LSU AND BAYLOR TO PLAY IN KINDER’S TEXAS BOWL
Tickets on Sale for 11th Edition of the SEC and BIG 12 Showdown
HOUSTON – LSU and Baylor have accepted bids to play in the 2024 Kinder’s Texas Bowl, the bowl organizing committee announced today. The 2024 Kinder’s Texas Bowl will be played at 2:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, December 31, at NRG Stadium, in Houston. The 19th edition of the bowl will be televised nationally on ESPN and simulcast on ESPN+ with national radio coverage on Bowl Season Radio and a local radio broadcast available on SportsRadio 610 (KILT-AM). This season marks the 11th year of the Big 12 versus SEC matchup in the game. Tickets and suites are now available for purchase https://www.kinderstexasbowl.com/
“We are fired up to announce the 2024 Kinder’s Texas Bowl between the LSU Tigers and the Baylor Bears, two prestigious institutions from the SEC and Big 12,” remarked Kinder’s Texas Bowl Executive Director David Fletcher. “The Bowl is historically one of the largest annual events in our community and this year’s game is no exception. We look forward to welcoming LSU, Baylor and college football fans from throughout the region to Houston for a week of Texas-themed events that will culminate in a New Year’s Eve showdown at NRG Stadium on December 31.”
LSU will represent the Southeastern Conference, while Baylor will represent the Big 12 Conference. The two programs have met 11 times before, with their most recent matchup coming in the 1985 Liberty Bowl when Baylor defeated LSU, 21-7, on December 27, 1985. The 2024 Kinder’s Texas Bowl will mark the Tigers third appearance in the bowl and their first since the 2021 season. The Bears will also make their third appearance in the Bowl after most recently being selected in 2018.
LSU enters the game riding a 2-game winning streak and with an 8-4 overall mark following wins over Vanderbilt and Oklahoma to close out the regular-season. LSU went 5-3 in SEC play with key wins over Ole Miss and South Carolina. Overall, LSU faced 10 bowl-eligible teams this year, winning seven of those games. Offensively, the Tigers feature one of the nation’s top passing games led by junior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who has thrown for 3,735 yards and 26 touchdowns. Nussmeier’s 312 completions this year leads the SEC and ranks No. 2 all-time in LSU history, while his 3,735 passing yards rank No. 2 in the league and third in school history. The Tiger offense features three 50-catch receivers paced by Kyren Lacy (58 rec., 866 yards, 9 TDs). Running backs Caden Durham and Josh Williams have combined to rush for 1,133 yards and 11 touchdowns. Defensively, linebacker Whit Weeks is among the finest at his position nationally and leads the Tigers with 119 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss. Edge rusher Bradyn Swinson ranks among the SEC leaders in both sacks (8.5) and tackles for loss (13.0). Head coach Brian Kelly, in his third season with the Tigers, is the winningest active NCAA coach with 313 career victories. Since taking over at LSU in 2022, Kelly has guided the Tigers to a 28-11 mark, which includes 17 SEC regular-season wins, the third-most in the league over that span trailing only Georgia (22) and Alabama (19). He’s been named National Coach of the Year three times and will be leading a team to a bowl appearance for the 18th time.
Baylor enters the Kinder’s Texas Bowl having won six-straight games to conclude the regular season for the first time in program history, sporting an 8-4 (6-3 Big 12 Conference) record. This marks Baylor's 12th bowl berth in the last 15 years and its first trip to Houston since besting Vanderbilt in the 2018 Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl. The Bears have rolled through the last half of their schedule by utilizing one of the nation's top offensive attacks, a well-balanced approach that ranks No. 5 or 6 in yards per game, yards per play and points per game over the last two months. Powering the Baylor offensive attack has been the nation's No. 5 rated quarterback, junior Sawyer Robertson, who leads the Big 12 in QBR and has slung 26 TDs, the sixth-most in single-season BU history, while starting the last 10 games of the year. Running back Bryson Washington has also powered the offense, rushing for a Baylor freshman-record 1,004 yards and 12 TDs in just 10 games, ranking third among all FBS freshmen in both categories. Defensively, fifth-year head coach Dave Aranda - known as one of the top defensive minds in football for the last 15 years - is in his first season calling defensive plays and coaching inside linebackers, with his two linebackers becoming the first LB duo in program history to each earn first-team All-Big 12 honors in the same season. Matt Jones and Keaton Thomas each topped over 100 tackles, a first for a BU linebacker duo since 2012. Aranda is a former national coach of the year after leading the Bears to a 12-2 record and the Big 12 and Sugar Bowl titles in 2021.
In the 2023 Texas Bowl, Oklahoma State claimed a 31-23 victory over Texas A&M. Cowboys WR Rashod Owens earned MVP honors after recording 10 receptions for 164 yards and two touchdowns. The game welcomed 55,212 fans to NRG Stadium and had a total live audience of 3.2 million viewers.
Through the years, the Kinder’s Texas Bowl has been a tremendous success both on and off the field. Since 2014, the game is the most attended Bowl in the country outside of the bowls included in the College Football Playoff games. The Bowl has also generated an average of over $30 million annually for the Houston economy and has contributed over $2.5 million in financial support to DePelchin Children’s Center, the Bowl’s official charitable beneficiary and oldest children’s charity organizations in Houston.
Entering its 19th year, the Kinder’s Texas Bowl is owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, and managed locally by Lone Star Sports & Entertainment, an event management company founded in 2003 that is closely affiliated with the NFL’s Houston Texans.
For more information about the game, priority access to tickets and Bowl week experiences, fans can visit https://www.kinderstexasbowl.com/ or follow along on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
About Kinder’s
Kinder’s is a leading provider of premium quality sauces, seasonings and other products for home cooks to bring restaurant-quality flavors to life in their own kitchens. Founded in 1946 by John Kinder, a WWII Navy veteran, Kinder’s has been obsessed with crafting amazing flavors that can help anyone, regardless of their skill in the kitchen, make incredible meals that will wow family and friends. Today, Kinder’s offers a wide range of products including BBQ sauce, wing sauce, premium seasoning blends and rubs, crispy coatings, stuffing, gravy, and more. Kinder’s is available at leading retailers across all 50 states and is now sold in more than 20 countries across the world.
For more information, visit www.kinders.com.
About ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In 2024, the 34-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, the premiere regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.
Follow ESPN Events on Facebook, X/Twitter and YouTube
About Lone Star Sports & Entertainment
Lone Star Sports & Entertainment is an event management company founded in 2003 that is closely affiliated with the NFL’s Houston Texans. Since its founding, LSSE has established itself as the leading sports event promoter in Houston. In addition to producing annual college football events such as the Texas Bowl and Texas Kickoff, LSSE has emerged as a premier promoter for international soccer matches, including the Copa de Lone Star, Copa America Centenario, the 2010 MLS All-Star Game, the 2006 FC Barcelona U.S. tour, the International Champions Cup, the 2003 and 2008 matches between the United States and Mexico, a venue-leading seven Concacaf Gold Cups including 2023, and the 2023 Soccer Champions Tour featuring Real Madrid vs. Manchester United.
Media Contacts
Lone Star Sports & Entertainment: Ryan Galbierz (ryan.galbierz@houstontexans.com; 832-610-0218)
Kinder’s: Navid Niakan (navid@kinders.com)
ESPN Communications: Danny Chi (danny.c.chi@espn.com)
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