Oklahoma 2025 Football Opponent Preview: LSU Tigers

Oklahoma capped off its first season in the SEC against LSU in 2024, and the Sooners will finish the 2025 regular season versus the Tigers, too.

OU fell 37-17 in Baton Rouge a week after upsetting No. 7 Alabama 24-3 in Norman. The loss clinched Brent Venables’ second 6-6 regular season in his three-year tenure with the Sooners.

The Sooners will host LSU at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Nov. 29.

Here’s what to know about LSU:

2024 recap

LSU lost its season opener for the fourth year in a row in 2024, falling 27-20 to USC in Las Vegas.

The Tigers, fueled by an animated Brian Kelly, went on a six-game winning streak after that, which included wins over South Carolina, Ole Miss, Arkansas and UCLA. Their momentum came to a quick halt, though, against Texas A&M, when the Aggies beat them 38-23 at Kyle Field.

LSU lost its next two games, falling to Alabama and Florida and losing all hope of reaching the College Football Playoff.

The Tigers beat Vanderbilt 24-17 before closing the regular season with their 20-point win against the Sooners.

After going 8-4 in the regular season, they battled Baylor in the Texas Bowl and won 44-31.

Key returners

QB Garrett Nussmeier (Sr.), RB Caden Durham (So.), WR Aaron Anderson (Jr.), WR Chris Hilton Jr. (Sr.), LB Whit Weeks (Jr.), LB Greg Penn III (Sr.), DB Sage Ryan (Sr.), DB Jardin Gilbert (Sr.).

Notable transfer portal additions

DE Patrick Payton (Florida State), WR Nic Anderson (Oklahoma), OL Josh Thompson (Northwestern), WR Barion Brown (Kentucky), OL Braelin Moore (Virginia Tech), DL Bernard Gooden (South Florida), DE Jack Pyburn (Florida), CB Mansoor Delane (Virginia Tech).

Strengths

LSU has perhaps the SEC’s most proven quarterback in Nussmeier.

A senior from Lake Charles, LA, Nussmeier excelled as a junior in 2024, completing 64.2% of passes for 4,052 yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Before that, he backed up Jayden Daniels and Max Johnson in the prior three seasons.

Weaknesses

While LSU’s passing offense should be among the nation’s best, there are still plenty of questions surrounding its run game.

The Tigers finished last in the SEC in rushing offense in 2024, averaging just 116.4 yards per game. They also rushed only 373 times last year, also the lowest in the conference.

Durham led LSU with 753 rushing yards and averaged 5.4 yards per carry as a freshman, and he’ll likely be the Tigers’ go-to running back. He showed flashes of brilliance, rushing for 101 yards and three touchdowns in the Arkansas game. But LSU didn’t utilize his abilities too often.

Against tough secondaries that limit LSU’s passing abilities, the Tigers will need to be better on the ground.

How do the Tigers match up with OU?

Oklahoma’s best chance against LSU will be slowing down Nussmeier.

With a talented quarterback and several athletic wideouts, the Tigers’ up-tempo offense can drain opposing defenses. If OU’s experienced secondary can cause some disruption, it would force LSU into more running situations — and that’s exactly what the Sooners want.

Defensively, LSU is loaded with future NFL talent, as always.

Weeks and Penn make up one of the best linebacker groups in the SEC, and the Tigers added key front-seven pieces in Payton, Pyburn and Gooden. Oklahoma’s offensive line will need to be at its best to give John Mateer and the Sooners’ playmakers the chance to get into a rhythm.