The LSU Tigers finished the regular season with an 8-4 record as they prepare for the Kinder’s Texas Bowl on New Year’s Eve against Baylor.
But how did the Tigers get to this point? Let’s find out.
ANOTHER SEASON-OPENING LOSS
LSU opened their season in a similar way to the previous four seasons, dropping the game 27-20 to USC in Las Vegas. LSU has now not won their first game of the season dating back to the 2019 national championship season.
With the score tied up at 10 after the first half, LSU looked to run away with it in the third quarter by taking a 17-13 lead with just one quarter to go. However, USC outscored the Tigers 14-3 in the final quarter to win it in the closing seconds.
SIX-GAME WINNING STREAK
The Bayou Bengals responded in a big way, winning six straight games that started with a sketchy win over Nicholls before a tough road game at South Carolina. From there, wins over UCLA and South Alabama put the Tigers at 4-1 heading into their first bye week, setting up a colossal matchup with Ole Miss.
In a nationally televised game, the Tigers trailed most of the game, including by seven with three minutes to go, before Garrett Nussmeier marched LSU down the field and set up a game-tying touchdown throw to Aaron Anderson to force overtime. In the extra period, a key defensive stop led to an Ole Miss field goal as Nussmeier found Kyren Lacy on the first offensive play of OT for the Tigers, sealing a 29-26 win as the fans stormed the field.
Using that momentum, the Tigers picked up a critical win on the road at Arkansas with a 34-10 final score, also known as the Whit Weeks coming out party.
SKIDDING IN NOVEMBER
Sitting at 6-1 and having tons of confidence, the Tigers went into College Station on a Saturday night to face a Texas A&M team that was also having a huge start to the season. After a dominant first half where LSU led 17-7 at the break, the Tigers were outscored 31-6 in the second half as Texas A&M got a massive 38-23 win over Brian Kelly’s squad.
LSU was looking to respond after their bye week against their rival Alabama inside Tiger Stadium, but they got quite the opposite as Bama dominated from the jump in a 42-13 win over the Crimson Tide.
That skid continued when former Ragin Cajuns head coach Billy Napier led the Florida Gators to a 27-16 win over the Tigers to put LSU at 6-4, squashing any little chance that the Tigers would make the inaugural 12-team playoff.
“STRONG” FINISH
Looking for anything positive to end the season, LSU broke out gold alternate uniforms as Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt came to town. This wasn’t a pretty game by any stretch, but the Tigers were able to make enough plays down the stretch to pick up a 24-17 win over the Commodores and SEC Coach of the Year Clark Lea, snapping a three-game skid in the process.
Brian Kelly’s squad then finished the regular season on a high note with a good win over one of the newest members of the SEC in Oklahoma as Aaron Anderson broke a kickoff return for a touchdown and Nussmeier came back from a shoulder injury to launch three touchdown passes.
LSU will now head to Houston, Texas to take on the Baylor Bears in the Kinder’s Texas Bowl on New Years Eve. Kickoff from NRG Stadium is set for 2:30 p.m. and pregame will begin at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles.
