LSU vs Baylor Kinder's Texas Bowl Preview

Erik Trosclair • December 31, 2024

Let's get into it!

Spread: Baylor -4
O/U: 60.5

Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, TX

Date and TV: December 31, 2024, 2:30 PM, ESPN


For the 1st time since 1985, LSU and Baylor will be meeting on the gridiron. LSU leads the all time series 8-3. The 1st meeting between the 2 schools came in 1907, and the Tigers won by a score of 48-0.


Baylor, 8-4, 6-3, comes into the contest as one of the hottest teams in the nation, winning the final 6 games of the season. The Bears' offense ranks 3rd in the Big 12 in total yards per game (434.5), 7th in the Big 12 in passing yards per game (246), and 6th in the Big 12 in rushing yards per game (188.5). Quarterback Sawyer Robertson is the leader of this offense. Robertson has 2626 passing yards, 26 passing TDs (4th in the Big 12), 7 INTs, 227 rushing yards, and 4 rushing TDs on the season. Running back Bryson Washington has had a great season. Washington has 1004 rushing yards (8th in the Big 12), 12 rushing TDs (7th in the Big 12), 217 receiving yards, and 1 receiving TD. Josh Cameron and Ashtyn Hawkins are the leading pass catchers on the team. Cameron has 44 receptions, 643 receiving yards, and 9 TDs. Hawkins has 41 receptions, 512 receiving yards, and 4 TDs. The Bears defense ranks 10th in the Big 12 in total yards per game given up (382.8), 11th in the Big 12 in passing yards per game given up (227.6), and 11th in the Big 12 in rushing yards per game given up (155.2). Linebackers Keaton Thomas and Matt Jones are in the top 4 in the Big 12 in total tackles. The leaders in the defensive back room are Lorando Johnson and Devyn Bobby. Bobby has 3 INTs this season. Johnson ranks 3rd in the Big 12 with 10 PBUs. The leaders on the defensive line are Treven Ma'ae and Jackie Marshall. Ma'ae has 3.5 sacks this season, and Marshall has 3 sacks this season. Baylor has zero opt outs for the NFL Draft, but they have lost 4 players to the transfer portal.


LSU, 8-4, 5-3, enters this game having won the final 2 games of the regular season. The Tiger offense ranks 5th in the SEC in total yards per game (431.9), 2nd in the SEC in passing yards per game (315.3), and 16th in the SEC in rushing yards per game. The Tiger offense is led by quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. Nuss ranks 2nd in the SEC in passing yards (3739) and passing TDs (26). He has the 2nd most INTs in the SEC with 11. The running back room is led by Josh Willams and Caden Durham. Williams has 108 carries, 440 yards, 5 TDs, 29 receptions, and 249 receiving yards on the season. Durham has 127 carries, 693 yards, 6 TDs, 27 receptions, 257 receiving yards, and 2 TDs on the season. The leading pass catchers for the Tigers are Kyren Lacy, Mason Taylor, and Aaron Anderson. Lacy has 58 receptions (5th in the SEC), 886 yards (5th in the SEC), and 9 TDs (1st in the SEC) on the season. Taylor has 55 receptions (7th in the SEC), 546 yards, and 2 TDs on the season. Anderson has 53 receptions (10th in the SEC), 784 yards (11th in the SEC), and 5 TDs on the season. The LSU defense ranks 11th in the SEC in total yards per game given up (352.5), 7th in the SEC in passing yards per game given up (205.9), and 13th in the SEC in rushing yards per game given up (146.6). The linebacker room is led by Whit Weeks and Greg Penn III. Weeks ranks 3rd in the SEC with 114 total tackles this season. GP3 has 80 total tackles this season. The defensive line is led by Bradyn Swinson and Sai'vion Jones. Swinson ranks 5th in the SEC with 8.5 sacks this season. Jones has 4.5 sacks this season. The defensive back room is led by Ashton Stamps and Zy Alexander. Stamps ranks 5th in the SEC with 9 PBUs on the season. Alexander has 2 INTs on the season. The Tigers will be without Will Campbell, Emery Jones, Mason Taylor, and Kyren Lacy, who are all getting ready for the NFL Draft. Sage Ryan, CJ Daniels, Rickie Collins, Da'Shawn Womack, Shelton Sampson, Jr., Kylin Jackson, Xavier Atkins, Jyaire Brown, and Jordan Allen, among others, have entered the transfer portal for the Tigers.


