The most action-packed day remaining in the college football saw a final, action-packed game played in Houston’s NRG Stadium.
Appropriately, Houston (10-3) served as the designated home team as it took on LSU (7-6) in the final game of the Dec. 27 college football schedule, coming back from down 14-0 to take the Texas Bowl, 38-35.
Connor Weigman emerged as the Texas Bowl MVP, completing 27-of-36 passes for 236 yards and a Houston bowl-record four passing touchdowns — an impressive accolade for Weigman, considering he shares a uniform with Andre Ware and Case Keenum.
Two of Weigman’s touchdowns went to Amare Thomas, who finished the game with seven receptions for 66 yards. Tanner Koziol and Traville Frederick Jr. also had touchdown receptions, with running back Dean Connors rushing 16 times for 126 yards and a touchdown.
Similarly, LSU quarterback Michael Van Buren had an impressive stat line for the Tigers, completing 16-of-26 passes for 267 and three touchdowns. He threw two touchdowns to tight end Trey’Dez Green and another to Kyle Parker. Zavion Thomas scored on a rushing attempt and Barion Brown scored the game’s opening score with a 99-yard kickoff return.
LSU vs Houston score
Houston vs. LSU Texas Bowl highlights
Final: Houston 38, LSU 35
That’ll do it from the Texas Bowl, with the hometown Cougars outlasting LSU 38-35 in a back-and-forth affair. Houston came back from down 14-0 to down the Tigers and advance to 10-3 on the season. LSU, meanwhile, will look forward to the first year of the Lane Kiffin era in Baton Rouge, with interim coach Frank Wilson leaving for Pete Golding’s Ole Miss staff.
LSU fails onside kick
Heartbreak for LSU, which gets a great look at recovering the ball after a tremendous kick by Aeron Burrell. But the nearest LSU defender can’t jump on it before Houston does, and that should do it from NRG Stadium.
LSU score cuts into Houston lead
Zavion Thomas takes the jet sweep right for a 3-yard touchdown, cutting Houston’s lead to 38-35. But the Tigers are forced to burn two timeouts and now must hope for their first successful onside kick since Oct. 26, 2019, per the ESPN broadcast.
Houston forces second timeout
An incompletion on first-and-goal is followed by Van Buren taking the zone-read option for a 2-yard loss, forcing LSU to burn another timeout. Should the Tigers punch it in here, they’ll need a successful onside kick to get the ball back.
LSU touchdown under review
Van Buren appears to connect with Hilton Jr. for a 15-yard touchdown that would make it 38-35 Houston with 1:27 left to play. However, the scoring play is under review and it appears the Tigers may be just short of the end zone.
Van Buren takes sack, forces timeout
Not ideal for Van Buren, who after the 2-minute timeout throws an incompletion in the end zone and then takes a sack, forcing LSU to burn a precious timeout. Tigers face third-and-13 from the Houston 30-yard line.
LSU has big gain before 2-minute timeout
Well, it might not be quite over yet. Van Buren finds Chris Hilton Jr. for a 46-yard gain down the left sideline to the Houston 27-yard line. LSU needs to score quick here to preserve timeouts, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility they get the ball back one last time with a chance to tie the game or take a lead.
Dean Connors gives Houston two-score lead
Connors opened the drive with a 26-yard scamper and ended the drive — and potentially the game — with a 20-yard scoring run. That gives him 126 yards and a score on the day and, more importantly, gives Houston a 38-28 lead with 2:22 left to play.
Houston converts fourth-and-1
An aggressive call by Willie Fritz works out for the Cougars, who net 2 yards on fourth-and-1 from the LSU 46-yard line. That’s a new set of downs and, more importantly, will allow Houston to eat up more clock on a potential scoring drive.
Dean Connors breaks off 26-yard run
Houston takes over at its own 19-yard line following an LSU three-and-out and Connors immediately puts Houston in position to get points with a 26 -yard run to the Houston 45-yard line.
LSU takes over at 35-yard line
LSU has a chance to take its first lead since early in the second quarter with a touchdown on this drive. The Tigers are gifted great field position at the 35-yard line after Houston’s kick goes out of bounds following its field goal.
Cougars retake lead with field goal
LSU converges on a Houston receiver on third-and-goal to force the field goal unit onto the field. Ethan Sanchez’s 25-yard field goal is true, giving Houston a 31-28 lead with 7:48 left in the fourth quarter. That caps a 13-play, 72-yard drive that eats 7:06 of game clock.
