No. 21 Houston Wins Texas Bowl In 38-35 Shootout Over LSU
In one of the best seasons in program history, the No. 21 Houston Cougars put their stamp on a great season with an offensive onslaught to beat the LSU Tigers in the Texas Bowl. The bowl win represented the 14th bowl victory ever for the Cougars.
Offense, Offense, and More Offense for Houston
It was the same story for the Cougars, who were all too familiar with winning in shootouts all season long. However, it took a little time for the offense to get going in this game, as LSU pounced on the Cougars 14-0 in the opening minutes behind some fireworks on both offense and special teams.
From the final 6-minute period of the first quarter on, the Cougars outscored LSU 38-21 to pull out the win. That offensive explosion by Houston was thanks in large part to the stellar play of junior QB Conner Weigman, who finished with 236 yards and 4 touchdowns in a strong finish to the season.
However, it wasn’t just the Conner Weigman show for Houston, as senior Running Back Dean Connors saved his best performance for the last game of both his season and career. The Rice transfer finished with 126 yards rushing and 1 touchdown as he gashed the depleted LSU defense for 7.9 yards per carry in the game.
LSU Offense Impresses In Final Game Despite Loss
In the final game before the Lane Kiffin era begins in Baton Rouge, the Tigers put forth a valiant effort to close out a disappointing season. While the LSU defense was put in a tough position going up against one of the best offenses in the country without 6 of their starters, the Tigers’ offense more than made up for their shortcomings.
Backup QB Michael Van Buren Jr. was phenomenal in the loss for LSU, as he finished with 267 yards and three touchdowns in a performance that was sure to impress his soon-to-be head coach, Lane Kiffin.
While it’s impressive what LSU was able to accomplish this season despite all the internal turmoil plaguing the program throughout the year, it’ll still be chalked up as a disappointing season overall. The Tigers were ranked #9 in the preseason AP poll and were a heavy favorite by college football experts to win the SEC before the start of the season.
