Nussmeier overcomes a shoulder injury and passes for 3 TDs as LSU tops Oklahoma 37-17 – WTOP News

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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Garrett Nussmeier passed for 277 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair of 40-plus-yard scoring…

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Garrett Nussmeier passed for 277 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair of 40-plus-yard scoring strikes to Chris Hilton after being treated for a throwing shoulder injury, and LSU defeated Oklahoma 37-17 on Saturday night.

Aaron Anderson returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score for LSU (8-4, 5-3 SEC), which closed out the regular season with two straight victories after a three-game skid had dropped the Tigers out of the AP Top 25.

Nussmeier briefly left the game in the second quarter after a heavy blind-side sack by defensive end R Mason Thomas. The LSU QB went to the locker room for X-rays, which the team said were negative.

He closed out his first series back in the game with a 40-yard touchdown pass deep down the right sideline to Hilton, putting LSU up 24-17 with 45 seconds left before halftime.

Nussmeier found Hilton deep down the middle for a 45-yard touchdown on LSU’s first drive of the third quarter to make it 31-17.

Hilton, who missed LSU’s first seven games with an ankle injury, entered the Tigers’ regular season finale with just three catches for 45 yards without a TD this season. Against Oklahoma (6-6, 2-6), he caught two passes for 85 yards and two scores.

LSU’s Kyren Lacy caught three passes for 41 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown for the game’s opening score.

Playing for the first time in Tiger Stadium, Oklahoma briefly took a 14-10 lead on Xavier Robinson’s 2-yard run, capping a drive that included Jackson’s 50-yard completion deep down the middle to J.J. Hester.

Anderson’s blazing return of the ensuing kickoff put the Tigers right back in front, and LSU proceeded to pull away from a Sooners squad that was coming off a surprising 24-3 victory over Alabama a week earlier.

Jackson Arnold passed for 110 yards and also was the Sooners’ leading rusher with 75 yards on a combination of scrambles and designed runs.

The Sooners tried to get creative offensively when they called for a pass by tight end Bauer Sharp, but his fluttering desperation pass as he was being pulled down was intercepted by safety Sage Ryan.

Thomas scored on a 9-yard return of Nussmeier’s first-quarter fumble, which was caused by Gracen Halton’s sack. That play gave Oklahoma defensive touchdowns in consecutive games.

Takeaways

Oklahoma: It was a rough first season in the SEC for Oklahoma, which wound up needed their late-season upset of the Crimson Tide just to become bowl eligible.

LSU: After an spirited finish to a season that seemed to be going off the rails three weekends ago, the Tigers have a chance to reach nine victories for a third straight season.