Fun Fact: Baylor head coach, Dave Aranda, was the LSU defensive coordinator from 2016-2019.


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Football player in red kicks as teammate kneels on field during game, crowd blurred in background

Transfer Portal Spotlight: Jackson Courville

By Patrick Harkness • August 20, 2026
K 
Jackson Courville- Ohio State 
He committed on January 12, 2026 (after entering the portal January 2) and is now on Tulane’s 2026 roster as a redshirt junior (#96, 5’10”, 185 lbs) from Centerville, OH (Centerville HS). 
Here’s why Courville aligns so well with the Green Wave program: 
• Proven Leg Strength and Clutch MAC Production
: In two seasons as Ball State’s starting kicker (2023-24), he went 26-of-34 on field goals (76.5%) and 54-of-56 on extra points. Highlights include a game-winning 52-yard FG as time expired vs. Northern Illinois (2024), his career long, plus multiple makes from 50+ yards. He was automatic inside 40 yards and showed the power and accuracy Tulane needs after the departure of standout Patrick Durkin. 
• P4 Experience and Fresh Start
: After battling for the job at Ohio State in 2025 (limited to just 4 XPs in one appearance), he brings valuable Big Ten reps and camp competition experience. Now at Tulane, he’s locked in a competitive spring battle with Cooper Helmke and Zach Marini. 
• Immediate Depth and Competition in a Reloading Unit
: Tulane aggressively addressed special teams via the portal after losing Durkin. Courville arrives as a high-upside veteran with two years of eligibility left, ready to compete for the starting job and provide reliable kicking depth right away. 
In short, Jackson Courville is a smart, high-character portal pickup who brings proven production, big-leg power, and built-in chemistry with the offense to a position group that needed reinforcements. #RollWave Make sure to follow Patrick Harkness on X
Dagan Bruno football player in teal helmet, number 14, during action pose with name and stats graphic.

PWO Spotlight: Dagan Bruno

By Patrick Harkness • August 20, 2026
Dagan Bruno: The Local Walk-On Made Some Noise in Tulane’s Quarterback Room during Spring Camp Dagan Bruno is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound redshirt sophomore quarterback wearing No. 14 for the Tulane Green Wave. A Preferred Walk-On from New Orleans and John Curtis Christian School, the hometown product has steadily transformed from scout-team specialist into a legitimate competitor in the quarterback room under head coach Will Hall. Bruno arrived at Tulane as a late addition to the 2024 class after a standout multi-sport career at John Curtis. As a junior in 2022, he helped lead the Patriots to a Division I Select state championship and was named the most outstanding player in the title game. In his senior season he completed over 72 percent of his passes for 1,504 yards with 13 touchdowns and just one interception while adding 527 rushing yards and eight scores. A true three-sport athlete who also excelled in basketball and baseball, Bruno maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school. At Tulane he redshirted in 2024 and spent the bulk of his first two seasons running the scout-team offense, particularly the triple-option looks used by Army and Navy. His experience in John Curtis’s split-back veer made him uniquely valuable in preparing the defense. Playing time was limited, and the lack of consistent reps tested his confidence. Everything changed in spring 2026. Bruno forced his way into the conversation with accurate, decisive play. In the final spring scrimmage he went 5-of-5 for 69 yards, capping the day with a perfect 40-yard touchdown strike down the sideline to Antwaun Parham. Coach Will Hall was emphatic in his praise: “You can win with Dagan Bruno. This is not some feel-good story anymore… Dagan can play. I love his competitive spirit. He’s a tough guy, a winner and a leader.” Bruno has made it clear he wants to shed the “option quarterback” label. “A lot of people tried to push me into being the option quarterback guy,” he said. “I’m trying to break away from that a little bit and become a real quarterback that can go out there and throw the ball around, make the right checks and just do everything right.” Heading into fall camp and the 2026 season, Bruno sits in a competitive four-man race alongside Zeon Chriss-Gremillion, Kadin Semonza, and true freshman Trace Johnson. While the early days of camp have been a mixed bag for him after his strong spring, his accuracy, athleticism, toughness, and local knowledge continue to make him a valuable piece of the room. Whether he earns the starting job, serves as a key backup, or provides package plays, the John Curtis product has already proven he belongs. For a preferred walk-on who stayed home and kept working when the spotlight was elsewhere, Dagan Bruno’s rise is a classic New Orleans football story, one that Green Wave fans should watch closely. #RollWave Make sure to follow Patrick Harkness on X
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