LSU's 2021 season didn't go the way many had hoped, and neither did the Texas Bowl. That doesn't mean the ending was bad.
With wide receiver Jontre Kirklin starting and a desperately thin roster, the Tigers fell 42-20 to Kansas State in the TaxAct Texas Bowl, and it wasn't as close as the score indicated.
That's largely because of a thrilling final play, which was Kirklin motion from the outside before firing an 81-yard TD pass to receiver Chris Hilton Jr. as time expired, the longest play of the season.
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It's not a play that changed the result or the Tigers' fate in what was ultimately a losing season, the first since 1999. But it was a good distillation of the effort put out by a severely undermanned Tigers squad. Kirklin isn't a quarterback, but he did sling some nice throws. He completed 7 of his 11 pass attempts for 138 yards, 3 touchdowns and two interceptions.
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Kirklin of course, isn't on the line to compete to be LSU's next starter. But that will play out under Brian Kelly, who indicated that each of Myles Brennan, Garrett Nussmeier and incoming freshman Walker Howard would get a chance to compete for the job.
It was the second-largest bowl defeat in LSU history, but it will simply be a footnote as the team embarks on a new coaching era with hopes of returning to the title conversation.
On to the next one.
