HOUSTON (AP) – Junior quarterback Conner Weigman threw for 236 yards and four touchdowns as Houston rallied from an early 14-0 deficit for a 38-35 victory over LSU in the Texas Bowl on Saturday night.
Weigman finished 27-of-36 passing and rushed for 56 yards 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 eight and four yards to wide receiver Amare Thomas and seven yards to tight end 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.
Kicker 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 rushed for a 20-yard touchdown with 2:23 left to give Houston a 10-point lead, its largest of the game.
LSU's Zavion Thomas cut the deficit to three with a 3-yard rushing touchdown with 1:15 to go, but Houston recovered the onside kick to ice it.
Koziol caught nine passes for 76 yards and a TD. Thomas had seven catches for 66 yards and two scores, and Connors ran for 126 yards for Houston, his third 100-yard rushing game as a Cougar. The Cougars outgained LSU 437-344. Connors' 977 rushing yards on the year are the most by a Cougar running back since 2014.
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 had 68 yards receiving.
THE TAKEAWAY
Houston: The Cougars, who finished No. 21 in the CFP rankings, had a six-win improvement from coach Willie Fritz's first season to his second. Houston has won three consecutive bowl games and back-to-back bowl games against SEC opponents.
LSU: After starting the season 4-0, the Tigers lost six of their final nine games.
UP NEXT
Houston: Hosts Oregon State on Sept. 5 to start next season.
LSU: Hosts Clemson on Sept. 5 next year in the first game of the Kiffin era.