Garrett Nussmeier passed for 304 yards and three touchdowns as LSU defeated Baylor 44-31 in the Texas Bowl on Tuesday.
Nussmeier, who completed 24 of 34 passes, threw two touchdown passes to Trey’Dez Green (10 yards and 1 yard) and one to Chris Hilton Jr. (41 yards) in the first half. This helped LSU (9-4) build a 34-17 lead by halftime.
Nussmeier said the win gives LSU a “confidence boost” heading into next year.
“It’s definitely a good feeling to end the season with a win,” said Nussmeier, who was named the game’s MVP. “It’s definitely something that we were looking forward to doing. It was one of our goals. Coach (Brian) Kelly said before the game that this is the start of 2025, so we wanted to make a statement. We talked about having that killer instinct.”
Hilton caught four passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. Aaron Anderson had eight receptions for 91 yards for the Tigers, who ended the season on a three-game winning streak. LSU has now won three straight bowl games.
Kelly was happy with how the Tigers finished 2024.
“I know cynics would say it’s disappointing,” he said. “It wasn’t disappointing. It was a team that was less than perfect because of inexperience. A team that gained experience. … To win nine games and win three in a row at the end, I’m just happy for our football team.”
Sawyer Robertson threw for a career-high 445 yards and two touchdowns for Baylor (8-5), who saw their six-game winning streak come to an end.
“I thought he battled,” Baylor coach Dave Aranda said. “I thought he was able to put balls where they needed to be. … I thought he was patient under pressure, he stepped up in the pocket. He took some hits, got back up and rallied the troops. I think the best for him is yet to come.”
Dawson Pendergrass rushed for 63 yards and two touchdowns, and Josh Cameron caught eight passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.
“I think with this game it’s just way too many mistakes,” Aranda said. “Just so unfortunate. Hasn’t been a game like this in a while. We’ve played complementary football and this is not that. I think you take away just one of the mistakes that we had, and then we’re going to go win the game at the end of the game.”
Baylor cut the lead to 34-24 on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Robertson to Ashtyn Hawkins with six minutes left in the third quarter. After Garmon Randolph intercepted Nussmeier, the Bears got the ball on LSU’s 26-yard line, giving them a chance to close the gap further.
However, on 4th-and-1 from the LSU 17, the snap went over Robertson’s head, resulting in a 36-yard loss. LSU capitalized on the mistake with Josh Williams scoring a 4-yard touchdown run to begin the fourth quarter.
