By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
Well, LSU still has a football program.
Amid three of the most controversial weeks in LSU history – with a lot to choose from over the years by the way – featuring the firings of head coach Brian Kelly, offensive coordinator Joe Sloan and athletic director Scott Woodward over five days in late October, the Tigers proved they can win again with flair and dramatics on Saturday afternoon at Tiger Stadium.
LSU came back twice to beat Arkansas, 23-22, in a thriller, salvaged a bowl by snapping a three-game losing streak, found a new quarterback, and retained the Golden Boot trophy for the fourth straight season.
“It means everything to myself and our staff,” said LSU interim coach Frank Wilson, who replaced Kelly on an interim basis on Oct. 26. “To be in position to lead this team to victory after three weeks of agony is special. You want to be able to deliver for the players.”
Wilson, a New Orleans native who has been an assistant with the Tigers twice, went to 1-1 as LSU’s interim as the Tigers now have a chance to play in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, on Dec. 27 in Jacksonville, Florida. Who is coaching LSU at that time remains to be seen.
And LSU did it with and interim quarterback, too, as seldom-used sophomore transfer Michael Van Buren scrambled and found tight end Bauer Sharp for a 12-yard touchdown and the 23-22 lead with 7:53 left to play. And LSU held on behind its defense and another drive by Van Buren with a 35-yard scramble to secure the win.
“This feels great,” Van Buren said after completing 21 of 31 passes for 221 yards and the touchdown and rushing 10 times for 36 net yards. “This is a hard league to get a win in.”
Van Buren was 0-7 last season in the SEC as Mississippi State’s starter.
“We wanted it really bad,” he said.
Whatever happened to LSU QB Colin Hurley? And who is LSU’s backup with interim QB Michael Van Buren starting for injured Garrett Nussmeier today?https://t.co/m9pzDUyLdd
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) November 15, 2025
And the Tigers did it without starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who did not dress out after re-injuring at Thursday’s practice his abdomen strain that had bothered him significantly for the first five games of the season.
Van Buren led a revitalized LSU offense to 16 points in the second quarter to erase a 14-0 deficit in the first quarter and the go-ahead touchdown midway in the fourth quarter.
For the third lead change of the game, Van Buren rolled right on 3rd-and-6 from the Arkansas 12-yard line and found Sharp in the right corner of the north end zone for game-winning score. Sharp expertly kept his feet inbounds barely to climax a 92-yard drive in 12 plays.
Van Buren, who replaced a non-injured Nussmeier in the third quarter of LSU’s 20-9 loss at No. 4 Alabama last week, played like a seasoned veteran at times.
It’s the Interim Bowl at LSU!https://t.co/sfw2LUlWjq
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) November 14, 2025
Wilson won what was believed to be the first “Interim Bowl” in SEC history. Arkansas (2-7, 0-6 SEC) dropped its fifth straight game under interim coach Bobby Petrino.
Arkansas had a chance to take a 25-23 lead with 5:08 left, but Scott Starzyk missed a 48-yard field goal off the right goal post in the south end zone.
Arkansas retook the lead at 22-16 in the third quarter after a 26-yard punt return by Kam Shanks set the Hogs up at the LSU 39. Five plays later, running back Mike Washington scored on a 9-yard run, and quarterback Taylen Green ran in the two-point conversion with 4:02 to go before the fourth quarter.
It could have been a larger lead for Arkansas, which drove 87 yards in seven plays with the second possession of the second half. It reached a 2nd-and-Goal at the LSU 2-yard line, but got just one yard on its next three plays and turned the ball over on downs. LSU defensive linemen Dominick McKinley and Jack Pyburn stuffed Washington on 3rd-and-Goal from the 1, and defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory and linebacker West Weeks denied Green up the middle to end the drive.
LSU came back from a 14-0 deficit in the first quarter by outscoring the Razorbacks, 16-0, in the second quarter for a 16-14 lead at the half.
Van Buren did not start the game well as he badly missed two open receivers on his first two attempts as the Tigers went three plays and out on their first two possessions.
Meanwhile, Arkansas took a 14-0 first quarter lead on a blocked punt recovery for a touchdown on LSU’s first possession and a 52-yard TD drive after a 24-yard punt by Grant Chadwick on LSU’s second possession as a sparse crowd of 75,000 moaned. And it could’ve been worse.
The Hogs drove from their 25-yard line to the LSU 24 in just four plays as Green completed 18- and 17-yard passes and Washington gashed the middle for nine yards. But on 3rd-and-1 at the LSU 24, Green’s bad exchange with Washington caused a fumble that defensive end Jack Pyburn recovering at the 26.
Van Buren got it together late in the first quarter and completed 4 of 4 passes for 39 yards to get inside the Razorbacks’ 30-yard line. That set up running back Caden Durham’s 27-yard touchdown run, cutting Arkansas’ lead to 14-7 on the first play of the second quarter.
After the LSU defense forced its first punt of the day, Van Buren found wide receiver Barion Brown for 20 yards and wide receiver Zavion Thomas for another 11 yards. Then Durham caught a short pass over the middle and turned it into a 22-yard gain to the Arkansas 32. LSU’s offense stalled, however, and Damian Ramos kicked a 50-yard field goal to get the Tigers within 14-10 with 7:02 left before halftime.
LSU reached the Arkansas 21-yard line after an interception by linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. at the Arkansas 25-yard line. But the Tigers’ red zone trouble returned, and Ramos booted a 42-yard field goal to trim the Hogs’ lead to 14-13.
Arkansas blew another scoring opportunity after reaching a 1st-and-Goal at the LSU 9-yard line late in the first half as cornerback Mansoor Delane intercepted Green in the end zone with 33 seconds left in the half.
After back-to-back 14-yard runs by Durham and Harlem Berry, LSU got a pass interference call for a first down at the Hogs’ 37. Van Buren then completed a 12-yard out to Thomas, who got out of bounds with six seconds left. Ramos’ 42-yard field with :03 remaining gave LSU its first lead at 16-14.
Van Buren finished the first half 12-of-19 passing for 120 yards.
“We love you Mike,” LSU players shouted as they passed their quarterback being interviewed.
“I’m grateful,” Van Buren said. “And I’m blessed for this opportunity.”
Be the first to comment