The 2025 season did not go as planned for the LSU Tigers. LSU entered the 2025 season with hopes of competing for a National Championship, but instead finished the regular season with a 7-5 record and without their head coach. Brian Kelly was fired back on October 25 after a 5-3 start, and Lane Kiffin was named the new head coach on November 30.
LSU fans are loving what Lane Kiffin said during his Texas Bowl interview
Needless to say, it was a wildly disappointing season for the Tigers. With a chance to end the season on a high note, LSU fell short once again with a 38-35 loss to the Houston Cougars in the Texas Bowl on Saturday night. There were several strong performances and plenty of highlights, but LSU ends the 2025 season with a 7-6 record, and the Lane Kiffin era is now set to officially take off.
Offense comes alive, but defense struggles in Texas Bowl loss to Houston
For the first time this season, LSU scored more than 25 points against an FBS opponent. The scoring got started early, as Barion Brown returned the opening kick-off 99 yards for a touchdown. It was his 6th kickoff return for a touchdown in his career, which sets an SEC record.
Trey'Dez Green and Kyle Parker put together stand-out performances in the passing game. Green hauled in 4 catches for 80 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Parker led the Tigers with 7 catches and racked up 68 yards and a touchdown of his own. Kyle Parker was also a strong contributor, collecting 3 catches for 67 yards.
However, the Tigers failed to play complimentary football once again, which continued a frustrating theme for this season. LSU allowed Conner Weigman to set a Houston program record with 4 touchdown passes, as the Cougars racked up 38 points and 437 yards of total offense. Houston also held a strong advantage in 1st downs (32-17) and time of possession (38:32-21:28). Blake Baker's unit simply had no answer for Weigman and RB Dean Connors, who totaled 126 yards and 7.9 yards per carry.
It was another disappointing loss, which wraps up a disappointing 2025 season for LSU. Now, all eyes turn to Lane Kiffin as he continues to build his roster for 2026. The transfer portal is set to open on January 2, and Kiffin is sure to be active.