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Oklahoma-LSU: LIVE In-Game Observations

John Hoover and Ryan Chapman offer their real-time observations from Tiger Stadium for the fourth-ever meeting between the Sooners and the LSU Tigers.

John E. Hoover

Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables
Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
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BATON ROUGE, LA — Sooners on SI offers real-time observations from TIGER Stadium throughout Saturday's season-finale between Oklahoma and the LSU Tigers. Newest posts are at the top. Just keep your browser open and refresh often.

8:29 p.m.

Bauer Sharp, what on earth was he thinking?

The Sooners had a double pass dialed up, and LSU did a nice job to blow it up. 

Instead of just taking the loss, Sharp hopped in a time machine and went back to his middle school days. He threw a jackpot up for anyone to grab, and LSU safety Sage Ryan hauled in a comfortable interception and returned the ball to the Tiger 42-yard line. 

Now why is that play still in the playbook? Unclear. Brenen Thompson is clearly the best trick play quarterback on the team. 

— RC 

8:22 p.m.

Eli Bowen just got torched there. 

The true freshman gave up another big touchdown to Hilton Jr., but this time he couldn’t say he was in a great position. 

Hilton had a couple of steps and Nussmeier delivered a great ball. 

The 45-yard connection puts the Tigers up 31-17 with 6:48 left in the third quarter and heaps a ton of pressure on the OU offense to get back into this one. 

— RC 

8:13 p.m.

Oklahoma’s defense threw away two nice plays — a combo tackle for loss by Damonic Williams and Danny Stutsman and then Billy Bowman coming down to make another nice tackle behind the line of scrimmage — with another poor third down effort. 

Backed into third-and-12, Nussmeier just threw a quick pass to Caden Durham, and the true freshman running back knifed through the secondary to move the chains. 

Needed that stop to potentially try and come after the punt or potentially set the offense up near midfield. 

Instead, the Tigers are now driving. 

A touchdown here probably puts things out of reach for this offense, which isn’t built to dig itself out of a two-score deficit. 

— RC 

8:05 p.m.

Jackson Arnold had a really nice scramble on third-and-7 to pick up 15 yards and avoid the three-and-out. 

But agian behind the chains, facing a third-and-8, OU’s receivers couldn’t get organized.



Brent Venables had to use his first timeout of the second half. 

— RC 

8:05 p.m.

The official attendance has been announced: 99,364. It's the third-largest crowd ever to watch an Oklahoma Sooners football game, but it's a bit short of the 102,321 capacity at this stadium.

Kinda disappointed LSU couldn't hit 100k.

-- JH

7:45 p.m.

Halftime stats:

OU stats
OU stats

7:43 p.m.

The Sooners run one play and take this bad boy to halftime. 

OU is letting LSU take momentum back left, right and center.

Knock the opposing quarterback out of the game? Gave up a 50-yard rush to put the Tigers in the red zone.

Fire back to take the lead? Gave up a 100-yard kickoff return.

March back down the field to take the game into the locker rooms tied? Let LSU march 66 yards in 45 seconds, culminating in a 40-yard strike. 

The offense simply isn’t good enough to give LSU this many big plays. 

— RC 

7:40 p.m.

Disastrous drive to end the half for OU’s defense. 

Nussmeier hit Chris Hilton Jr. for a 40-yard bomb in the corner of the end zone over Eli Bowen.

Even before then, the Sooners were letting the Tigers march right down the field with no timeouts. Killer when OU could have gotten to the locker room tied and gotten the ball back. 

Oklahoma has a pair of timeouts, but will likely need a good return to make anything happen. 

LSU up 24-17 with 43 seconds left in the half.

— RC 

7:39 p.m.

7:32 p.m.

Nussmeier back in at QB. Only a guess here: he suffered a mild shoulder separation and had it adjusted and braced up and was able to throw the football.

— JH

7:29 p.m.

It appears Oklahoma literally only has three wide receivers available tonight. 

Don’t ask me why Gavin Sawchuk is getting all these reps at running back; I have no idea.

Venables plays it safe on second and third down and opts to let Zach Schmit kick a 44-yard field goal — which he drives right thru the middle of the uprights.

OU goes 49 yards in 11 plays and takes 4:55 off the clock, and it’s tied at 17-17 with 2:13 to halftime.

— JH

7:21 p.m.

Aaron Anderson’s 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown is the first Oklahoma has allowed since Brennan Presley did it at Oklahoma State in 2021.

— JH

7:20 p.m.

We’re off the rails in Baton Rouge!

Aaron Anderson responds for the Tigers by taking the kickoff back 100 yards. 

Kills any momentum OU was hoping to build on after that last drive. Points on the board and the Tigers didn’t even need Nussmeier to come back in. Not a turnover, but basically nullifies Thomas’ scoop-and-score. 

