The Big 12 Conference kicked off its bowl season in impressive fashion with two wins over Power 4 opponents and doing it in comeback fashion. BYU won the Pop-Tarts Bowl, beating Georgia Tech 25-21, and giving the Big 12 Conference three-straight wins in this bowl game, that has become one of the best non-CFP bowl games.
Meantime, it was Houston handling LSU 38-35 in the Texas Bowl. Other than LSU beating Baylor in this bowl game last year, the Big 12 has won four of their last five Texas Bowls over SEC teams.
BYU’s Late Comeback
The BYU Cougars were down 21-10 entering the four quarter, having gone nearly two quarters without scoring any points. But then came an 11-play, 80-yard drive with QB Bear Bachmeier spreading it around the field and capping it off with an Enoch Nawahine two-yard touchdown run. Bear Bachmeier completed the two-point conversion to make it 21-18. And then, the BYU forced two three-and-outs before their game-winning drive that went nine plays, 66 yards and then Javesa Damuni finished it with a four-yard touchdown run. The defense gave up a big play to give Georgia Tech a chance inside the red zone to tie the game, but the game ended with Evan Johnson picking off Haynes King in the end zone to seal the victory.
Houston’s Early Comeback
LSU opened a 14-0 lead in the first 4:12 on a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Barion Brown to start the game and a 23-yard touchdown pass from Michael Van Buren Jr. to Trey’Dez Green. Houston, the favorite in the game in front of basically a home crowd at NRG Stadium, was shocked and down two scores. But Houston would then score 21-unanswered points in the first half to go up 21-14 at the halfway mark.
Amare Thomas capped off two drives of over 70 yards in the first half with an 8-yard and 4-yard touchdown catch, respectively. And right before halfway, Houston had a 90-yard drive in just over one minute, with Conner Weigman finding Tanner Koziol for a seven-yard score.
The two teams exchanged third quarter touchdowns, and then LSU tied the game seconds into the fourth quarter at 28. But a Houston field goal, followed by another lengthy 80-yard touchdown drive in which Dean Connors scored on a 20-yard run, made it 38-28 with two minutes left, giving Houston enough cushion to finish off the 38-35 victory.
ACC and SEC Recent Domination
In the Pop-Tarts Bowl, the Big 12 Conference has won three in a row. In 2023, it was K-State beating No. 19 NC State 28-19. Last season, No. 18 Iowa State handled No. 15 Miami 42-41, and then this season BYU, without its best offensive player (LJ Martin) and defensive player (Jack Kelly) beat Georgia Tech. The Big 12 did have a tough stretch losing four of five from 2018 to 2022, but has since turned it around. In that five-year period, the Big 12’s only win was Oklahoma State beating No. 18 Miami 37-34 in 2020.
In the Texas Bowl, the Big 12 has won four of the last five games since the 2020 game had to be canceled due to COVID issues with TCU‘s team ahead of its Arkansas match up. But in the five games since then, Kansas State beat LSU, Texas Tech handled Ole Miss, No. 22 Oklahoma State beat Texas A&M, and only last year, did LSU beat Baylor, while Houston returned the favor to LSU on Saturday.
