By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
HOUSTON – Part of LSU junior redshirt starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier’s decision to return next season to the Tigers, besides a likely NIL pay increase, was simple.
“I felt like the product that I put out there for my teammates and everybody involved with this organization wasn’t as consistent as I wanted it to be,” Nussmeier said. “I felt like I owed that to the coaches and the players who have busted their tails daily to try and help me. I just feel like there’s unfinished business.”
This starts with today’s Kinder’s Texas Bowl matchup between the Tigers (8-4) and Baylor (8-4) at 2:30 p.m. in NRG Stadium.
The last time LSU played in the Texas Bowl in 2021 in a 42-20 loss to Kansas State, it had a shell of a team with less than 40 scholarship players available and interim head coach Brad Davis after fired Tigers’ head coach Ed Orgeron chose not to coach in the bowl.
Nussmeier, then a true freshman, chose to sit out the game because he would have burned a year of eligibility since he played in four games (the maximum allowed by the NCAA to retain a redshirt) that season. The Tigers were forced to use wide receiver Jontre Kirklin as their starting QB.
“It’s a full circle for sure,” Nussmeier said of finally getting a chance to play in the Texas Bowl. “It’s not where we want to be.”
LSU wanted to be in the College Football Playoff. The Tigers’ 6-1 start (including 3-0 in the SEC) was wiped out by consecutive losses to Texas A&M, Alabama and Florida. By the time LSU stopped the tailspin with regular season-ending wins over Vanderbilt and Oklahoma, the Tigers were scrounging for a bowl bid.
Because of opt-outs and transfers, LSU will miss eight starters (six offense and two defense) vs. Baylor.
Offensive tackles Will Campbell and Emery Jones Jr., guard Garrett Dellinger, tight end Mason Taylor, wide receiver Kyren Lacy and safety Major Burns opted out. Also, wide receiver CJ Daniels and safety Sage Ryan both entered the transfer portal and signed with Miami and Ole Miss respectively.
LSU third-year head coach Brian Kelly, who has also been busy putting the touches on his 2025 recruiting class with 14 high-level transfer portal additions, said his team is all in.
“The morale has been great,” Kelly said. “Every guy that’s out there wants to be out there. The practices have been lively. The guys are excited about preparing, and they want the right outcome. I know our coaches have been excited about just the mindset of the group. We’ve got some first-time starters in this game.”
Nussmeier and All-SEC linebacker Whit Weeks have also been busy helping Kelly and the coaching staff recruit by acting as hosts when transfer portal players have visited for most of this month.
“I want to have a great team next year, so I will do everything I can to get these guys here,” Weeks said. “I tell them we’re building something special here, we’re gonna win a championship next year. There’s no doubt about it.”
But first, the Tigers want to end 2024 on a positive note. And to do that, they’ll have to beat a familiar face.
Fifth-year Baylor head coach Dave Aranda began his duties with the Bears just days after he concluded four years as LSU’s defensive coordinator culminating with a win over Clemson to capture the 2019 national championship.
Aranda has had two winning seasons at Baylor – this season and in 2021 when the Bears were 12-2 and finished No. 5 nationally after winning the Big 12 championship and beating Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl.
Until Baylor closed this regular season with six straight wins after a 2-4 start, Aranda’s job security was shaky. At that point, Aranda was just 11-20 since the magical 2021 season.
“There wasn’t any panic, there wasn’t any doubt,” Aranda said of his team’s slow beginning this season. “Everybody knew that we had ourselves a good team, and that we had to do X, Y and Z better. And these are the steps that we’ve got to do to do that. It helps when guys believe in themselves, they can believe in the team, and they can believe that good things are coming, even if it’s kind of sight unseen at the time.”
Baylor’s offense, led by junior quarterback Sawyer Robertson who became the starter in game 3 after Dequan Finn suffered a season-ending injury, carried the Bears on their stretch run. Baylor averaged 41.3 points in its win streak starting with a 59-35 victory at Texas Tech on Oct. 19.
“LSU is really talented,” said Robertson, a former Mississippi State transfer who has thrown for 2,626 yards, 26 TDs and 7 interceptions this year. “I’m excited to get the opportunity to play them. I get to see where I’m at playing against the elite competition. That’s why you want to be in these types of games.”
KNOW YOUR ENEMY
LSU (8-4) vs. Baylor (8-4), Kinder’s Texas Bowl, NRG Stadium, Houston, today, 2:30 p.m. (ABC)
Series record and last meeting: LSU leads the series 8-3. Baylor won 21-7 over the Tigers in the 1985 Liberty Bowl.
Baylor head coach: Dave Aranda (31-29 in 5 seasons overall and at Baylor).
THIS AND THAT
Betting line: Baylor favored by 3½
Number of Louisiana natives on Baylor roster: 4
Number of Texas natives on LSU roster: 12
Number of transfers on Baylor roster from 4-year schools: 25 from 23 schools including 14 players from 11 Power 4 Conference school
BAYLOR PLAYERS TO WATCH
QB Sawyer Robertson (199 of 317 for 2,626 passing yards, 26 TDs), RB Bryson Washington (1,004 rushing yards and 12 TDs on 170 carries), WR Josh Cameron (44 for 463 receiving yards, 9 TDs), LB Matt Jones (103 tackles, 9½ TFLs, 4 sacks, 6 PBU), LB Keaton Thomas (107 tackles, 7 TFL), PK Isaiah Hawkins (46 of 47 PAT, 13 of 18 field goals), P Palmer Williams (41 punts for 49.61 yards per punt, 5 touchbacks, 5 fair catches, 14 inside the 20-yard line, 21 50 yards or more), KR Jamaal Bell (20 for 490 yards, 1 TD).
THREE AND OUT
- Besides Dave Aranda, what former LSU assistant coach has served as Baylor’s head coach? A) Grant Teaff, B) Bill Beall, C) Nelson Stokley, D) Ed Orgeron
- Who is Baylor’s only Heisman Trophy winner? A) Raymond Partsch III, B) Mike Singletary, C) Don Trull, D), Robert Griffin III
- What HGTV show is filmed Waco, home of Baylor? A) Fixer Upper, B) Tear-a Downer, C) Whacko in Waco, D) Tiny Tumbleweed Houses
Answers 1. B 2. D 3. A.
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com