• LSU, which had been hampered in its preparation by rains in the Baton Rouge area, flew to Houston Thursday, two days before the game, only to be greeted by heavy rains all day Friday. The Tigers stayed indoors studying film and holding a skull session.
• Rice officials covered the stadium turf for two days so the footing for the game would be excellent.
• The weatherman promised clearing skies for Saturday with temperatures in the low 40s.

McClendon knew his team had a challenging task stopping the Bears.

• The game plan called for the SEC's top rushing team to control the ball to keep Trull & Company off the field. We know we have to stop Trull, and we don't know whether we'll be able to or not. We've met good passers, but the Baylor passing combine is the best we'll face. Trull's ability is shown in the records he set. ... Baylor has few pass routes, but they execute the pass play as good as anyone. ... We will use varied defenses trying to halt Trull. We will rush sometimes, drop back and hope to double-team Elkins ... and will give Baylor a lot of looks.
• Bridgers also praised his opponent. LSU is physically the strongest team we will meet this year. They have good athletes, are well coached. ... They have had the best defense that I know of for the past six years, and we believe that their running attack is the best they've had in a number of years, probably even better than in Cannon's final year. ... We will have to play our best defense to get the ball, and we have to have it to do the thing we do best, that is, passing. ... Those Tigers run over you and hurt you. Their big end, this Truax, and (T Ralph) Pere just blow in there and get bigger all the time. And down in the middle they are big and tough. Why, I was scared to let my boys eat with them at that barbecue. John also responded jokingly to Mac's comment about practicing indoors back in Baton Rouge. Coach McClendon asked if we wouldn't agree to play the game in the Rice gym instead of the stadium.
  Trull wouldn't be able to stop the clock the way he had during Southwest Conference games. The SWC allowed QBs to ground a pass intentionally to kill the clock. But it would be many years before the NCAA accepted that rule.

A shivering crowd liberally estimated by bowl officials at 50,000 watched in damp 37° weather as the LSU defense shut out the Bears until wearing down in the final period.

First Quarter

• The Tigers executed their game plan well in the first period, holding the ball for 18 plays to Baylor's 9.
  LSU returned the kickoff to the 39. After gaining a first down at midfield, the Tigers bogged down. So Danny Neumann punted to the 11.
  The Bengals held the Bears, and Eddie Whiddon punted to Joe Labruzzo at midfield. Joe returned to the 43. From there, the Tigers moved smartly to pay dirt. After running for 5y, QB Billy Ezell flipped to Truax on a swing pass down the sideline for 13y and a first down at the Baylor 25. No one could know that would be LSU's only completion of the afternoon. After Don Schwab gained 4 up the middle, Ezell slipped through RG for 11 to move the chains to the 10. Schwab got two before Buddy Soefker took a reverse around the left side into the EZ. Doug Moreau ran his PAT record to 16-for-16. LSU 7 Baylor 0 (7:18)
  
  Don Schwab runs against Baylor.
  Starting from his 22, Don Trull completed his first pass, to Lawrence Elkins for 18 to the 40. After a 5y penalty against the Tigers and a run for 0y, Trull misfired on back to back throws. So Whiddon booted to the 15.
  LSU moved to the 32 on short dashes, gaining their final first down of the afternoon along the way before being forced to punt, Neumann kicking to the Baylor 39.
  Baylor started their first real threat with Tom Davies gaining 14 on a draw play to the LSU 46. FB Dalton Hoffman got 9, then 3 for another first down as the period ended.
  END Q1: LSU 7 BAYLOR 0
  

• The Bears dominated the period, running 26 plays to LSU's four but failed to score.
  Trull connected with Hoffman, who was dropped for a 2y loss. Then the pass rush dumped the QB for a 3y loss. Unperturbed, the Oklahoma City native found James Ingram at the sideline for 30y to the 21. But Remi Prudhomme broke through and tossed Trull for an 11y loss. After HB Henry Pickett gained 5, Milton Trosclair tackled Elkins for a loss of 7. So Whiddon punted to the 4 where Ingram caught the ball in the air, drawing a 15y penalty.
  Facing eight- and nine-man lines but refusing to pass, LSU went three-and-out. So Neumann punted to the Baylor 42.
  Trull led the Bears downfield against the Chinese Bandits, connecting with Pickett for 4, then Elkins for 14 to the LSU 40. After gaining 2, Hoffman picked up 12 but fumbled, and DB Dwight Robinson recovered at the 26.
  
