The LSU Tigers closed the 2024 season with a 44-31 victory over the Baylor Bears Tuesday afternoon in the Kinder’s Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium in Houston.
LSU finished 9-4 in its third season under Head Coach Brian Kelly. Baylor finished 8-5.
LSU redshirt junior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier completed 23-of-34 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.
Chris Hilton Jr. caught four passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. Aaron Anderson had eight catches for 91 yards. Trey’Dez Green caught six passes for 63 yards and two touchdowns. Hilton had a 43-yard catch to the Baylor 1 that set up one of Green’s touchdowns.
Caden Durham led the Tigers on the ground with 60 yards on 13 carries. Josh Williams had nine carries for 62 yards.
“Excited about the win for our guys, especially the nine guys that finished what they started,” Kelly said. “They committed to LSU and wanted to finish it. That’s why I wanted the ball in Josh Williams’ hand on that goalline play. Nobody’s been more trustworthy and accountable, there every day for us and that kind of epitomized what he’s been about for us. And that kind of put the game away for us.
Williams, a graduate student, scored on a 4-yard run with 14:56 left in the game, giving LSU a 41-24 lead.
“It’s been really fun to coach this team,” Kelly said. “I know cynics would say it’s disappointing. It wasn’t disappointing. It was a team that was less than perfect because of inexperience, a team that gained experience. We still played with six true freshman and a redshirt freshman most of the time on defense and they kept battling. So to win nine games and to win three in a row at the end I’m just happy for our football team.”
LSU scored on defense and special teams. Davhon Keys returned an interception 41 yards for a touchdown to give the Tigers a 14-0 lead in the second quarter.
Zavion Thomas returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown after Baylor cut a 28-7 LSU lead to 14 points in second quarter.
LSU took the 28-7 lead on a pass from Nussmeier to Green with 8:46 left in the second quarter.
The Bears rallied but the Tigers led 34-17 at the half.
Baylor cut the lead to 10 on 4-yard pass from Sawyer Robertson to Ashtyn Hawkins with 6:21 left in the third quarter.
After LSU extended the lead to 41-24, Damion Ramos’ 43-yard field goal gave the Tigers a 44-24 lead with 9:46 to play.
The Bears got within 44-31 with 6:20 left The Bears had an 84-yard punt return for a touchdown by Josh Cameron erased by a roughing the kicker penalty with 3:27 left.
Robertson completed 30-of-51 passes for 445 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Cameron had eight catches for 111 yards and a touchdown.
Pendergrass led Baylor in rushing with 63 yards on 21 carries.
The Bears went for it on six times on fourth down. The Tigers stopped five of the team.
Jardin Gilbert and West Weeks led the defense with seven total tackles each. Javien Toviano, Whit Weeks and Ashton Stamps had six apiece.
Whit Weeks suffered a dislocated ankle late in the first half, Kelly said. He had to be taken off the field on a cart.
Weeks was surrounded by his teammates as he left.