Playing without its top two pass catchers, LSU needed new threats to emerge to defeat Baylor in the Kinder’s Texas Bowl on Tuesday.
In the Tigers’ 44-31 win, [autotag]Chris Hilton[/autotag] hauled in a game-high 113 receiving yards, including one for 43 yards and a touchdown. The redshirt junior’s performance against the Bears continued a late-season surge after dealing with an injury during fall camp and early in the year.
“We knew he was going through something, and we stood by him,” LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier said. “We did whatever we could to help him get back to him. When he was ready and was able to get back to himself, I think you can see what we’ve all seen from him.”
For Nussmeier, it was deja vu from last season’s ReliaQuest Bowl when Hilton totaled 56 receiving yards and a touchdown with an explosive play for 43 yards. Developing the chemistry started toward the end of last season and continued during the offseason.
After an injury sidelined him the first seven games of 2024, Hilton played every game for the rest of the season, starting with Texas A&M. Through six games, he totaled nine receptions for 243 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 27 yards per catch.
Head coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] remained confident that Hilton would make an impact upon his return and looks forward to his future donning the purple and gold.
“Chris has been waiting for these opportunities, and he got his chance and was able to do the things he’s capable of doing,” Kelly said. “When he ran the inside stop route, and we saw burst from him, that was electric, so big things for him to come.”