running back Kennedy Brooks 3-yard touchdown run (7-7).
4:24 — LSU quarterback Joe Burrow 8-yard touchdown pass to Terrace Marshall Jr. (14-7 LSU).
1:16 — LSU quarterback Joe Burrow 35-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson (21-7 LSU).
Second quarter
12:13 — LSU quarterback Joe Burrow 42-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson (28-7 LSU).
9:17 — LSU quarterback Joe Burrow 30-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson (35-7 LSU).
4:45 — Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts 2-yard touchdown run (35-14 Oklahoma).
4:18 — LSU quarterback Joe Burrow 62-yard touchdown pass to Thaddeus Moss (42-14 LSU).
0:50 — LSU quarterback Joe Burrow 2-yard touchdown pass to Terrace Marshall Jr. (49-14 LSU).
Third quarter
10:11 — LSU quarterback Joe Burrow 2-yard touchdown run (56-14 LSU).
3:19 — Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts 12-yard touchdown run (56-21 LSU).
Fourth quarter
9:39 — Oklahoma running back T.J. Pledger 1-yard touchdown run (56-28 LSU).
3:59 — LSU running back John Emery Jr. 6-yard touchdown run (63-28 LSU).
LSU vs. Oklahoma live updates, highlights from CFP semifinal game
Final: LSU 63, Oklahoma 28
7:54 p.m.: FINAL. LSU runs out the clock to win the Peach Bowl, go 14-0 for the first time in school history and make its first championship game of the Playoff era. Final stats:
7:52 p.m.: TURNOVER, OKLAHOMA. Three plays later, backup Spencer Rattler throws a high ball to Pledger on the slant. He drops the ball and gives LSU the ball at Oklahoma's 31-yard line.
7:48 p.m.: Tough break for Oklahoma there. Hurts threw a perfect ball to Lamb in stride on what looked like it'd be a touchdown, but it bounced off his hands. A holding call would have negated it anyway.
7:41 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, LSU. Brennan connects with Raceyh McMath for 17 yards on third-and-7. One play later, freshman running back John Emery Jr. scores a 6-yard touchdown to make it 63-28 LSU.
7:38 p.m.: Backup Myles Brennan is getting some nice reps as well. He completes two consecutive passes to Derrick Dillon for 10 and 12 yards, respectively. LSU is driving at the Oklahoma 26.
7:36 p.m.: Running back Chris Curry isn't letting up. He gains 20 yards on a rush out to LSU's 49-yard line.
7:34 p.m.: LSU takes over at its 25-yard line. Burrow's day is done.
7:31 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, OKLAHOMA. T.J. Pledger takes the toss right 1 yard for the touchdown to make it 56-28 LSU.
7:30 p.m.: Replay officials reverse the call and give Oklahoma the ball first-and-goal at the 1.
7:27 p.m.: Hurts hits Drake Stoops on the slant for a fourth-down conversion. He takes it all the way down near the goal line where officials ruled he fumbled the ball. It looks like his knee was down at the 1-yard line, however. The play is under review.
7:25 p.m.: Oklahoma getting some nice chunk plays on this largely irrelevant drive, but now face fourth-and-2 at the LSU 20.
7:20 p.m.: MISSED FIELD GOAL, LSU. Sooners hold again, this time after Cade York hits the left upright on a 46-yard field goal. Oklahoma takes over at its 29.
7:18 p.m.: Burrow is tackled by the facemask and his head is turned sharply. He fumbles on the same play, but it's recovered by an offensive lineman. His day should have been done a while ago but that will probably do it.
Another no-call face mask after Joe Burrow’s neck looked like a swivel. #LSUvsOU #CFBPlayoff 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/43rPHO6pDN
— Anthony White (@AnthonyWhiteTX) December 29, 2019
Third quarter: LSU 56, Oklahoma 21
7:11 p.m.: LSU driving at Oklahoma's 29. Burrow just barely misses Jefferson for their fifth scoring connection today.
