Jalen Hurts had never lost to LSU until Saturday.

The Tigers dismantled the Oklahoma Sooners in the College Football Playoff semifinal game from the Fiesta Bowl 63-28. Hurts would have loved to have capped off his brilliant college career with a national championship; however, LSU’s offense was unstoppable. Joe Burrow threw for seven touchdowns and rushed for another, as the Tigers offense racked up nearly 700 yards of total offense on the Sooners.

LSU’s defense did a marvelous job corralling Hurts, too. The OU quarterback threw for just 217 yards and rushed for 43 yards and two touchdowns. Hurts’ history against LSU had been well documented from his first three years at Alabama. In recent history, LSU has never had an offense like this.

Hurts was asked about the difference of 2019 LSU and the others he faced at Alabama during the postgame press conference.

“I think the obvious difference is they’re scoring 50-something points,” Hurts said. “I think they’ve always had a really good defense, and they have this year. They’ve always had great players. They have a hella offense. It’s all a credit to how efficient they’ve been. A lot of respect for them.”

Hurts’ college career will be defined by one of perseverance. The way he lost the starting job at Alabama to Tua Tagovailoa to the numbers he put up at Oklahoma during his final season. He competed in the Playoff with two different teams.

It certainly didn’t end the way Hurts hoped, but he was very respectful and classy throughout his entire career.