Barion Brown returns opening kickoff of the Texas Bowl for 99-yard TD
By David Wasson
Published:
It didn’t take LSU long to get into the spirit of the 2025 college football bowl season.
Barion Brown wowed the NRG Stadium crowd with an electrifying 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against No. 21 to open the Texas Bowl.
Brown fielded the kickoff from Houston’s Zac Yoakam at the 1 near the Cougars’ sideline, cut right at the 25 toward the LSU sideline, and then outraced Yoakam to the edge – high-stepping through a final tackle attempt before hitting the end zone amid jubilation from teammates.
The kickoff return for a touchdown was LSU’s first of the season, and the first time LSU scored on a game’s opening kickoff since 1978. Brown entered Saturday’s Texas Bowl as LSU’s primary kickoff returner, having fielded 13 kickoffs in 2025 for 303 return yards with a previous long of 47 yards. It had been 25 years since LSU returned a kickoff for a touchdown, as Trey Palmer was the last Tiger to do so in the 2020 season.
LSU won 2 of its final 3 games in the regular season to finish with a 7-5 record. The Tigers fired coach Brian Kelly in midseason following a 49-25 loss to No. 3 Texas A&M.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
