LSU Football: 3 takeaways from blowout win over Oklahoma in Peach Bowl

2. Justin Jefferson showed he is NFL ready

If Joe Burrow was the undisputed leader of the LSU offense, his most dangerous weapon was undoubtedly junior receiver Justin Jefferson. Over the course of the year, Jefferson has been a reliable target for Burrow that has steadily climbed up NFL draft boards over the course of his third season on the team.

Jefferson did most of his damage in the first half, catching four of Burrow’s seven touchdown passes before halftime. The receiver hauled in nine of his 11 targets, finishing the first 30 minutes with 186 receiving yards.

Like most quarterbacks would love to produce Burrow’s halftime stats over the course of a full game, most receivers would likewise become instant legends if they produced in 60 minutes like Jefferson did in 30 minutes in Atlanta.

That isn’t to say that Jefferson was done after the first half. The receiver came back out from the intermission and caught five more passes for an additional 41 yards. After a regular season where he finished with more than 1200 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns from Burrow, Jefferson basically produced one-sixth of his regular-season yardage and more than a quarter of his regular-season touchdowns in a College Football Playoff semifinal game.

It is the kind of night that, if replicated at the Superdome against either Clemson or Ohio State, will launch him up draft boards even further. At the same time, whichever team emerges from the Fiesta Bowl will also look to take Jefferson out of the game — which will only open the door for others to shine, and reflect well in its own way on what a dominant receiver Jefferson has proven at the most critical time of the year.