7:08 p.m.: LSU back at it again, and Burrow's still on the field. Speaking of offensive starters:
LSU Right guard Damien Lewis will not return. In street clothes with walking boot, right ankle injury. He has 2nd most snaps on OLine this year. @LSUfootball
— Holly Rowe (@sportsiren) December 29, 2019
Terrace Marshall Jr. is laughing, but without a helmet on the LSU sideline. #LSU #BossierCity #Parkway #CFPlayoff
— Roy Lang III (@RoyLangIII) December 29, 2019
7 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, OKLAHOMA. Sooners, facing fourth-and-9 from the LSU 12, elects to go for it, because why not? Hurts takes it in himself for a 12-yard touchdown to make it 56-21 LSU.
Jalen Hurts runs it in for 6️⃣#CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/wxFr9JhI7D
— ESPN (@espn) December 29, 2019
6:51 p.m.: Hurts connects with Lamb on the underneath route for a 26-yard gain out to LSU's on third-and-7. Sooners are playing for pride at this point. They get a new set of downs at LSU's 46.
6:49 p.m.: Oklahoma takes over at its 25 and immediately goes for a long gain to Lamb. LSU secondary isn't giving up any ground.
6:45 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, LSU. Burrow shows he can do it with his legs too. He takes it in for a 2-yard quarterback sneak. That's his eighth touchdown today, and first on the ground. It's now 56-14.
Joe Burrow has 8 TOTAL TD 😱 #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/aTNiHGZWQ3
— ESPN (@espn) December 28, 2019
6:40 p.m.: LSU goes for it on fourth-and-2, because why not? Chase takes the handoff in the backfield and runs for 5 yards to the Oklahoma 12 for a new set of downs.
6:38 p.m.: And Burrow connects with Marshall, with two Sooners defenders in the area, for a 32-yard gain on third-and-7. Marshall seems to have hurt his shoulder and is walking off the field with help from trainers.
6:36 p.m.: Two quick plays net LSU a first down. Tigers picking up right where they left off.
6:34 p.m.: LSU has the ball to start the half. Burrow is still out there.
Halftime: LSU 49, Oklahoma 14
6:13 p.m.: Here are some more numbers to show just how dominant LSU has been so far in this one:
Joe Burrow with an INSANE first half against Oklahoma.
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) December 28, 2019
🔥 7 touchdowns
🔥 6 incompletions
🔥 403 passing yards
🔥 24 rushing yards#CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/rBCOZ9icuV
LSU's offense is breaking all of the records today. pic.twitter.com/y2JTn3RtZt
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) December 28, 2019
:11 p.m.: Stats at halftime:
6:09 p.m.: That will do it for the first half. Probably the game, too. Thirty minutes remain before LSU makes the national championship, barring the biggest comeback in the history of the sport.
6:04 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, LSU. Another — another — passing touchdown for Burrow. That's his seventh on the day. This one comes from 2 yards out and goes to a wide-open Marshall in the back of the end zone, completely unguarded. That makes it 49-14 LSU.
Joe Burrow has thrown 7 TD passes, tied for the most ever in a bowl game. ... It's halftime. #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/AZcs1lbHSD
— ESPN (@espn) December 28, 2019
6:02 p.m.: Another long pass play. Burrow hits Ja'Marr Chase for a 39-yard gain down to the Oklahoma 10. Tigers are in prime position to score yet again.
6 p.m.: Another three-and-out for Oklahoma. The Sooners will give the ball back to LSU with roughly three minutes remaining in the half. The Tigers will start roughly at their 37-yard line.
5:56 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, LSU. Un-be-lievable. LSU needs only two plays on the ensuing drive to score again. Burrow throws his sixth touchdown pass, this one 62 yards to Thaddeus Moss, to make it 42-14 LSU. The question now is whether Burrow even comes out in the second half.
OKLAHOMA GOT MOSSED! pic.twitter.com/gz6nO64Nrk
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 28, 2019
5:49 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, OKLAHOMA. Hurts takes it right, fakes the pitch to fake out Stevens and takes it in for the score. That makes it 35-14 LSU.