Houston converts two key third downs
Make it 2-for-2 for Houston on third-down conversions on this drive, which go for a combined 19 yards. The Cougars would love to come away with a touchdown here, driving inside the LSU 20-yard line.
LSU ties game again
And we’re tied again. Van Buren runs right and finds Kyle Parker all alone in the back of the end zone for an easy 6-yard touchdown connection. The drive goes 72 yards in five plays and 1:35 of game clock, tying the game 28-28 with 14:54 left in the game.
End of third quarter: Houston 28, LSU 21
LSU and Houston have two drives apiece, each scoring a touchdown and each punting. The Tigers face second-and-1 at the Houston 6-yard line following a 9-yard scramble by Van Buren. The big play of the drive thus far has been a 42-yard catch-and-run by Green on third-and-10 to the Houston 15-yard line.
LSU, Houston trade punts
Punts abound for both LSU and Houston in their most recent drives. The Cougars punt after a three-and-out punctuated by a nasty hit by safety Tamarcus Cooley on running back Stacy Sneed just short of the sticks.
Houston retakes lead with methodical drive
And just like that, Houston retakes the lead with an eight-play, 75-yard drive that takes 4:49 off the game clock. The drive is capped with Weigman’s fourth touchdown pass of the night, this one a 2-yard connection to Traville Frederick Jr. out of the backfield — the first touchdown reception of his career. Cougars lead 28-21 with 4:42 left in the third quarter.
LSU touchdown ties the game
And there’s a game-tying touchdown from LSU, which couldn’t have asked for a better start to the second half. Green is draped by Houston defensive back Will James, who’s called for defensive pass interference, but it doesn’t matter: He climbs the latter for a spectacular one-handed grab to tie the game 21-21 with 9:31 left in the third quarter. The drive goes 73 yards in six plays and 4:00 of game clock.
LSU forces Cougars punt
The Tigers, at least, have stopped Houston from making it a two-possession game — for now. The Tigers take over at their own 27-yard line following a punt.
Houston back on offense
The Cougars have an opportunity to blow this wide open as they are on offense to start the second half.
Halftime: Houston 21, LSU 14
Houston scores 21 unanswered points
What a turnaround for Houston, which scores 21 unanswered points after falling behind 14-0 to LSU. Weigman caps a 90-yard, 11-play drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Tanner Koziol — his third touchdown pass of the night. Better yet, the Cougars leave only 4 seconds on the game clock.
Houston sack brings up LSU punt
Houston’s Khalil Laufau sacks Van Buren for a 10-yard loss, bringing up fourth-and-17 from the LSU 47-yard line. Houston will take over at its own 10-yard line following a fair catch on the ensuing punt return.
LSU converts fourth down
Facing its own fourth-down attempt, LSU converts with a yard to gain to the Houston 46-yard line on a jet sweep by Zavion Thomas. That brings the Texas Bowl to the 2-minute timeout.
Houston turns it over on downs
Houston is aggressive and goes for it on fourth-and-4 just at the 35-yard line. Though Weigman connects with Thomas, he’s stopped a yard short of the line to gain thanks to a timely tackle by Davhon Keys. LSU will take over at its own 32-yard line.
Houston recovers LSU fumble
It’s all Houston now, with Wrook Brown knocking the ball loose on a peanut punch on Berry. Sione Fotu is there to recover the fumble, and the Cougars will take over with great position at their own 40-yard line.
Houston ties game 14-14
What initially looked like it may be a runaway is instead a tie game, with Weigman rolling right on third-and-goal from the 4-yard line to connect with Thomas for a second time in the game. That caps a 14-play, 73-yard drive that takes 6:59 of game clock. It’s all knotted up with 11:05 left in the half.
Houston converts fourth down
Weigman takes the QB sneak 2 yards for the first-down conversion, keeping the ball with Houston at the LSU 35-yard line. Play has been paused due to an offensive player injury.
End of first quarter: LSU 14, Houston 7
That’ll do it for the first quarter at the Texas Bowl. LSU holds a 14-7 lead for now, but Houston faces fourth-and-short from the LSU 37-yard line when the second quarter starts. LSU has scored off Brown’s 99-yard kickoff return and the 23-yard connection between Van Buren and Green, while Houston’s score came between Weigman and Thomas.
LSU misses field goal
Following a promising start to its second drive — punctuated by a start near midfield and 19-yard rush from Van Buren to get to the Houston 33 — LSU can’t capitalize for a second score. The Tigers lose a yard on third-and-3 and opt to go for the 44-yard field goal from Damian Ramos. He misses it wide right to give Houston the ball at its own 27-yard line.
