The LSU Tigers (8-4) will be in Texas for the Texas Bowl against the Baylor Bears (8-4) on Tuesday afternoon.
The Tigers finished the regular season strong at 8-4 after a rough patch in the middle of the season. They rallied to get to eight wins, and will not look to make it nine with an opportunity in this bowl game.
The Bears struggled mightily in the first half of the season, having a 2-4 record at the halfway point. However, they won their last six and ride that winning streak into this matchup.
Kickoff inside NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas will be at 2:30 PM on Tuesday, December 31st. The pregame will begin at 12:30 PM and the action can be heard on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette 104.1 Lake Charles.
THIN IN THE TRENCHES
The Tigers will be without three of their original offensive line starters. With Will Campbell and Emery Jones headed to the NFL Draft. Garrett Dellinger is still dealing with injury, so LSU will ask some young players to step up.
Some of these players may be auditioning for future roles. While the Tigers have already grabbed a couple of linemen out of the portal and may look to add more, this bowl is still an opportunity for the young players to try to impress the coaching staff.
FAMILIAR FOE
The Bears are coached by Dave Aranda, with whom LSU is quite familiar. Aranda was on staff at LSU from 2016-19, most notably responsible for the defense that helped LSU win the National Championship in 2019.
While there does not seem to be any bad blood between Aranda and the Tigers, it is an extra storyline to add to this bowl game. Both sides would like to prove that they are in the better situation nowadays.
NUSSMEIER IS BACK
One pivotal point for the LSU offseason was the announcement by Garrett Nussmeier that he would return to LSU in 2025. That answered the biggest potential roster question that the Tigers may have had.
With him already deciding that he will be back, it allows the team to focus on continuing to build the offense around him. He will be back at QB for the next season, his final year of eligibility.
SERIES RECORD: LSU leads 8-3
Previous Meetings:
1985: LSU 7 – BAYLOR 21 (Liberty Bowl)
1970: LSU 31 – BAYLOR 10
1969: LSU 63 – BAYLOR 8
1968: LSU 48 – BAYLOR 16
1963: LSU 7 – BAYLOR 14 (Bluebonnet Bowl)
STAT LEADERS
LSU
Garrett Nussmeier: 313-491, 3,739 Yards, 26 TD, 11 INT
Caden Durham: 127 Carries, 693 Yards, 6 TD
Kyren Lacy: 58 Catches, 866 Yards, 9 TD
Bradyn Swinson: 8.5 Sacks
Whit Weeks: 114 Tackles (58 Solo)
Zy Alexander: 2 INT
Damian Ramos: 22-of-27 Field Goals, Long of 50, 36-of-36 PAT
Baylor
Sawyer Robertson: 199-317, 2,626 Yards, 26 TD, 7 INT
Bryson Washington: 170 Carries, 1,004 Yards, 12 TD
Josh Cameron: 44 Catches, 643 Yards, 9 TD
Matt Jones: 4 Sacks
Keaton Thomas: 100 Tackles (58 Solo)
Devyn Bobby and Corey Gordon Jr: 3 INT
Isaiah Hankins: 13-of-18 Field Goals, Long of 51, 46-of-47 PAT