LSU back on top 17-14 with 7:08 left until halftime. 

— RC 

7:18 p.m.

Nussmeier has been playing like — and is projected as — a first-round draft pick.

And LSU is not competing for any kind of championship.

Yet there’s Nussmeier on the sidelines, warming up as if he’s going to play.

Love it.

— JH

7:17 p.m.

After Oklahoma’s touchdown, LSU starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is back out on the 30-yard line getting loose. Looks like he’s going to come back in. 

— RC 

7:16 p.m.

OU sees LSU’s 50-yard play and calls — and the OU staff finally calls a QB run by Arnold, who takes it 28 yards on a keeper up the middle. Robinson scores on the net play, and Oklahoma leads it 14-10 with 7:22 til halftime.

— JH

7:11 p.m.

And just like that, J.J. Hester breaks open downfield and Jackson Arnold drops a 50-yard dime on him.

Play is under review.

Looked like a catch.

— JH

7:09 p.m.

As discussed in this week’s By the Numbers preview of LSU, the Tigers have struggled to cash in red zone trips for touchdowns all year. Gave the Sooners a breather after allowing the 50-yarder by Durham. 

But the offense has to bring something else to the table. Last week’s game plan was excellent, but now it’s on tape and LSU was going to be ready for the shifts and shovel passes. 

Jackson Arnold doesn’t need to throw for 350 yards or anything crazy, but can’t just default back to the same handful of looks that surprised the Crimson Tide last Saturday. 

Getting a touchdown here could put the crowd in an odd spot. Weird vibes around Tiger Stadium after Nussmeier went to the locker room, and the fans are not happy with Brian Kelly’s clock management here in the first half. Groans and boos aplenty. 

— RC 

7:06 p.m.

I know what we all said about Drew Pyne three weeks ago at Missouri. That should have never happened.

Similarly, with Nussmeier injured, this feels very similar: as if LSU’s offense isn’t going anywhere.

Then, of course, Durham busts a 50-yard run up the gut.

But Oklahoma absolutely needs to respond here offensively.

Jackson Arnold has one rushing attempt (a scramble). You might recall he ran it 25 times for 131 yards last week against Alabama.

Speaking of Alabama, Tide QB Jalen Milroe strafed this defense for 185 yards and four TDs on the ground two weeks ago, and the Sooner coaches are flat refusing to call running plays for Arnold.

Makes you wonder.

— JH

7:01 p.m.

Oklahoma really exploited the shovel pass last week vs. Bama. Not sure that’s the right call in that third-down situation coming off your goal line, simply because LSU is probably expecting it (they were) and you really hadn’t shown anything else yet.

Arnold could have opted to keep it, but he’s not really operating with any kind of instincts right now. He’s just executing what was called.

After the punt, Oklahoma native Caden Durham pops a 50-yard run right up the middle.

— JH

6:59 p.m.

Nussmeier is on his way to the locker room.

-- JH

6:55 p.m.

That apparent right shoulder to Nussmeier looks like it could be serious.

One tenet college football teams like to lean on is “next man up.”

The next man for LSU is A.J. Swann, who is Nussmeier’s backup.

Before that third-down incompletion, Swann was 1-for-1 this season for 2 yards.

The energy in the stadium just changed completely.

— JH

6:52 p.m.

LSU runs it on back-to-back plays to start the second quarter and gets the four yards needed to move the chains. 

The Tigers don’t have to gash the Sooners, but doing just that will maybe limit the spots in which Zac Alley can bring pressure. 

On the ensuring first down, R Mason Thomas obliterated Garrett Nussmeier for a 7-yard loss. More pertinent, though, is Nussmeier spent some time on the turf and he had to be helped off the field. The training staff is holding his throwing shoulder. 

AJ Swann is coming in to quarterback LSU. 

— RC 

6:48 p.m.

First quarter stats:

OU stats
OU Stats

6:42 p.m.

Wow! 

Gracen Halton bull rushes through the heart of the LSU line and knocked the ball out of Nussmeier’s hand. R Mason Thomas was there to pick it up and carry it across the goal line. 

That second set of downs was much better from the Sooners’ defense, the pressure hit home on both first and second down before the fumble. That’s how you help the offense out. 

All knotted up, 7-7 with 3:26 left in the first quarter. 

That’s the fourth defensive touchdown in SEC play, pairing with Kip Lewis’ pick sixes and Billy Bowman’s scoop-and-score in Columbia, MO. 

— RC 

6:40 p.m.

LSU picked up the first down with the review. First-and-10 from the 19 coming up out of the timeout. 

— RC 

6:39 p.m.

And now in the midst of this timeout, the officials are reviewing the spot on the last play to see if it was a first down. 

— RC 

6:38 p.m.

