Weigman throws 4 touchdown passes as Houston beats LSU 38-35 in Texas Bowl

HOUSTON (AP) — Conner Weigman threw for 236 yards and four touchdowns as Houston rallied from an early 14-point deficit for a 38-35 victory over LSU in the Texas Bowl on Saturday night.

It was the final game for LSU before new coach Lane Kiffin takes over on the sideline next year. Kiffin was hired Nov. 30, leaving a playoff-bound Ole Miss team, but interim coach Frank Wilson III remained in charge on 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 a victory at the conclusion of this season for our student-athletes because of all that they’ve gone through, all that they’ve persevered,” 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 campus at the home of the NFL’s Houston Texans.

He threw touchdown passes of 8 and 4 yards to Amare 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 Weigman, the bowl MVP. “I had 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 for a 20-yard touchdown with 2:23 left to give Houston a 10-point cushion.

Zavion Thomas cut the deficit to three on a 3-yard rushing touchdown with 1:15 to go, but Houston recovered the onside kick to ice it.

“I know Houston has had some 10-win seasons in the past, but I look at it, and 1990 was the last time Houston had 10 wins in a Power Four conference,” coach Willie Fritz said. “To do it every single week in the Big 12 is difficult, and then to play an SEC opponent in the bowl game — every week you have to be ready to play.”

Koziol caught nine passes for 76 yards and a TD. Amare 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 went out and made plays. The running backs had juice all day. They ran the ball really hard,” Weigman said. "When you do that, things like that tend to happen.”

LSU opened 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., to tie it 28-all early in the fourth quarter.

Green had 80 yards receiving and Parker added 68.

“Here’s what I said to our football team: ‘In life, I don’t want you to ever be content with finishing second,'" Wilson said. “We finished second today, and we did so because our best wasn’t good enough in all three phases of the game.”

LSU: After starting the season 4-0, the Tigers lost six of their final nine games.

Houston: The Cougars, who finished No. 21 in the CFP rankings, had a six-win improvement from Fritz’s first season to his second.

LSU: Will host Clemson on Sept. 5 next year in the first game of the Kiffin era.

Houston: Will host Oregon State on Sept. 5 to start next season.

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