Houston, Texas– Conner Wegman threw for 236 yards and four touchdowns as Houston rallied from an early 14-point deficit to cruise to a 38-35 win over LSU in the Texas Bowl on Saturday night.
It was LSU’s last game before new coach Lane Kiffin took over on the sidelines the next year. Kiffin was hired on November 30, leaving the playoff-bound Ole Miss team, but interim coach Frank Wilson III remained in charge of the field for the Tigers’ bowl game.
LSU (7-6) finished 2-3 under Wilson after Brian Kelly was fired during the season.
“I really wanted to get a win to conclude this season for our student-athletes because of everything they’ve been through, everything they’ve persevered through,” Wilson said.
Weigman completed 27 of 36 passes and had 56 yards rushing for the Cougars (10-3), who were playing about 6 miles from their home campus of the NFL’s Houston Texans.
He threw touchdown passes of 8 and 4 yards to Amari Thomas and 7 yards to Tanner Koziol to end the first half as Houston climbed out of a 14-0 hole to take a 21-14 lead into the break.
“I was locked in,” said Wegman, the bowl’s MVP. “I got a chip on my shoulder playing against that team. It meant a lot to me. It meant a lot to the team.”
Ethan Sanchez made a 25-yard field goal to give the Cougars a 31-28 lead with 7:42 remaining. LSU went three-and-out and Dean Connors ran out for a 20-yard touchdown with 2:23 remaining to give Houston a 10-point cushion.
Zavion Thomas cut the lead to three on a 3-yard rushing touchdown with 1:15 remaining, but Houston recovered the onside kick to ice it.
“I know Houston has had 10-win seasons in the past, but I look at it, 1990 was the last time Houston had 10 wins in the Power Four Conference,” coach Willie Fritz said. “It’s tough to do that every week in the Big 12, and then play an SEC opponent in a bowl game — every week you have to be ready to play.”
Koziol caught nine passes for 76 yards and a TD. Amari Thomas had seven catches for 66 yards and two scores, and Connors ran for 126 yards as the Cougars outgained LSU 437-344.
“My receivers came out and made plays. The running backs were drinking juice all day. They ran the ball really hard,” Wegman said. “When you do that, things like this tend to happen.”
LSU opened up a 14-0 lead in the first 4:12 on a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Barion Brown to start the game and a 23-yard touchdown pass from Michael Van Buren Jr. To Trey’Dez Green.
Van Buren finished 16 of 26 for 267 yards and three touchdowns. He threw scoring passes of 4 yards to Green and 6 yards to Kyle Parker, sandwiched around a 2-yard TD pass from Weigman to Traville Frederick Jr.
Green gained 80 yards and Parker added 68 yards.
“This is what I told our football team: In life, I never want you to settle for second place,” Wilson said. “We finished second today, and we did that because our best wasn’t good enough in all three phases of the game.”
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