Barion Brown with 42-yard kickoff return
It has taken Brown all of two kickoff returns to have a career day, with the receiver this time weaving in and out of traffic for a 43-yard return out to the LSU 48-yard line. That’s 142 kick return yards already.
Houston gets on the board
There will be no shutout at the Texas Bowl, with Houston receiver Amare Thomas taking the short pass from Weigman 8 yards for the touchdown. Thomas is originally ruled just short of the goal line, but after a review was determined to extend the ball past the plane for the score. That caps a nine-play, 75-yard drive that took 4:40 of game clock. LSU still leads 14-7 with 6:08 left in the first quarter.
Houston converts third first down via penalty
For the third time this drive, Houston’s drive is extended by an untimely LSU penalty, this time a facemask penalty on Dominick McKinley, who sacks Conner Weigman on third-and-5. The Cougars continue their drive facing first-and-goal from the LSU 8-yard line.
LSU extends lead vs Houston
Facing third-and-9 from the Texas 23-yard line, LSU scores its second touchdown of the day — and first on offense — with a 23-yard connection between Van Buren and Trey’Dez Green. The drive traverses 60 yards in four plays and 1:26 of game clock. The Tigers lead 14-0 with 10:48 left in the first quarter.
LSU opens drive with 36-yard run
High efficiency from LSU on all counts, with running back Harlem Berry opening the Tigers’ offensive drive with a 36-yard run to the Houston 24-yard line. The Tigers are already within field goal range and looking for more.
LSU forces punt, takes over on offense
LSU’s defense does its part against Houston, and the offense will now take over at its own 40-yard line following a 21-yard punt by Cougars punter Liam Dougherty. It’s the first time up for Michael Van Buren Jr. and Co., with a chance to make it a two-score game for the Tigers.
LSU takes Texas Bowl kickoff to the house
Well, that didn’t take long. LSU’s Barion Brown takes the opening kickoff 99 yards up the right sideline to open the scoring and give LSU a 7-0 lead with 14:46 on the clock in the first quarter. Brown’s sixth career kickoff return touchdown is the most in SEC history, according to the broadcast.
Houston wins toss, defers kick
Houston has won the toss and elected to defer to the second half, meaning LSU will be on offense first.
Pregame
Texas Bowl broadcasting on ESPN2
The start of the Texas Bowl between LSU and Houston will move to ESPN2, with kickoff scheduled for 9:25 p.m. ET.
Will Lane Kiffin be at Texas Bowl?
Lane Kiffin is a man in limbo in the 2025-26 bowl season. The former Ole Miss coach isn’t leading the Rebels in their run to through the CFP, but neither is he coaching the Tigers in their Texas Bowl meeting with Houston. However, reports indicate Kiffin will be in attendance at NRG Stadium to watch the Tigers take on the Cougars.
Who is coaching LSU?
LSU will be led by interim coach Frank Wilson during the Texas Bowl on Dec. 27. Curiously, he will join Ole Miss following the game: the former home of incoming coach Lane Kiffin.
Where is Texas Bowl?
The Texas Bowl is hosted by NRG Stadium in Houston. It is the home of the NFL’s Houston Texans franchise, who curiously also played on Saturday, Sept. 27. The AFC South team beat the Los Angeles Chargers 20-16 on the road to advance to 11-5 and clinch an NFL playoff berth.
LSU, Houston arrive at NRG Stadium
Here’s a look at LSU and Houston arriving at NRG Stadium for the Texas Bowl:
What channel is LSU vs Houston on today?
TV Channel: ESPN
Livestream: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)
LSU vs. Houston will broadcast nationally on ESPN for the Texas Bowl. Tom Hart and Jordan Rodgers will call the game from NRG Stadium in Houston, with Cole Cubelic reporting from the sidelines. Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app (with a cable login) and Fubo, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
LSU vs Houston time today
Date: Saturday, Dec. 27
Start time: 9:15 p.m. ET | 8:15 p.m. CT
The LSU vs Houston game starts at 9:15 p.m. ET (8:15 p.m. local time) from NRG Stadium in Houston.
Stream LSU vs Houston with Fubo (free trial)
LSU vs Houston predictions, picks, odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Friday, Dec. 26
Spread: Houston (-1.5)
Over/under: 42.5
Moneyline: Houston (-115) | LSU (-105)
Here are expert predictions from USA TODAY Sports on the Texas Bowl:
Matt Hayes: Houston
Jordan Mendoza: Houston
Paul Myerburg: LSU
Erick Smith: Houston
Eddie Timanus: LSU
Blake Toppmeyer: Houston