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Peach Bowl: Joe Burrow throws 7 TDs in historic first half as No. 1 LSU races out to 35-point lead

No. 1 LSU set a College Football Playoff record for most points in the first half during Saturday’s Peach Bowl.

Heisman winner Joe Burrow threw seven TDs as the Tigers raced out to a 49-14 lead at the half and, ultimately, a spot in the national title game on Jan. 13.

Four of Burrow’s six TD tosses went to Justin Jefferson while Terrace Marshall got two and Thaddeus Moss — Randy’s son — caught the other one. Oklahoma’s defense got one stop. That came on the second drive of the game for the Tigers. Every other drive resulted in a TD.

LSU had 495 yards of offense — the most of any team in any half in a playoff game — in the first two quarters as Burrow threw for 403 of them. The fantastic QB was 21-of-27 passing. Yes, he had one more touchdown pass than incompletion in the first half. He also threw more TDs than Northwestern QBs threw all season. Wildcat quarterbacks threw just six TD passes in 12 games.

While Oklahoma’s defense was hapless against LSU’s potent offense, its normally explosive offense struggled. QB Jalen Hurts threw an interception and was just 5-of-18 passing in the first half. Oklahoma punter Reeves Mundschau punted five times. He had punted 33 times in the previous 13 games.

Oh, and DB Brendan Radley-Hiles got ejected for one of the dumbest targeting penalties of the season. It was a horrible, horrible first half for Oklahoma.

The previous record for most points in a playoff game was 59 by Oregon in the first-ever playoff semifinal on New Year’s Day in 2015. Despite taking its foot off the gas pedal in the second half, LSU still ended up breaking that record in a 63-28 domination on Saturday.

LSU quarterback Joe Burrow (9) runs out of the pocket against Oklahoma during the first half of the Peach Bowl NCAA semifinal college football playoff game, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
LSU quarterback Joe Burrow threw a whopping seven TDs in the first 30 minutes against Oklahoma. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.

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