HOUSTON — They walked off the field disappointed, helmets lowered and some of them shaking their heads. LSU’s players began their season with so much promise four months ago, only for it to end late Saturday night with another loss, this time to No. 21 Houston in the Texas Bowl, a familiar game that LSU hopes not to return to anytime soon.
LSU scored more than 25 points against an FBS team for the first time this season, but that wasn’t enough to make up for a suddenly leaky defense. Playing without six defensive starters, LSU gave up its second-most points in a game this season in a 38-35 loss inside NRG Stadium.
“If you told me yesterday we scored 35 and we finished second,” LSU interim coach Frank Wilson said, “I would have laughed.”
In the last game before new head coach Lane Kiffin takes over, LSU (7-6) played with a depleted roster and a staff in transition. Several starters sat out, including star cornerback Mansoor Delane, top safety AJ Haulcy and three starting linebackers. Defensive tackle Bernard Gooden also suffered an ankle injury in the first half and did not return.
That forced LSU to play backups, exposing depth that defensive coordinator Blake Baker knows has to improve next year. He said in a recent interview with The Advocate that LSU has to “close that gap between our starters and our backups.”
“That’s a big blow to our football team,” Wilson said. “It’s not an excuse. It’s just the reality.”
Tied 28-28 in the fourth quarter, Houston (10-3) kicked a field goal to retake the lead for good. LSU went three-and-out on its next possession for the first time all game, and Houston pulled ahead 38-28 when running back Dean Conners scored a 20-yard touchdown. Conners ran for 126 yards and averaged 7.9 yards per carry.
LSU still had a chance when it got the ball back with 2:22 remaining. Sophomore quarterback Michael Van Buren completed a 46-yard pass down the sideline, and LSU reached the goal line a few plays later. It scored on third down when sophomore tight end Trey’Dez Green helped pull senior receiver Zavion Thomas into the end zone.
But Houston recovered the onside kick, and that was it.
Early on, LSU took a quick 14-0 lead after Barion Brown returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, the first time LSU opened a game with a kickoff return for a touchdown since 1978 against Wyoming. After a defensive stop, freshman running back Harlem Berry bounced outside for a 36-yard gain and Green caught a 23-yard touchdown.
But LSU allowed back-to-back touchdowns as the defense struggled to get off the field, a recurring issue. Houston went 7 of 15 on third down, and LSU’s defense got penalized seven times for 80 yards. Led by quarterback Conner Weigman, who threw four touchdowns, Houston went 6 of 6 in the red zone against what had been the fourth-best red zone defense in the country.
After its suddenly explosive start, the LSU offense waned for the rest of the first half. Damian Ramos missed a field goal, and Berry fumbled. Berry, who had three carries for 45 yards, did not touch the ball again. Wilson indicated the decision was made to avoid turnovers in a close game because Berry has fumbled multiple times this season.
“Harlem has been outstanding in his freshman campaign,” Wilson said. “He has a bright future here. He’ll be one of the greats when it’s all said and done. But in a game where every possession matters, that will probably contribute to why he didn’t play as much after the fumble.”
Near the end of the second quarter, LSU drove past midfield with a chance to take the lead. But on third and 7, Van Buren was sacked for the third time. Houston took over with 1:27 left at its own 10 and steadily moved downfield.
Then, on third and 10 at the LSU 29-yard line and time ticking down in the half, sophomore cornerback Ja’Keem Jackson was called for pass interference on a throw to the end zone. Wilson disagreed with the call and got penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. At halftime, he spoke to the referee for a long time before going to the locker room.
“You had a cornerback playing a receiver, and if the receiver makes an attempt to go after the ball and he grabbed him or he blocked him in that manner — attempting to catch the ball — I get your call,” Wilson said. “I did not see it from my vision as the receiver attempting, nor the ball being in proximity to even be attempted to be caught.”
The compounding penalties set up a touchdown, and Houston took a 21-14 lead into the half. LSU tied the game early in the third quarter when Green made a one-handed touchdown catch on a goal line fade. Green, who scored two touchdowns in the Texas Bowl last season, finished with four catches for 80 yards and two scores. He also made a 42-yard catch to set up LSU’s next touchdown.
But after tying the game, LSU couldn’t close. Wilson, who was named interim coach after the mid-season firing of Brian Kelly, finished with a 2-3 record. One final loss ended the season on a disappointing note amid the coaching change.
Perhaps the Texas Bowl was a fitting place for this era to end. LSU finished the 2021 season in the same game before former Kelly took over, and it came back the past two seasons when the team couldn’t reach the College Football Playoff.
That’s where LSU expects to be. Now under Kiffin, it hopes that its postseason games will be with a championship at stake.