Big Plays Thwart FB's Comeback Bid in Kinder’s Texas Bowl

Tuesday, December 31

Houston. Texas

2:30 p.m.

Baylor

8-5 , 6-3

LSU

9-4 , 5-3

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Baylor

LSU

Big Plays Thwart FB's Comeback Bid in Kinder’s Texas Bowl

12/31/2024 7:24:00 PM | Football

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HOUSTON – Baylor football had its six-game winning streak snapped as LSU took advantage of big momentum plays to post a 44-31 win over the Bears in the Kinder's Texas Bowl, on Tuesday evening in front of 59,940 at NRG Stadium.

LSU (9-4), snapping Baylor's six-game winning streak, got 10 points off two fourth-down stops, including one on a 36-yard loss on a high snap on fourth-and-1 from the 17. The Tigers also scored on a 41-yard interception return and 95-yard kickoff return to beat the Bears in a bowl game for the first time in three tries. The Bears also had a punt returned for a touchdown called back in the fourth quarter and a third-quarter, fourth-down, red-zone conversion that went for a touchdown but saw the call on the field reversed after

Redshirt junior quarterback Sawyer Robertson had a career day, completing 30 of 51 passes for 445 yards and two touchdowns. LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier was equally impressive, completing 24-of-34 for 304 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.

Josh Cameron tied a career high with eight catches for 111 yards and scored his 10th touchdown of the season. With freshman All-American running back Bryson Washington injured in the first half, sophomore Dawson Pendergrass rushed for 63 yards on 21 carries and tied a career high with two touchdowns, adding three catches for 26 yards.

Baylor's 507 yards total offense was the most LSU has given up all year and ties for the second-most since Missouri tallied 527 on Oct. 7, 2023.

In an explosive first half that produced 51 points and a combined 523 yards, LSU used a 41-yard pick six on a Baylor bobbled screen pass that was secured by freshman linebacker Davhon Keys and a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Mississippi State transfer Zavion Thomas to take a 34-17 lead into the locker room.

Nussmeier provided most of the first-half offense for the Tigers, throwing for 200 yards and touchdown tosses of 10 and 1 yards to freshman receiver Trey'Dez Green and a beautiful 41-yarder to Chris Hilton Jr., who already had 113 yards by halftime.

After LSU got out to a quick 14-0 lead, the Bears took just five plays to score after a short punt, with Robertson and Cameron hooking up on a 21-yard TD strike.

Hilton hauled in the 41-yard TD catch and then caught a 43-yarder to set up the short 1-yard pass to Green that pushed the Tigers' lead to 28-7.

In hurry-up mode, Baylor took just over a minute and a half to score on Dawson Pendergrass's one-yard TD run after Robertson hit Ketron Jackson Jr. with a 35-yard pass to the 1-yard line. But Thomas returned the ensuing kickoff back 95 yards for a touchdown, with kicker Damian Ramos missing the PAT to leave it at a 20-point game, 34-14.

Taking it down to the very last second on the clock, Isaiah Hankins booted a 23-yard field goal on the last play of the half. It was Hankins' 46th career field goal, moving him into sole possession of second place behind Jeff Ireland.

Despite trailing by 17 at the break, the Bears actually outgained the Tigers, 272-251, with Robertson throwing for 234 yards.

On the opening drive of the second half, Baylor made it down to the 8-yard line, but Ashtyn Hawkins was ruled, after review, to have not gotten a foot down on a pass to the back of the end zone on fourth down.

After the defense forced LSU's first turnover of the game, a fumble forced by Carl Williams IV and recovered by Devyn Bobby at the Bears' 37-yard line, Baylor got it back within 34-24 on Robertson's four-yard TD pass to Hawkins with 6:21 left in the third quarter.

Looking to cut the lead to three, sixth-year senior linebacker Garmon Randolph picked off a Nussmeier pass and returned it 17 yards to the Tigers' 26. But the offense failed to score when the shotgun snap sailed over Robertson's head and was recovered by the quarterback all the way back at Baylor's 47.

Starting on Baylor's end of the field for the first time, LSU converted with a four-yard TD run by Josh Williams on a direct snap. Another failed fourth-down conversion led to a 43-yard field goal by Damian Ramos and pushed the lead back to 20 points again, 44-24.

The Bears got back on the board with another touchdown run by Pendergrass and got down to the 5-yard line on Robertson's 18-yard toss to tight end Gavin Yates.

After getting a key stop with 3:46 left in the game and down 13, the Bears got an 84-yard punt return from the nation's leading punt returner, Cameron, but a roughing the punter penalty nullified the score, keeping the Tigers on the field.

That allowed LSU to keep the ball until a Baylor fourth-down stop with 1:09 left. The Bears drove down to the LSU 4-yard line but couldn't narrow the gap, with a fourth-down attempt to Hawkins missing on the last play of the game.

- BaylorBears.com -