Jalen Hurts scores TD No. ✌️ for Oklahoma#CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/CbxbP31AFK
— ESPN (@espn) December 28, 2019
5:48 p.m.: Oklahoma gets another set of downs after a pass interference call in the end zone. Sooners have it first-and-goal at the 2-yard line.
5:47 p.m.: Wow, Hurts misses a wide-open Lamb on an inside slant that would have been a touchdown. Just threw it over his head. That makes it second-and-goal from the 10.
5:44 p.m.: Credit it to Hurts right there. He makes a nice throw to Lamb for a 29-yard gain, then takes a late hit by linebacker Patrick Queen to get Oklahoma down to LSU's 34-yard line.
5:40 p.m.: Chaisson gets his second sack of the day on Hurts to make it third-and-13.
5:37 p.m.: With that last touchdown, Burrow has completed his last six passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns. There are still nine minutes remaining in the half. Unbelievable.
5:34 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, LSU. The Tigers are scoring at will now. Burrow hits Jefferson for a fourth touchdown, all in the first half. This one comes from 3o yards out to make it 35-7 LSU.
COUNT ‘EM!
— ESPN (@espn) December 28, 2019
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Touchdowns for Justin Jefferson in the first half 🤯 #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/3hmhd2h57s
5:33 p.m.: INTERCEPTION, LSU. One play later, Hurts' pass is intercepted by Kary Vincent Jr. He came all the way from the middle of the field to make the pick on the sideline. That's Hurts' first interception in seven career Playoff games.
Kary Vincent Jr STEALS this INT! What a play pic.twitter.com/eEy7MK0Su0
— Decaf Metcalf ☕ (@FTBeard11) December 28, 2019
5:31 p.m.: After that touchdown, Burrow is now 12 of 18 through the air for 208 yards and four touchdowns. He also has has three rushes for 24 yards.
5:28 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, LSU. Burrow hits Jefferson for a third touchdown today, this one from 42 yards out. That makes it 28-7 LSU in the second quarter, and this one is quickly approaching blowout territory.
JUSTIN JEFFERSON WITH HIS THIRD TD OF THE HALF 🔥 #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/sdkig3E8A4
— ESPN (@espn) December 28, 2019
5:26 p.m.: Burrow avoids the pressure on the ensuing play after the 15-yard penalty, then scrambles for a 12-yard gain.
5:24 p.m.: Refs call it targeting after review. Radley-Hiles, the Sooners' fifth-leading tackler this season, is out. Oklahoma's secondary is looking more and more like a liability.
5:20 p.m.: And now officials are reviewing the play to see if Radley-Hiles committed targeting.
5:19 p.m.: Burrow shows off his wheels with a 10-yard scramble on third-and-10. Curiously, defensive back Brendan Radley-Hiles went for a blindside block on Edwards-Helaire instead of going after Burrow; that allowed him to get the first down.
5:17 p.m.: Murray is back on the field at linebacker for Oklahoma. Good news for a Sooners defense that desperately needs him.
5:16 p.m.: Hurts goes for the long ball to Lamb again, but Lamb can't quite get under it. Reeves Mundschau's punt goes into the end zone for a touchback.
First quarter: LSU 21, Oklahoma 7
5:10 p.m.: Hurts converts Oklahoma's first third down of the day with a 5-yard run off right tackle on third-and-1. Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley is angry officials didn't call linebacker Jacob Phillips isn't called for a late hit out of bounds when bringing Hurts down. That will do it for the first quarter.
5:06 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, LSU. Burrow hits Jefferson, this time from 35 yards out, for the second touchdown connection between the two. That caps a six-play, 86-yard drive to make it 21-7 LSU. Of note: That is the second touchdown Oklahoma safety Justin Broiles has given up on Jefferson today. He replaced starter Delarrin Turner-Yell.
35-yard dart from Joe Burrow 🎯 #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/McC8iUuOf8
— ESPN (@espn) December 28, 2019
5:04 p.m.: The play stands as called on the field. More importantly: Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray, the heart and soul of the Sooners' defense, has left the field with a limp.
