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5 plays that swung LSU past Baylor for big Texas Bowl win

by:Jerit Roser•12/31/24
NCAA Football: Texas Bowl-Baylor at Louisiana State
Dec 31, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; LSU Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (13) hands off the ball to running back Josh Williams (18) during the first half at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

LSU wrapped up 2024 with an at-times encouraging, at-times chaotic Texas Bowl defeat of Baylor.

The Tigers (9-4) pounced on the Bears (8-5), coached by former defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, and weathered the potential rollercoaster afternoon with highlight-reel touchdowns in all three phases to never cough up the lead in the 44-31 victory in Houston.

And a slew of players scheduled to return in 2025 provided big plays and big performances throughout the contest coach Brian Kelly and the program hope can serve as a springboard into the new year.

Davhon Keys unlocks the big lead

LSU marched its opening possession of the game smoothly down the field for an early touchdown. But Baylor appeared on its first few plays to potentially be headed for the same. Instead, a penalty and missed deep shot slowed down some of the Bears’ rhythm, and quick screen pass ricocheted off the running back’s chest. Freshman linebacker Davhon Keys alertly snatched his first career interception and was immediately in stride 41 yards the other direction to double the Tigers’ lead. In a game highlighted much of the afternoon by the teams’ respective offenses, timely defensive and special teams plays proved pivotal. And Keys’ early takeaway allowed LSU to play from ahead throughout.

Garrett Nussmeier catching fire

Baylor forced a quick three-and-out on LSU’s second possession and then cut its early deficit in half with a score to open the second quarter. But Garrett Nussmeier and company responded with an impressive sequence of plays to re-extend their lead and maintain control. Veteran running back Josh Williams and the offensive line powered the pile forward for a 6-yard gain to create a manageable third down, on which Nussmeier hit freshman tight end Trey’Dez Green for the conversion. On the ensuing first down, the Bears’ pass-rush nearly got to the junior quarterback for what would have been a huge defensive play to stall the drive. Instead, Nussmeier spun free from the pressure and somehow, some way managed to hit Aaron Anderson for a highlight-reel connection 20 yards down the sideline. Nussmeier then hit Chris Hilton Jr. for a 41-yard touchdown the next play.

Zavion Thomas house call

An injury to sophomore linebacker Whit Weeks — even more so than Baylor’s touchdown on the play — had suddenly sucked a lot of the air out of an otherwise-electric first half for LSU. The Bears trimmed their deficit to 28-14, and the Tigers were coping emotionally with the loss of one of their key leaders. But Zavion Thomas returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards to the end zone for an immediate spark. LSU hadn’t returned a kick for a touchdown in more than four years before Aaron Anderson did so in the regular-season finale against Oklahoma. And Thomas followed suit Tuesday to give the Tigers their second in as many games, marking just the third time ever and the first time since 1957 that the team has had two kick-return touchdowns in the same season. The West Bank duo — Thomas out of John Ehret and Anderson out of Edna Karr — became the first LSU teammates to return kicks for scores in back-to-back games.

Baylor fumbles away fourth down (again)

The Bears were mounting momentum swiftly in the third quarter, thanks in no small part to a pair of LSU turnovers. But Baylor managed just one touchdown on its three possessions and three red-zone trips in the quarter. The Tigers came away with a pair of fourth-down stops: the first on a Bears catch in the back of the end zone that was ruled after official review to have been narrowly out of bounds on the back line, and the next on a wild snap over quarterback Sawyer Robertson’s head for a 36-yard loss. The latter in particular extinguished an opportunity for Baylor to pull back within three points and instead set up LSU with solid starting field position Nussmeier and company rolled to the end zone — a Williams direct snap to start the fourth quarter — to stretch the margin back out to three scores and re-assert the Tigers’ control.

Another Baylor mistake officially shuts the door

LSU appeared in control down the stretch, but Baylor managed to fairly officially seal its own fate with yet another costly miscue in the final minutes. Leading 44-31, the Tigers were forced to punt. And the Bears appeared momentarily to have found sudden new life with an 84-yard Josh Cameron return to the end zone that would’ve potentially pulled his team back within one score with 3:27 still to play. But a roughing the kicker penalty instead extended the LSU drive and allowed Nussmeier and the offense to melt away another two-plus minutes from the clock and hand Baylor a longer field and much longer odds to overcome.

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