The Bengal Tiger LIVE Game Blog: LSU 44 vs. Baylor 31
LSU (8-4) looks to finish the 2024 season strong against Baylor (8-4) in the Texas Bowl on Tuesday afternoon at NRG Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN and the LSU Sports Radio Network.
Stay tuned into the game through The Bengal Tiger LIVE Thread on The Ponderosa message board and by refreshing this story, which will provide live updates on notable plays, scoring drives, injuries and more.
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(Refresh this page throughout the game for running updates between LSU and Baylor)
LSU strikes first with a long TD drive
12/31/2024 02:52:23 PMBaylor won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, giving LSU the ball first. And the Tigers made the most of it as Josh Williams paced the rushing attack with three carries for 21 yards while Garrett Nussmeier went 5-for-6 passing for 42 yards on a drive when he converted a 4th down pass to true freshman Trey’Dez Green.
LSU goes up 14-0 on Baylor … and in a hurry
12/31/2024 02:59:01 PMAfter LSU took nearly seven minutes off the clock on the opening scoring drive of the game, Baylor’s offense took the field and picked up a couple quick first downs. But things went sideways quickly after the Bears were flagged for an illegal man downfield. On the following play, and the sixth snap of the game for Baylor, quarterback Sawyer Robertson was picked off by LSU linebacker Davhon Keys, who returned the interception for a touchdown to give LSU the 14-0 after both teams had one possession. With the pick-6 by Keys and touchdown catch by Green, both of LSU’s first two touchdowns were scored by true freshmen.
Baylor gets on the scoreboard to start second quarter
12/31/2024 03:37:18 PMAfter throwing a pick-6 and punting the ball on the team’s first two possessions, Baylor found the end zone after a poor punt by LSU set the Bears up at midfield. On the fifth play of the drive, Robertson hit Josh Cameron for a 21-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter.
Nussmeier heats up on Drive No. 3 for LSU
12/31/2024 03:53:51 PMNussmeier answered Baylor’s touchdown pass with two more of his own. First, Nussmeier needed just five plays to extend LSU’s lead to 21-7. And the drive came with some NFL-level throws with Nussmeier escaping the blitz before throwing a 20-yard pass to Aaron Anderson along the sidelines – which saw Nussmeier make off-platform throw and a toe-drag completion by Anderson. On the next snap, Nussmeier went deep to a wide open Chris Hilton for the 41-yard touchdown strike.
LSU defense gets a stop + Nuss throws another TD to Green
12/31/2024 03:55:43 PMDown 21-7 in the second quarter, Baylor’s offense ran the ball three straight times to open the drive, and Keys – a true freshman who already logged a pick-6 in the first quarter – came up with the stop on third down to force a punt. The big play: another deep ball to Hilton, this time on a 43-yard throw that was ruled a touchdown before being overturned after Hilton was called down at the 1-yard line. On third down, Nussmeier found Green in the end zone for the second time in the first half. The score extended LSU’s lead to 28-7 over the Bears with a little less than nine minutes before halftime.
LSU star LB Whit Weeks suffers season-ending injury
12/31/2024 04:14:50 PMLSU star linebacker Whit Weeks, one of the NCAA’s best defensive players this past season, went down with an ankle injury on Baylor’s touchdown run from the goal line. LSU’s entire team came out to send Weeks off, a testament to the Georgia native’s impact on the roster as the backbone of the defense this season. Weeks had his right ankle in an air cast before being carted off the field with less than two minutes until halftime.
Zavion Thomas gives the return game another TD
12/31/2024 04:17:27 PMAfter Aaron Anderson recorded a special teams touchdown in November, fellow wide receiver and return specialist Zavion Thomas added another kickoff return for a touchdown to his resume – and did so on the next play following the injury to Whit Weeks. Thomas field the kickoff and returned it 95 yards for the score, though a missed extra point gave LSU the 34-14 lead.
Baylor adds a FG with one second left before half
12/31/2024 04:31:06 PMFollowing LSU’s kickoff returned for a touchdown, Baylor’s two-minute drill saw the Bears go 69 yards in 10 plays across 1 minute, 28 seconds to convert a field goal before halftime. The kick, which cut the lead to 34-17, came with just one second left on the clock.
