BadgerBlitz.com returns its All-Out Blitz series for the ReliaQuest Bowl, where you can find everything you need to know about Wisconsin's next opponent. We look at UW's 13th and final opponent in the LSU Tigers, who the Badgers will face Monday morning in Tampa, Florida (11:00 a.m. CT, ESPN2).

QUICK PROGRAM FACTS

Head Coach: Brian Kelly (303-104-2, second season at LSU)

LSU All Time Record: 812-421-47 (.634)

2023 Record: 9-3, 6-2 SEC

Rankings: No. 13 in AP Poll

Series vs. Wisconsin: 1-1

Heisman winner Jayden Daniels’s status loomed over this game for a few weeks, but he then expectedly declared for the NFL Draft and opted out of Monday’s game.

In his place, redshirt sophomore Garrett Nussmeier will make the first start of his career. He was the No. 7 quarterback in the 2021 class, but has only ever appeared in garbage time in his first three years. Nussmeier isn’t nearly as mobile as Daniels, but is an impressive thrower, more than willing to take shots down the field.

Daniels’s absence is a relief for Wisconsin’s pass rushers, one of the few units for the Badgers that weren’t too plagued by opt-outs.

C.J. Goetz will try to make the most of his last game as a Badger, while Darryl Peterson will have one last game to show what he can offer as the surefire starting edge rusher before the transfers come in.

The Badgers have already acquired outside linebackers John Pius and Leon Lowery, who could push Peterson down the depth chart.

The goal for Wisconsin’s edge rushers will be to get to Nussmeier before he can throw it to his star receiver duo.

Malik Nabers led the country with 1,546 receiving yards and was a Biletnikoff Award finalist, while Brian Thomas Jr.'s 15 touchdowns tied for the national lead. Both are expected to go high in the upcoming NFL Draft — Nabers in the top 10, and Thomas later in the first round.

This will be the toughest test of the season for a Badger secondary that’ll be without starting nickelback Jason Maitre. He declared for the NFL Draft and won’t play, leaving safety Austin Brown to start in his place.

It’ll even be a tough day for Wisconsin’s best cornerback, Ricardo Hallman, who may struggle against LSU’s tall receivers given his stature (5-foot-9).

The concerns at cornerback will put more weight on the shoulders of Hunter Wohler, the AP All-Big Ten safety who recently announced that he will return for his senior season.

Daniels’s absence also leaves uncertainty for LSU’s running game. Part of the reason Daniels won the Heisman was his work on the ground. He rushed 125 times for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns — all team-highs.

Nussmeier isn’t nearly as mobile, which will finally give Logan Diggs the opportunity to fill a traditional starting tailback role. The junior led all LSU backs in rushing, but only averaged 13.1 carries in the nine games he played.

Wisconsin’s run defense will have to deal with the absence of transfers Rodas Johnson and Jordan Turner, leaving Curt Neal to start up front while Maema Njongmeta and Jake Chaney will have primary inside linebacker duties.

The Badgers are missing veteran leaders at every area of their offense, but will luckily face an LSU defense that was one of the worst in the SEC. The Tigers allowed an average of 409.2 yards per game, good for 104th out of 133.

Quarterback Tanner Mordecai will play his final game for the Badgers. He had a somewhat inconsistent season, plagued by a broken hand, but was still 6-2 in the games he started and finished.

“I’ve been really thankful for the opportunity that I had to play with these guys, through the ups and downs,” Mordecai told reporters this week. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I think we have a great group of guys in there. They have meant the world to me this year.”

He’s left with a group of mostly younger receivers filling in for some departed veterans. Sophomore Vinny Anthony II will make the first start of his career in place of longtime Badger Chimere Dike, who transferred to Florida. Will Pauling will once again start at the slot, but behind him is freshman Trech Kekahuna, filling in for Skyler Bell.

“To be honest with you, they’re guys that are with us that down the stretch that in particular had a greater role anyway,” Luke Fickell said in a press conference Friday. “It’s just a thinner group. In some ways that’s better for those guys. They don’t have to roll as much, they have an opportunity to get into the flow of the game. Where you were playing maybe eight guys or seven guys in that spot, now you're probably going to play five or six. I think all in all, it gives those guys a greater opportunity to get into the flow of the game.”

The best player on LSU’s defense is linebacker Harold Perkins. He took the country by storm as a freshman who mostly played on the outside, quickly becoming one of the best defensive players in the SEC.

This season, however, Perkins was moved to the inside, and struggled at times before slowly adjusting to his role. The matchup of the day may be between Perkins and Pauling, who gets most of his production over the middle.

Of all Wisconsin players who left or opted out, the most crushing absence will be that of Braelon Allen, who declared for the NFL Draft after the win over Minnesota.

The Badgers are now left with the uninspiring duo of Jackson Acker and Cade Yacamelli. They were given lead back duties earlier in the season against Indiana and Northwestern, where Wisconsin finished with 187 rushing yards total over the two games and lost both.

They could, however, succeed against a flimsy LSU run defense that gave up the second-most rushing yards per game in the SEC (163.4).

Their front seven will be incredibly fortunate to return defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo, who was playing like one of the best defensive linemen in the SEC before suffering an injury about halfway through the season.

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