By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: University of Houston Athletics
No. 21 Houston Cougars defeated the LSU Tigers, 38-35, to win the Kinder’s Texas Bowl on Saturday night at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
LSU jumped early by grabbing a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Barion Brown scored on a 99-yard kickoff return. Tigers quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr threw a 23-yard touchdown to tight end Trey’Dez Green. He had two touchdowns for 80 yards on four receptions for the night.
Van Buren Jr finished 16 of 26 for 267 yards and three touchdowns.
Houston got on the board after Amare Thomas caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Conner Weigman. Thomas would strike again in the second quarter when he tied the game 14-14 with a 4-yard touchdown catch. The Cougars got their first lead of the game when Weigman tossed a 7-yard pass to Tanner Koziol with four seconds remaining in the second quarter.
Weigman finished the game, completing 27 of his 36 passes for 236 yards and four touchdowns. Running back Dean Conners rushed for 126 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown for Houston. Conners had a strong third-quarter performance. Defensive lineman Eddie Walls III collected six tackles and 1.5 sacks.
The Cougars had a total of 437 yards. LSU had nine penalties. Houston had zero turnovers.
Houston finishes their season with a 10-3 record. LSU falls to 7-6. After starting the season 4-0, the Tigers lost six of their final nine games.
Now that the season is over for both teams, the focus shifts for next season. Houston will host Oregon State on Sept. 5 to start next season.
As for the Tigers, they will play against Clemson on Sept. 5 next year in the first game of the Lane Kiffin era.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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