The LSU Tigers (7-6) fell to the Houston Cougars (10-3) 38-35 on Saturday night in the Kinder’s Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. The loss completes the season and officially turns the reigns over to Lane Kiffin after Frank Wilson finished his interim tenure.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
LSU could not have dreamed of a better start. Barion Brown took the opening kickoff back 99 yards for an opening touchdown, giving LSU a 7-0 lead.
Then, after the Tigers got a defensive stop, they marched right down the field and extended their lead. Michael Van Buren found Trey’Dez Green for the touchdown to make it 14-0.
After the hot start for the Tigers, the Cougars responded. They navigated a nine play, 75 yard drive, capped by a Conner Weigman touchdown pass to Amare Thomas. That cut the lead in half to 14-7.
After an LSU missed field goal by Damian Ramos, Houston marched down the field again. The connection in the end zone was the same, Weigman to Thomas, this time evening up the score at 14-14.
The Cougar momentum kept up late in the half, as they used a few LSU penalties to help put another drive together. A third Weigman touchdown pass gave them a 21-14 lead at the half.
LSU started the second half with a stop, and then turned it into a score on the other end. Another touchdown connection from Van Buren to Green happened, this time with Green making a highlight one handed grab. That tied things at 21-21.
Houston again gained the lead following Weigman’s fourth touchdown pass. They then got a defensive stop but failed to move the ball. That set up LSU to tie the game again, this time on a Van Buren to Kyle Parker touchdown connection.
The Cougars put together a lengthy drive to take the lead in the fourth quarter. However, it stalled out inside the red zone. They settled for three, with Ethan Sanchez connecting on the field goal to make it 31-28 Houston.
With LSU unable to put a scoring drive together on their ensuing possession, Houston took advantage and extended the lead. Dean Connors ran for a touchdown to extend the Cougar lead to 38-28.
With just over one minute to play, LSU found the end zone with a Zavion Thomas end around touchdown. That cut the lead to 38-35, but the Tigers needed an onside kick. They didn’t recover, and Houston held on for the win.
BIG NUMBER: 26
Despite the loss, the Texas Bowl marked the first time this season that LSU scored more than 25 points in a game against an FBS opponent. They avoided joining UMass (0-12) as the second team not to accomplish that feat.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Conner Weigman
The Cougar quarterback had a big day in this one. He threw for 236 yards and four touchdowns, adding 55 rushing yards as well.
UP NEXT: LSU finishes their season at 7-6 overall. Thank you for listening to the 2025 season of LSU football on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette 104.1 Lake Charles!