LSU Tigers Come Back Multiple Times Against The Wisconsin Badgers To Win The 2024 Reliaquest Bowl

ReliaQuest Bowl

1JAN2024Raymond James Stadium Tampa

All Photos By Jordan Raiff & Travis Failey

Marking the 38th year of Tampa’s historic SEC versus Big Ten inter-conference match-up. This year LSU and Wisconsin were representing their respective conferences. With Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels opting to be a healthy scratch, LSU had an uphill battle in front of their players. Daniels is approaching an almost certain top 5 draft pick, so Garrett Nussmeier was under center for his first collegiate start.

Despite all the excitement and a Heisman Trophy winner on the sidelines, the parking lots were rather empty, and the fans were not as spirited as in years past. Perhaps it was the unseasonably cool 58* temp at kick-off, or maybe the fans just weren’t too fond of the rule, but the big party atmosphere the Reliaquest Bowl traditionally sees was gone. 

LSU won the toss, and in a surprise move opted to receive. Staring from their 7-yard line is not where LSU wanted to be, but Nussmeier took the responsibility for this opening drive seriously. Leading off with a 9-yard pass to Malik Nabers, Nussmeier seemed ready to bring his A game. Unfortunately, the no-huddle shotgun he was running only took the team to the LSU 43 before they were forced to punt. 

Almost as if he wanted to show the kid how it’s done, Wisconsin’s Tanner Mordecai ran his no-huddle shotgun offense. With a team who is already very in tune with his movements and option reads Wisconsin marched down the field 78 yards in just 5 plays and 2:15 off the clock.

Taking the early 7-0 lead, Mordecai looked brilliant as he aired it out to Will Pauling to drive down the field, and connected with Bryson Green to put the score on the board. 

Trading three-and-outs, the teams seemed to have a bit of nerves after that opening touchdown. Then with just 23 seconds left in the quarter, Mordecai connected with Pauling at the Wisconsin 47, where he broke free and added an extra TD to the board to end the quarter.

The life had been visibly sucked out of the LSU sideline, with fabled mascot Mike doing his best to rally the crowd before the start of the second quarter. 

The second quarter saw both teams yet again getting stuck at the midfield. It was as if the Bucs’ midfield woes from the day before had gotten stuck to the grass. After trading possessions, LSU drove down the field with a 60-yard, 8-play drive with a 1-yard run TD from John Emry Junior. Suddenly the crowd roared to life, and despite the small attendance the game suddenly had increased presence and a 14-7 score with Wisconsin up. 

With a 28-yard return to the Wisconsin 31, the Badgers were in a solid position to make a real push to extend their lead before the half could close. Mordecai kept with the no-huddle shotgun, and once again found himself stuck at midfield.

Getting all the way down to the LSU 39, he couldn’t get past the 33 before they sent out Nathaniel Vakos to attempt a 51-yard field goal. Missing the uprights, LSU took over, and rammed the ball back down the field, going 67 yards in 7 plays for a TD to tie the game 14 all. 

Wasting no time, Wisconsin answers back with a 5-play 75-yard TD of their own. Taking only 41 seconds to get down the field, three 15+ yard chunk plays accounted for most of the field progression.

Mordecai and Pauling connected yet again, this time for 9 yards, and ultimately with Vakos; extra point going up 21-14. With an interception on LSU at their 45 seemed to set Wisconsin up to add some spice to the board before the end of the half, but a series of failed runs ended with them turning the ball over on downs, and LSU kneeling to end the half. 

Halftime this year featured a variety of High School marching bands working in sync. Their dedication to their craft is evident, and they performed on one of the biggest stages of college football flawlessly. Talking to security who have worked the Reliaquest Bowl for decades, they said it was one of the finest performances they had seen. 

Wisconsin got the ball to start the third quarter, and Mordecai picked up right where he left off at the last score. Chipping away at the LSU defense, he chopped the ball up the field. Relying little on the rush all game, Josh Acker came to life and put up 6 yards for the first down, and then a 33-yard run for the touchdown. The 8-play 75-yard push gave Wisconsin a 28-14 lead. 

Much like the last scoring drive, Nussmeier attacked the Wisconsin defense with a rhythm that was challenging Mordecai’s skill, and calling him out. Facing the same 75 yards from the endzone, he proceeded to cap off the 5-play drive with a 38-yard pass to Brian Thomas. Closing the gap, LSU took the score to 28-21. With a false start penalty essentially negating a great play from Mordecai and Burroughs, they ultimately ended up punting from their own 27.

LSU came storming back down the field, with Noah Cain getting the Tigers out to the dreaded midfield area. Once here, Nussmeier spread the love across his receivers, hitting Lacy, Williams, and finally connecting with Hilton for a 14-yard touchdown.

The play was heavily reviewed after loud complaints from Wisconsin fans who believed he didn’t get his foot down. Calling a timeout, Wisconsin got the play reviewed, but ultimately the call stood. Now 28-28 with 4:37 left in the quarter. 

On an interesting choice in kickoff, Wisconsin ran the ball out to their 40-yard line. However, a personal foul on LSU took the ball to the LSU 45 to start the drive, and they turned that into a 36-yard bomb. Getting to the LSU 1-yard line, Mordecai was forced back to the 6-yard line on a failed QB sneak. Settling for a 3-yard field goal, the Badger fans were frustrated to end the quarter only up 31-28.

After flipping sides at the LSU 31, neither the Tigers nor Badgers could get any real offense going. Both sides seemed unable to string together completions or successful runs. Despite it being unseasonably cool, the sun had been bright all day, and the players certainly had it weighing on them as they played along.

Trading punts from midfield back and forth, it wasn’t until an LSU drive starting with 6:10 left to play with Williams yet again marching the ball down the field. Trimming down the clock, Nussmeier along with the LSU coaching staff commanded a genius 3-minute 8-play drive. Going 98 yards, the Tigers took the lead 35-28 thanks to a Nussmeier and Thomas pass.

Starting at the Wisconsin 31, the Badgers only had 3 minutes to play, and needed a big answer to have a shot at overtime. A 24-yard pass to Green had the Badger faithful excited for Mordecai’s push. Getting to the LSU 19, Mordecai seemed to have the perfect setup going.

Unfortunately, three consecutive sacks drove the team back from the 19 to the 42-yard line of LSU. Turning over the ball, Nussmeier was visibly emotional as he took a knee to end the game. 

This was a legendary ReliaQuest Bowl. Combining for 773 yards, (395 LSU, 378 Wisconsin), Mordecai and Nussmeier set Bowl Game records, and going 31 of 45 for 395 and with 1 INT and no sacks, Nussmeier rightfully won the MVP vote. With the smaller crowd on hand for such a legendary moment, the LSU players were able to take in the moment and connect with their fans after the game.

Just seeing how dedicated these players are to the fans, proves that LSU is a college that has that indescribable quality that makes them a true powerhouse.