Frank Wilson gets Gatorade bath after leading LSU to first win as interim coach
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Frank Wilson took the reins of the LSU program on an interim basis after the firing of Brian Kelly.
After a loss to Alabama in Wilson’s first game, Week 12 saw the Tigers play host to Arkansas at Death Valley. Things didn’t look good at first as the Razorbacks opened up a 14-0 first-quarter lead, but the Tigers rode a 16-point second quarter to a 16-14 halftime lead.
Despite a Razorbacks TD and two-point conversion in the third, Michael van Buren — filling in for the injured Garrett Nussmeier — capped a 12-play, 92-yard drive with a 12-yard scoring pass to Bauer Sharp seven minutes into the fourth quarter as LSU went up for good, 23-22.
Not only did it end the Tigers’ three-game losing streak, but it moved their record to 6-4, making them bowl eligible with two games to spare. LSU players celebrated by giving Wilson the traditional Gatorade bath:
Wilson, a Louisiana native, is in the fourth season of his second stint at LSU. He was hired as part of Kelly’s initial staff as associate head coach and running backs coach. He was previously at the university from 2010-2015 in the same role, but on the staff of Les Miles.
Before returning to LSU, he was the head coach at UTSA and McNeese State.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
