Kinder’s texas bowl review
Each and every year, the Kinder’s Texas Bowl delivers in a way other college football bowls don’t. The Houston Cougars and the LSU Tigers shot off fireworks on the opening kickoff and kept shootin’ them off until zeroes hit the clock. Let’s take a look back and then review some of the great performances from the 2025 season.
Kinder’s Texas Bowl Offensive Player of the Game - Houston QB Conner Weigman - The Cougars took two haymakers to the face, giving LSU an early 14-0 lead. However, Weigman threw four touchdowns to lead the Cougars back to a 38-35 win.
Kinder’s Texas Bowl Defensive Player of the Game - LSU LB Davhon Keys - The sophomore from Aledo, TX was locked in, unfortunately, in a losing effort. He led both teams in tackles with 14, had a ½ TFL and a pass defensed.
Other Notes.
-I got a text from my radio partner for the Texas Bowl Brett Dolan just as we arrived back from Los Angeles with about two minutes left in the game. His first comment was “Trey’Dez Green is a freakin’ stud”. Green caught my eye in the 2024 Kinder’s Texas Bowl against Baylor and he went to a different level against Houston. Two touchdown catches, four receptions for 80 yards. He’s a next level player that many will say they learned about in this Kinder’s Texas Bowl.
-Houston RB Deon Connors, the Rice University transfer, finished his first season with the Cougars rushing for 126 yards on 16 carries, nearly eight yards per carry. He essentially closed down the game with a 20-yard touchdown with just 2:23 left in the game.
-Houston DT Eddie Walls III popped on film all season long, but he was even better against LSU. He led the Cougars with six tackles, led them with 1.5 sacks and was a menace for LSU all night long. I love Walls and love how hard he plays all the time.
-LSU WR/Ret Barion Brown game opening 99-yard kickoff return? Wow! What a way to start one of the best bowls of bowl season. Every. Single. Freaking. Year.
The Harris Awards for 2025
The Most Outstanding Player of the Year - Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith - Think Andre Johnson in a Buckeyes jersey. He’s a freak of nature and in just ten games caught 80 passes for 1,086 yards and 11 TDs. He’s just the best player in the nation on either side of the ball.
The Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the Year - Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia - He might have not handled his Heisman Trophy snub with class, but he was first class all season long. He threw for nearly 3200 yards and accounted for 36 TD in the most difficult conference in the nation.
The Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year - Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez - What didn’t he do in 2025? Nothing. 117 tackles, led the Red Raiders. 11.0 TFL, second on the team. Four interceptions, second on the team. The leader of, arguably, the most productive defense in the nation.
The Most Outstanding Freshman of the Year - Miami, FL WR/Weapon X Malachi Toney - The joke all year long was that Toney was just 17 years old and playing in college football after reclassifying to the 2025 recruiting class. He had 89 receptions for 992 yards and eight touchdowns. He ran for a touchdown and the former high school QB threw two touchdowns as well. He averaged nearly 16 yards per punt return on 17 returns. He IS the Miami, FL offense…and special teams too.
The Most Outstanding Coach of the Year - Indiana’s Curt Cignetti - All Cignetti did was lead the Hoosiers to an undefeated season, 13 straight wins, another CFP berth in the Rose Bowl and a win over Ohio State for the B1G title.
The Most Outstanding Game of the Year - Texas A&M - 41 vs. Notre Dame - 40 - It felt like two heavyweights standing in the middle of the ring just landing one haymaker after another against one another. Bloodied, yet unbowed In the end, A&M QB Marcel Reed landed the last punch when he completed a fourth down touchdown pass to TE Nate Boerkircher on fourth and goal from the 11 yard line with 0:13 seconds remaining. The Aggies rode that win to the College Football playoff, while that was the last game that Notre Dame lost in 2025.