Garrett Nussmeier threw for 277 yards and three touchdowns, including two long passes of over 40 yards to Chris Hilton, after receiving treatment for a shoulder injury. LSU defeated Oklahoma 37-17 on Saturday night.
Aaron Anderson also scored for LSU with a 100-yard kickoff return. LSU (8-4, 5-3 SEC) ended the regular season with two straight wins, bouncing back from a three-game losing streak that had caused them to drop out of the AP Top 25.
“They listened to the narratives out there that they weren’t excited to play for anything, that the season was over — and they simply went out and played inspired football the last two weeks,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said.
He also predicted that LSU would be back in national title contention in the next few seasons. “We’re taking receipts, and we’ll see you at the national championship,” Kelly added. “This team’s building and we’re excited about it. And we’re really proud of them.”
Nussmeier briefly left the game in the second quarter after a heavy sack by Oklahoma’s defensive end, R Mason Thomas.
“That’s an easy tap-out for most people. Right? That’s an easy one to say: ‘I’m not coming back,’” Kelly said.
However, Nussmeier returned to the field after his X-rays came back negative and wasted no time throwing deep passes to Oklahoma (6-6, 2-6).
“That’s the kind of player he is; that’s the kind of competitor he is,” Kelly said.
Nussmeier finished his first series back in the game with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Hilton, giving LSU a 24-17 lead with 45 seconds left in the first half. He continued to risk contact in the second half, saying he “didn’t care at all” about the possibility of further injuring his right shoulder.
“My job is to lead my team and do whatever I have to do to win the football game and I wasn’t thinking about my shoulder at all,” Nussmeier said. “Once I made the decision I was going, I was going.”
Nussmeier connected with Hilton again in the third quarter, throwing a 45-yard touchdown pass to make the score 31-17.
LSU’s Kyren Lacy caught three passes for 41 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown to open the game’s scoring.
Oklahoma coach Brent Venables expressed frustration with his team’s defense, as they allowed several big plays, including Caden Durham’s 50-yard run and Ka’Morreun Pimpton’s 42-yard catch, both of which led to field goals.
“We can’t do that and expect to beat anybody with a pulse,” Venables said. “Our margin for error was razor-thin anyway. … Right now, we’re not good enough to be able to overcome that.”
Playing at Tiger Stadium for the first time, Oklahoma briefly took a 14-10 lead with a 2-yard run from Xavier Robinson, capping a drive that included a 50-yard pass from Jackson Arnold to J.J. Hester.
However, Anderson’s 100-yard kickoff return put LSU back in front, and the Tigers pulled away from the Sooners, who had just come off a surprising 24-3 win over Alabama the week before.
Arnold passed for 110 yards and was also the Sooners’ leading rusher with 75 yards, mainly from scrambles and designed runs.
Oklahoma attempted a trick play with a pass from tight end Bauer Sharp, but his desperation throw was intercepted by safety Sage Ryan.
Thomas added to the defensive score for Oklahoma, returning Nussmeier’s fumble for a 9-yard touchdown, following a sack by Gracen Halton. This gave Oklahoma defensive touchdowns in two consecutive games.
