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LSU Interim Coach Got Emotional After Earning First Win of Post-Brian Kelly Era

The Tigers got back in the win column after narrowly defeating Arkansas.

Eva Geitheim

LSU interim head coach Frank Wilson raises his hands in the air after earning his first coaching victory for the Tigers.
LSU interim head coach Frank Wilson raises his hands in the air after earning his first coaching victory for the Tigers. / LSU/X.
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As the final seconds ticked off the clocked in Death Valley to seal LSU’s 23-22 win over Arkansas, Tigers interim coach Frank Wilson pointed his finger at the sky before he was showered in Gatorade and swarmed by members of the team.

The Tigers came into their matchup against Arkansas on a three-game losing streak, having not won a game in over a month and before Brian Kelly was fired at the end of October. They entered the game without starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier too, who was out due to a tweaked abdomen. Already dealing with adversity, the Tigers then quickly fell behind by two scores as Arkansas blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown, and then scored another touchdown on their ensuing drive to take a 14-0 lead.

This time though, the Tigers bounced back. LSU running back Caden Durham rushed for a 27-yard touchdown, and the offense added three field goals to take a halftime lead. When Arkansas countered with a third-quarter touchdown, LSU responded again with quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. connecting with Bauer Sharp on a fourth-quarter touchdown.

The Tigers managed to hold onto the lead and joyously sung the alma mater as they celebrated their victory.

The special moments continued during Wilson’s presser, when he was interrupted as Durham came in to congratulate him on his first win.

This victory won’t erase the fact that this has been a disappointing season for the Tigers, and Wilson might not end up becoming LSU’s next head coach, but for the man who grew up in New Orleans and has been a Tigers assistant coach for roughly a decade, it surely will be a game and moment he remembers for a long time.

When asked after the game what the win meant to him, Wilson perfectly summed all the emotion up by simply saying, “Everything.”

The Tigers will close out their regular season with games against Western Kentucky and No. 11 Oklahoma over the next two weeks. By earning their sixth win of the season on Saturday, they will also get to play in a bowl game.

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Eva Geitheim
EVA GEITHEIM

Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.

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