  Mike Vincent runs for the Chinese Bandits.
  Neumann shifted field position with a punt to the Baylor 18. Trull got his offense moving again, hitting Elkins for 8. On 3rd-and-1, Hoffman got the first down at the 33. After an incompletion, Ingram gathered in a pass to the midfield stripe. Two more completions, to Hodge for 7 and Ingram for 8, made it a 1st-and-10 at the 34. With the defense reeling from the aerial circus, Hoffman picked up 10 for another first down at the 24. After the FB took a short toss for 5, Trull ran down the middle for 11 to the 8. But again the Tigers rose up and repelled the threat, starting with an 8y sack. After an incompletion in the EZ, the Tigers chased the QB all over the field before he managed to drop a pass over the middle to Hoffman to restrict the damage to a 3y loss. Baylor lined up for a FG, but holder Trull instead got up and passed to Davies, who was dropped for another 3y loss with just four seconds left in the half.
  Trull had already broken Randy Kerboes' Bluebonnet Bowl record of 11 completions.
  END Q2: LSU 7 BAYLOR 0

Third Quarter

• Baylor continued to wear down the valiant LSU defense, running 21 plays to just nine for the Bengals.
  After an exchange of punts, the Bears stormed upfield from their 16. Trull completed a pass for 14, but Elkins lost 6 on a pitchout. No problem as Trull found Ingram for 18y and a first down at the 41. Hoffman's 8y run and a sneak by Trull moved the chains into Tiger territory at the 48. With LSU double covering Elkins, Trull found Ingram for 11 on 3rd-and-7 to the 34. Davies bulled for 14 on a draw to the 20 before Trull hit Hodge with a 10y pass to the 10. Pickett brought the green and gold fans to their feet when he swept LE to paydirt, but the elation was short-lived as Baylor was penalized for holding to the 22. After an incompletion, Soefker stepped in front of a Trull heave at the 10 and returned it 7y to repel yet another onslaught.
  But the defense had little time to rest since the Tigers went three-and-out, Neumann hanging a kick 44y to the 32.
  Trull led a march from there and this time, the Bears were not to be denied. Runs by Hoffman and Bobby Mitchell gained a first down. Then, on 3rd-and-14, Don kept the drive alive with a 31y completion to Ingram, who eluded E Kenny Vairin. Mitchell gained 7 to the 22.
  END Q3: LSU 7 BAYLOR 0

Fourth Quarter

• After a run for a first down on the first play, Ingram took a throw to the 5. Trosclair registered his second sack of the afternoon to give Tiger fans hope for another goal line stand. But Trull took the next snap and fired to Ingram for a 7y TD to culminate the 10-play drive. Davies' boot tied the game. Baylor 7 LSU 7 (13:10)
  Ingram: I had to use double fakes the entire game and hook back to get open. I also had to use delayed patterns. Trull really put the ball in my hands.
  After more offensive ineptitude, Neumann booted 39y to the 30.
  Trull moved his team from there for what would prove to be the winning TD. On 3rd-and-3, the Trull-Elkins connection gained a first down at the 43. Then Don slipped past a gang of defenders for 11 into LSU territory. Two runs made it 1st-and-10 at the 36. Two plays later, Trull flipped to Elkins for 15y to the 19. Then Don went to his other flanker, Ingram, for 9y. However, Mitchell lost 3. But that setback was only temporary. On the next play, Dandy Don threw to Ingram at the 1, and the elusive receiver squirmed over to give Baylor its first lead of the day. Baylor 14 LSU 7 (5:20)
  The Tigers needed a big play badly, and Labruzzo gave it to them. He took the kickoff on his 3 and raced up the middle into the clear, then broke to the sideline to the Baylor 25 where the kicker, the speedy Elkins, pulled him down.
  Afterwards, Trull said, That kickoff return really scared me. I thought he was gone.
  Elkins: I literally ran out of my shoes to catch him. I don't think my legs have ever carried me as fast.
  Labruzzo: Willis Langley threw a good block to get me started. I saw daylight and just started running for it. When I cut toward the sideline, I didn't see anyone in front of me. I thought I was gone. But then I saw Elkins coming up out of the side of my eye. I actually felt like I was picking up speed when I broke clear. I wasn't a bit tired. He must be quite a runner. Now I know how our poor defensive backs felt all day covering that guy.
  After throwing only two passes the whole game, Ezell took to the air three times without success. After LeBlanc gained 3 on first down, Truax was wide open at the goal line, but Billy overshot him. When the 4th down pass slipped off Schwab's fingertips, Tiger hopes went down the drain.
  Baylor had time to penetrate LSU territory yet again, reaching the 32. Running out the clock on the last play of the game, Trull came up off the cold ground flexing his right arm to throw a scare into the Baltimore Colts and Houston Oilers, both of whom had drafted him in the two competing pro leagues.
  Trull dismissed the concern. Just that old funnybone acting up ... It just tingles for a while - nothing serious. He added that the bitter chill wasn't so bad once we got warmed up. I didn't notice it much.
  FINAL SCORE: BAYLOR 14 LSU 7

Statistics

• First downs: Baylor 27 LSU 4
• Yards rushing: Baylor 43-175 LSU 32-103
• Passing: Baylor 37-26-1/255 LSU 5-1-0/13
• Return yardage: Baylor 3-42 LSU 6-138
• Fumbles-Lost: Baylor 1-1 LSU 1-0
• Penalties: Baylor 2-30 LSU 2-10
• Punting average: Baylor 34.0 LSU 37.3

Trull, completing a personal best 26 passes, won the game's outstanding back award without much opposition while teammate Ingram took home the most valuable lineman trophy after setting two Bluebonnet Bowl records with 11 receptions for 163y.

Joe Labruzzo

Billy Ezell

Danny Neumann

Don Schwab


Doug Moreau

Remi Prudhomme

Milton Trosclair

Dwight Robinson

Danny LeBlanc