By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
BATON ROUGE – When the SEC released its 2024 football schedule including newcomers Texas and Oklahoma, the Sooners were penciled vs. LSU as an appealing finale, the first regular season meeting between schools that have combined for 10 national championships and 10 Heisman Trophy winners.
There was the projection that the LSU vs. Oklahoma season finale would play a role in determining an SEC championship and have national playoff implications, especially considering the three-game history between the Tigers and OU.
No. 2 ranked Oklahoma, coached by the legendary Bud Wilkinson, closed out an 11-0 season with a 35-0 shutout of LSU in the 1950 Sugar Bowl. The loss margin remains the worst in the Tigers’ bowl history.
LSU finally got revenge in the 2004 Sugar Bowl/BCS national championship game with a 21-14 victory when the then-No. 2 ranked Tigers beat the No. 4 Sooners 21-13. LSU was jumpstarted in each half with freshman running back Justin Vincent’s 64-yard run on the Tigers’ first game snap and defensive lineman Marcus Spears’ 20-yard TD interception return on Oklahoma’s second play of the second half.
Finally, No. 1 LSU’s stunning 63-28 beatdown of the No. 4 Sooners in the 2019 Peach Bowl College Football semifinal when quarterback Joe Burrow threw 7 TD passes was just a rest stop toward winning the national title.
That happened two weeks before Burrow threw for 5 TDs and ran for another in 42-25 national championship game romp over Clemson against a defense guided by coordinator Brent Venables.
This all ties back into Saturday’s 6 p.m. game as now-Oklahoma head coach Venables and LSU head coach Brian Kelly square off in a game that means virtually nothing in a pair of disappointing seasons.
LSU (7-4 overall, 4-3 SEC) responded to a season-opening loss to USC by reeling off six straight wins. A three-game losing skid followed to Texas A&M, Alabama and Florida.
Most of the Tigers’ weaknesses – lack of rushing game and the inability to stop opposing run-pass-option quarterbacks — have never been consistently solved.
The Tigers have survived on the arm of starting QB Garrett Nussmeier, who has thrown for 3,458 yards, 23 TDs and 11 interceptions.
“We watched him in the bowl game vs. Wisconsin (last January when Nussmeier got his first college start in the Reliaquest Bowl) and when you see him now he’s taken the next step,” Venables said. “You can see the trust they have in him. He moves around well, he throws the ball really well on the move. I love his toughness. Everything goes through him.”
Oklahoma (6-5, 2-5) started the season 3-0 vs. non-conference opponents, then split its first two SEC games before losing its next four SEC games.
That free fall started with losses to then-No. 1 Texas (34-3) and South Carolina (35-9) in which the Gamecocks failed to score a touchdown. It was enough for Venables to fire co-offensive coordinator Seth Littrell and replace him with fellow co-offensive coordinator John Joe Finley.
“It really changed the dynamics of what the (Oklahoma) offense is now,” Kelly said “It was averaging close to 85-90 plays a game. They had 68 and 62 plays their last two games (vs. Alabama and Missouri). So, it is a ball control offense. You’re seeing a much more controlled offensive structure now than you did earlier in the year.”
GO FIGURE
2.9: Yards allowed per rush by Oklahoma, ranked sixth nationally
4: Appearances in the 10-year of the College Football Playoffs by Oklahoma
13: First-half points allowed in first halves of the last three games for Oklahoma
20: True freshmen have played for LSU this season including who have been in the starting lineup at least once.
23-2: LSU’s record under head Brian Kelly when the Tigers score 30 points or more.
290: Completed passes by LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier, the second highest total in a season in school history behind Joe Burrow.
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com