HALFTIME: LSU 38, Baylor 17
12/31/2024 04:33:04 PMLSU’s first five drives of the game included three passing touchdowns, while the defense added a pick-6 and special teams scored a touchdown on the 95-yard kickoff return by Zavion Thomas. Baylor’s first half didn’t fare as well on offense. The results of the first five drives: an interception returned for an LSU touchdown, a punt, a touchdown, another punt and a turnover on downs. Baylor was able to get 10 points out of the final two drives of the half, but the touchdown was quickly negated when Thomas took the ensuing kickoff back for a touchdown.
Baylor’s 4th down TD gets overturned, but LSU gives it back
12/31/2024 04:52:14 PMBaylor got the ball to begin the second half and drove down the field to set up a fourth down in the red zone, and the pass from Robertson to Ashtyn Hawkins was initially ruled a touchdown before being overturned after officials ruled Hawkins’ foot was out of bounds in the back of the end zone. Instead of the score being cut to 34-24, Baylor’s fourth down attempt was ruled an incompletion. LSU got the ball back and Nussmeier quickly delivered a strike to wide receiver Aaron Anderson for a big gain, but Baylor defensive backs and Baton Rouge native Carl Williams punched the ball out of Anderson’s hands just after he crossed midfield, and the Bears recovered the loose ball. Six plays later, Baylor’s no huddle offense marched the ball down the field and into the end zone, with the key play coming on a 46-yard catch and run by Monaray Baldwin that went to the 4-yard line. With 6:21 left in the third quarter, Baylor had cut LSU’s 21-point lead down to 10 points (34-24).
LSU gets another 4th down stop in the red zone
12/31/2024 05:05:33 PMAfter an interception thrown by Nussmeier, the LSU defense forced Baylor into a 4th-and-1 after four snaps on offense. And the fourth down snap went sideways in a hurry as the ball was snapped over Robertson’s head and resulted in a 36-yard loss and turnover on downs – keeping the score at 34-24 and giving LSU the ball at Baylor’s 47-yard line. LSU closed out the third quarter with a drive inside the 5-yard line to set up 3rd-and-1 to begin the fourth and final quarter of the Texas Bowl.
LSU extends the lead to 17 points to start the 4th quarter
12/31/2024 05:17:05 PMLSU took advantage of Baylor’s turnover on downs by going 47 yards in seven plays, scoring on 3rd-and-1 when running back Josh Williams took a direct snap into the end zone from four yards out. With just under 15 minutes left on the clock, the Tigers took a 41-24 lead over the Bears.
LSU defense gets another turnover on downs, then a FG
12/31/2024 05:36:48 PMBaylor’s first four possessions in the second half resulted in one touchdown allowed and three turnovers on downs forced by the LSU defense, with two coming inside the red zone before a third with 12 minutes left that gave the Tigers the ball at midfield with a 41-24 lead. The following drive saw LSU move the ball down the field, take time off the clock and hit on a 43-yard field goal by Ramos. The field goal extended LSU’s lead to 44-24 with just under 10 minutes left on the game clock.
Baylor answers with a TD after a sluggish second half
12/31/2024 05:40:39 PMThe Baylor offense found the end zone once in the third quarter, but the three other drives in the second half resulted in turnovers on downs. After Ramos extended LSU’s lead to 44-24, the Bears went 75 yards in nine plays to score a touchdown with six minutes left in the game. The score was set up after Robertson found wide receiver Ketron Jackson Jr. on a 32-yard pass that put the Bears at the goal line. Baylor rushed it in from three yards out on the next play to make the score 44-31.
FINAL: LSU 44, Baylor 31
12/31/2024 05:55:23 PMBaylor returned a punt for a touchdown with under four minutes left in the game, but a flag for roughing the kicker negated the touchdown and gave LSU the ball back on a first down. The Tigers gave the ball back to the Bears with one minute left after Nussmeier’s fourth down pass was incomplete. A pair of offsetting penalties with 43 seconds kept Baylor’s offense at the LSU 35-yard line before a fumble forced by freshman safety Dashawn Spears was overturned, giving the Bears the ball at the 5-yard line with less than 30 seconds on the game clock. Two incompletions by Robertson and a batted down pass by Keys put Baylor in a fourth-and-goal spot with nine seconds left. For a final time, the LSU defense got a fourth down stop as Robertson scrambled outside the pocket before overthrowing his receiver in the end zone with no time left.
