HOUSTON — Behind the stellar outing from junior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier , LSU football jumped out to a lead and rode that to victory over Baylor in the Texas Bowl on Tuesday afternoon.
LSU (9-4) scored two touchdowns in a span of 1:50 in the first quarter to go up early over the Bears inside NRG Stadium en route to earning the 44-31 victory on New Year's Eve in Houston
The Bears (8-5) did fight back in the game, cutting LSU's lead to 10 points midway through the third quarter. But Nussmeier and the Tigers' more balanced offense was too much for Dave Aranda and Baylor to overcome.
Nussmeier finished the game 24 of 34 for 304 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
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LSU has now won three straight bowl games under head coach Brian Kelly.
The way Garrett Nussmeier slung the ball around the yard, more importantly the amount of time he had to throw, was one of the bright spots for LSU in the win over Baylor.
LSU's defense performed well even with the loss of linebacker Whit Weeks right before halftime. But Blake Baker 's defense surrendered 14 points in the second half while allowing more than 500 yards of offense in the game.
Special teams were a mixed bag for LSU in the Texas Bowl. Damian Ramos had a field goal blocked and the punting operation had issues, but Zavion Thomas returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
Brian Kelly didn't handle the end of the first half well which led to a Baylor field goal, but he and the LSU coaching staff are to be commended for how well the young, revamped offensive line held up.
You could tell LSU was ready from the outset of the Texas Bowl. And the players weathered the adversity they faced during the game and were able to squash any momentum Baylor was able to grab.
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Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com .
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Grading LSU football's win over Baylor In Texas Bowl
