BATON ROUGE -- LSU is bowl bound for a school-record 17th straight season as the 20th-ranked Tigers will face 13th-ranked Louisville in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31 in Orlando, Fla.
Kickoff for the Tigers and Cardinals is set for 10 a.m. CT from Camping World Stadium and will be televised nationally on ABC.
LSU brings a 7-4 overall mark into the game as the Tigers won five of their last seven games under new head coach Ed Orgeron.
Orgeron took over the Tigers the day after a September 24 loss to Auburn and guided the Tigers to double-digit Southeastern Conference wins over Missouri, Ole Miss, Arkansas and Texas A&M.
Louisville, who finished tied for first with Louisville in the ACC’s Atlantic Division, is 9-3 overall. The Cardinals feature quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has accounted for 51 touchdowns (21 rushing, 30 passing) and is one of the favorites to win this year’s Heisman Trophy.
The LSU-Louisville matchup in the Citrus Bowl will mark the first time the schools have played in football. It will be LSU’s fourth trip to the Citrus Bowl where the Tigers hold a 1-2 record. LSU beat Wake Forest, 34-10, in what was then called the Tangerine Bowl in 1979, followed by a 30-25 loss to Iowa in the 2005 game and a 19-14 setback to Penn State to conclude the 2009 season.
“We are very excited to bring our football team and the passionate LSU fan base to Orlando for this great matchup against Louisville in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl,” LSU Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Joe Alleva said. “I want to thank Steve Hogan and the Citrus Bowl for inviting us to play in this prestigious bowl game.
“The Citrus Bowl has a proud tradition and we are looking forward to ending our season at a great destination that will serve as a tremendous reward for Coach Orgeron and our football team.”
The Citrus Bowl will serve as the first game for LSU since Orgeron was elevated to the school’s permanent head coach. The Louisville contest will be Orgeron’s first bowl game as a head coach and his 20th overall.
“We are so excited to be able to play a great Louisville team that has a great player in Lamar Jackson,” Orgeron said. “They are very well-coached by Coach (Bobby) Petrino and his staff. What a great opportunity for our team.
“We are excited to start our bowl preparations after finals and get our team better in all areas. I am excited for our seniors, the guys that pulled together. This is going to be a fun trip, an exciting trip. It will be a big game for our football family. I know our fans are going to be in Orlando, supporting in the great LSU way that we do it.”
Against Louisville, the Tigers will face a Cardinal team that is averaging 45.3 points and 558.8 total yards (256.8 rushing, 302.0 passing) per game. LSU’s defense is allowing 16.3 points and ranks among the SEC leaders in total defense (323.0), rushing defense (121.8) and passing defense (201.2). LSU has allowed only one opponent to score more than 21 points in a game this year.
“It’s going to be a tremendous challenge,” Orgeron said of the Louisville offense. “I like Dave Aranda and all of our coaches. I like our defense. I know Lamar Jackson and their offense will pose problems, but it’s something we are going to be able to do. We have a very good defense. It ought to be an exciting matchup.”
The Citrus Bowl will mark LSU’s 48th bowl appearance and the Tigers are 24-22-1 all-time in those games. LSU has played in a bowl game every year since 2000.