LSU was playing its first game without head coach Ed Orgeron but that was not the only thing that was different about the Tigers at Tuesday’s Texas Bowl.
The team was left with no choice but to play a wide receiver at quarterback.
Senior Jontre Kirklin got the start under center for the Tigers at NRG Stadium on Tuesday, playing quarterback in a game for the first time since he was quarterback at Lutcher High School, located less than an hour outside New Orleans.
After LSU decided to part ways with Orgeron at the conclusion of the regular season, quarterback Max Johnson transferred to Texas A&M, senior Myles Brennan is still recovering from surgery and unavailable while third-string QB Garrett Nussmeier would lose his redshirt eligibility if he were to play.
That left the Tigers to turn to Kirklin, who also played quarterback for the scout team in 2019.
Kirklin was being backed up by freshman walk-on Tavion Faulk, the nephew of LSU running backs coach Kevin Faulk and the team had just 39 scholarship players available total for the bowl game.
Things got off about as well as one could imagine, with Kirklin throwing an interception on the second series and the team trailing Kansas State 21-7 at halftime. But Kirklin's arm got the Tigers on the board late in the half with a connection to fellow WR Jaray Jenkins.
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