5:02 p.m.: And now Oklahoma is challenging whether Marshall stepped out of bounds. It appears a defender nudged him out, so the question now is whether he was "forced" out of bounds.
5 p.m.: More Burrow magic. He avoids the pass rush and throws what looks like a prayer off his back foot out of bounds. Marshall makes a leaping grab for a 24-yard gain and a new set of downs. Burrow is 10 of 12 passing for 131 yards and two scores.
Joe Burrow making it happen! pic.twitter.com/EpIkRDx3JS
— ESPN (@espn) December 28, 2019
4:48 p.m.: Wow, Derek Stingley Jr. grabs Oklahoma's Jadon Haselwood on what should be an obvious pass interference call. None of the officials call it though, so the Sooners will have to punt. LSU will take over at its 14-yard line.
They really didn't call pass interference on this.pic.twitter.com/WsYt8ROBIs
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) December 28, 2019
4:55 p.m.: LSU curiously kicks it short to Charleston Rambo, who takes it out to the Oklahoma 38.
4:50 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, LSU.Two plays later, Burrow shows off his pocket presence and hits Marshall for an 8-yard touchdown to make it 14-7 LSU.
4:50 p.m.: LSU's Clyde Edwards-Helaire gets his first carry of the day: a 14-yard rumble up the middle on third-and-2. His hamstring seems fine.
4:47 p.m.: LSU wastes no time in getting the ball into Oklahoma territory. Burrow has three straight completions (19 yards to Jefferson, 13 yards to Jefferson, 8 yards to Marshall) to get the Tigers to the 35.
4:42 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, OKLAHOMA. One play later, running back Kennedy Brooks powers it in from 3 yards out to tie it up at 7-7.
Oklahoma strikes back! #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/Glmn7KiMKr
— ESPN (@espn) December 28, 2019
4:41 p.m.: And Oklahoma finally has its first big play! Hurts has all day to hit CeeDee Lamb for a 51-yard gain all the way down to the 3-yard line. Jacoby Stevens was in single coverage on the Biletnikoff finalist.
Just throw it up.
— ESPN (@espn) December 28, 2019
CeeDee Lamb will go get it. #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/ZMgIWaNhgo
4:40 p.m.: Jalen Hurts gets Oklahoma's first first down of the game with a 12-yard fun off the zone read. Sooners will likely need Hurts to use his legs today.
4:38 p.m.: LSU has a short punt of its own, giving Oklahoma the ball at its 31-yard line.
4:35 p.m.: Oklahoma gets pressure on Burrow with a three-man rush, tackling him for a gain of 1 yard on third-and-3. Offensive guard Damien Lewis is down on the play. He is carted off the field.
4:32 p.m.: Another three-and-out for Oklahoma. They have minus-1 yard on two drives and zero first downs.
4:30 p.m.: Oklahoma is called for false start on the next drive. The Sooners look completely overwhelmed by the big stage early.
4:25 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, LSU. Three plays later — all passes — LSU gets on the board with a 19-yard touchdown connection between Burrow and Justin Jefferson. Burrow also completed throws to Thaddeus Moss for 16 yards and Terrace Marshall Jr. for 7 yards. It's 7-0 LSU.
LSU wastes no time‼️
— ESPN (@espn) December 28, 2019
Justin Jefferson scores on a 19-yard TD and the Tigers go up 7-0. #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/NHzrR3Mw0t
4:23 p.m.: And Oklahoma's punt is shanked. Burrow and Co. will have a very short field to start the game, starting at the Sooners 42.
4:21 p.m.: K'Lavon Chaisson sacks Hurts for a loss of 6 yards on the first play of the game. That's followed by two runs for loss or no gain. Not ideal for the Sooners.
4:20 p.m.: Oklahoma takes over at its 25 to start the game. Here we go.
4:18 p.m.: LSU calls heads and wins the coin toss. They'll defer till the second half, meaning Oklahoma gets the ball first. Here we go.