The coverage behind OU’s blitzes has been lacking tonight. Nussmeier escapes and has another wide open receiver to funnel the ball out to.

LSU backed into third-and-1 on its own 19, but the Tigers burn their second timeout. The fans boo’d Kelly again for having to call the timeout. 

Oklahoma’s defense needs this stop. The offense never had to dig out of a massive hole last week, which let them keep the ball on the ground and stick to the game plan. Plus, it could keep LSU on the wrong side of the field position battle. The Tigers are already 2-for-3 on third downs.

— RC 

6:34 p.m.

Really nice start to the drive there for Oklahoma, with the 31-yard return by Sam Franklin, the 5-yard run by Xavier Robinson, the 8-yard throw to Robinson and a 3-yard rush by Jackson Arnold.

But that third down pass to Jacob Jordan was straight dysfunction. Hit Jordan in the back before he even got out of his break, and the Sooners punt it down to the LSU 9.

— JH

6:27 p.m.

Nussmeier was really sharp on that drive, patient in taking the check downs, and then a sneaky play to leak Kyren Lacy out into an uncovered flat, which he turns into an easy 18-yard touchdown. Can’t tell who had coverage on that pass, but Billy Bowman was in pursuit.

— JH

6:26 p.m.

Right on cue… Oklahoma brings pressure and can’t hit home. 

The result? Nussmeier calmly rolled out to his right and the OU defense totally lost track of Kyren Lacy. About as easy an 18-yard touchdown catch as he’ll get. 

Tigers up 7-0 with 6:30 left in the first quarter. 

— RC 

6:25 p.m.

Was curious to see how Zac Alley was going to handle game planning for Nussmeier. 

He’s thrown some pressure at him early. Only time will tell if the blitz can hit home.

— RC 

6:24 p.m.

Eli Bowen’s missed tackle on a check down to Caden Durham results in a 16 yard completion for LSU. Bowen doesn’t miss a lot of tackles.

— JH

6:18 p.m.

The Sooners’ first series were conservative, cautious and ultimately not successful. A rollout with one receiver in the route (he was covered), a run off tackle right (he went nowhere) and a dump off to the tight end (he was tackled immediately. 

Three and out, Elzinga on to punt.

— JH

6:16 p.m.

Oklahoma’s starters on offense:

Howland - Ozaeta - Everett - Nwaiwu - Brown

Hester - Roberts - Sharp - Ragins 

Arnold - Robinson 

— RC 

6:15 p.m.

LSU ran a solid play on third-and-3, but Garrett Nussmeier’s throw leads his receiver too much and LSU punts. Sooners with the football at their own 12.

— JH

6:11 p.m.

Oklahoma’s starters on defense:

Thomas - Jackson - Williams - Downs 

Lewis - Stutsman - Washington 

E. Bowen - Spears-Jennings - Bowman - Malone 

— RC

6:09 p.m.

6:09 p.m.

Danny Stutsman won the toss for the Sooners and OU will defer to the second half. 

Stutsman’s defense coming up first. 

Football!

— RC 

6:03 p.m.

Now this is more like it. Oklahoma’s captains get LOUD boos as they head toward midfield. 

Everything filled in nicely after the Senior Night festivities. 

Let’s get this baby rocking and rolling. 

— RC 

5:50 p.m.

Tonight’s matchup opened with LSU as a 5-point favorite. It quickly moved to LSU -7, but has been trickling back down all week. Twenty minutes til kickoff, FanDuel is still offering it at -5.5.

JH

Vegas Insider
Vegas Insider

5:48 p.m.

LSU’s seniors are getting honored right now. 

I fully anticipate Tiger Stadium to be rocking by kickoff, but it’s pretty dead in here right now. Plenty of seats that need to be filled in. 

It’s a little chilly, so I expect there are plenty of fans still on the concourses, too. But don’t think the game should be effected by the weather, so that’s a plus. 

— RC 

5:45 p.m.

Thirty minutes out.

— JH

5:40 p.m.

Freshman TE Davon Mitchell has made the trip. It’s his first road game of the season. Think he’ll play.

— JH

5:31 p.m.

Wow, are LSU’s uniforms sharp tonight. White pants, purple jerseys with white numbers and white helmets with the block LSU and a Tiger on the side.

Sooners are wearing crimson on what on white, of course, the traditional road unis.

There was an idea that LSU would wear its usual white home jerseys tonight with the yellow pants and yellow helmet, which would have put OU in their home crimsons.

But LSU went with the purples.

— JH

5:24 p.m.

Kickoff for tonight’s game has been shifted back five minutes to 6:10 p.m.

The Sooners are in the end zone doing early warmups. It was quite a noise when they walked into the arena, and the stadium was made 5 percent full.

OU’s first trip to Tiger Stadium is gonna be intense.

— JH

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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