For a team that was in the NCAA playoff race just a month ago, playing in a Dec. 29 bowl has to seem like a smack in the face. Yet here’s No. 20-ranked LSU’s face, jutting out and accepting a proper smack across the jowls as they play face off against Texas Tech (7-5). A team from Texas has to play in the Texas bowl and they made the mistake of answering the phone without checking the caller ID first.
The Tigers (8-3) come in on a skid that nearly cost head coach Les Miles his job, losing three of their last four games to Alabama, Arkansas and Ole Miss. The Red Raiders have been on a similar downward trajectory, losing three of their last five including giving up 70 (!!!) points to Oklahoma State in a basketball-score 70-53 game that should have gotten every defensive coach fired.
Bowl: Advocare V100 Texas Bowl
Teams: LSU Tigers vs Texas Tech Red Raiders
Date/Time: December 29, 2015 – 9 PM EST on ESPN
Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Vegas line: Texas Tech +7 / O/U 73.5
Written by: Adam Greene
8 – 3 Record – 5 – 6 Vs Spread Over – Under: 6 – 5 11/21/15 @ Mississippi L 17-38 L 7 U 58.5 11/14/15 Arkansas L 14-31 L -6.5 U 54 11/07/15 @ Alabama L 16-30 L 7.5 U 47 10/24/15 Western Kentucky W 48-20 W -16 O 65 10/17/15 Florida W 35-28 W -6 O 43.5 10/10/15 @ South Carolina W 45-24 W -20.5 O 50.5 10/03/15 Eastern Michigan W 44-22 L -45 O 64 09/26/15 @ Syracuse W 34-24 L -23.5 O 45.5 09/19/15 Auburn W 45-21 W -6.5 O 50 09/12/15 @ Mississippi State W 21-19 L -3 U 52.5 |
7 – 5 Record – 7 – 4 – 1 Vs Spread Over – Under: 9 – 3 11/14/15 Kansas State W 59-44 W -5 O 67.5 11/07/15 @ West Virginia L 26-31 W 9 U 81 10/31/15 Oklahoma State L 53-70 L 2 O 77.5 10/24/15 @ Oklahoma L 27-63 L 14.5 O 72 10/17/15 @ Kansas W 30-20 L -33 U 74 10/10/15 Iowa State W 66-31 W -11.5 O 72 10/03/15 vs Baylor L 35-63 L 17 O 88 09/26/15 Texas Christian L 52-55 W 5 O 83.5 09/19/15 @ Arkansas W 35-24 W 9.5 U 69 09/12/15 Texas El Paso W 69-20 W -20.5 O 65 09/05/15 Sam Houston State W 59-45 P -14 O 73.5 |
December 30, 2014 – Music City Bowl – LSU 28 – 31 Notre Dame 31 January 1, 2014 – Outback Bowl – LSU 21 -14 Iowa December 31, 2012 – Chick-Fil-A Bowl – LSU 24 – 25 Clemson January 9, 2012 – BCS Title Game – LSU 0 – 21 Alabama January 7, 2011 – Cotton Bowl Classic – LSU 41 – 22 Texas A&M |
December 30, 2013 – Holiday Bowl – Tex Tech 37 – 23 Arizona State December 28, 2012 – Meineke Bowl – Tex Tech 34 – 31 Minnesota January 1, 2011 – TicketCity Bowl – Tex Tech 45 – 38 Northwestern January 2, 2010 – Alamo Bowl – Tex Tech 41 – 31 Michigan State January 2, 2009 – Cotton Bowl – Tex Tech 34 – 47 Ole Miss |
LSU Outlook
If you thought Cam Cameron was a terrible offensive playcaller in the NFL, then you know nothing about how bad he’s done at LSU. Cameron has been a complete disaster and turned a team with about 400 first-round NFL draft picks into a pedestrian unit that has averaged 16.5 points per game over their last four. And one of those was a 19-7 win over Texas A&M for God’s sake.
On offense Leonard Fournette is the undisputed star of the show, rushing for 1,741 yards and 18 touchdowns this season as he contemplates if he wants a Jadaveon Clowney-sized downer of a junior season next year since he can’t yet enter the NFL draft yet. I don’t know if Brandon Harris is a bad quarterback or just suffering under the yoke of Cameron’s ineptitude. The jury is still out.
Malachi Dupree and Travin Dural are probably the next two LSU stud wideouts to become NFL stars hidden under the plodding Tigers’ offense, but only Dural will get the chance to escape this spring. It’s another year for you, Dupree.
On defense, linebacker Deion Jones is the star and getting ready to cash a first or second-round NFL check come April. His 92 tackles, 11.5 for a loss, four sacks and two picks make him a day-one NFL starter and a veritable monster against Texas Tech. Jamal Adams at safety is a potential game MVP candidate facing the Red Raiders’ passing attack. The 6-foot-1, 211 pound sophomore has four picks, 60 tackles, five for a loss and nine pass defenses this season.
Texas Tech Outlook
Under GQ model-turned-coach Kliff Kingsbury, the Red Raiders have developed a balanced offense that’s put DeAndrew Washington on the map with 1,455 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. The real weapon in Texas Tech’s arsenal is quarterback Patrick Mahones, who may garner a few serious NFL looks next year if he can reproduce his 4,283-yard, 32-touchdown passing season to go with his 484 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.
Jakeem Grant is the prototype Texas Tech wideout. Short and quick with great hands, Grant has 80 grabs for 1,143 yards and seven touchdowns this year. The only Red Raiders wideout with any real size is Reginald Davis, but he’s just six feet tall which, of course, makes him one of the team’s best red zone targets with seven touchdowns.
On defense. Micah Awe is one of those mid-level school linebackers that sometimes gets overlooked in the draft but makes a team as an undrafted free agent. His 109 tackles and 5.5 for a loss are good, but his fellow linebacker Pete Robertson may legitimately end up on some draft boards thanks to his ability to rush the passer and disrupt plays in the backfield. Robertson has 61 tackles with 13.5 for a loss and five sacks to go with three quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery.
Match-up Analysis & Prediction
Analysis:
Texas Tech should be overmatched here pretty much across the board. The Red Raiders can put up a lot of points but can’t seem to stop anybody on defense. That’s OK though because LSU under Cam Cameron likes to stop itself.
Prediction:
To get further analysis from Ej the Rainmaker and Adam Greene, check out our audio preview of the Texas Bowl using the audio file below…
