The 23rd-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs will do battle with the Louisville Cardinals in the 2017 Taxslayer Bowl from EverBank Field in Jacksonville. The game will begin on Saturday, December 30th at High Noon and can be seen on the ESPN network. Coming into this contest, the Louisville Cardinals are -6.5 point favorites and the contests over/under is 63.
The Louisville Cardinals head into their eighth-consecutive bowl game as favorites against the 23rd-ranked Bulldogs. They finished their year off with three straight wins which included a 44-17 victory over Kentucky in their season finale. As a result, the Cardinals finished the season with an 8-4 record and went 4-4 in ACC Conference play.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs will also bring their 8-4 record into the 2017 Taxslayer Bowl. The 23rd-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs will be targeting their third straight bowl win against a powerhouse Louisville offense. Nevertheless, they will be without their head coach Dan Mullins because he took the job offer in Gainesville to coach up the Gators. Now, the Bulldogs hired Joe Moorhead as their new head coach. Moorhead was the offensive coordinator in Penn State for the last two years.
Louisville Cardinals (8-4)
The Louisville Cardinals sport one of the nation’s most explosive offenses. In fact, they are ranked third in the country in total yards per game (560). They also score just under 40 points a match. This efficient unit is led by none other than 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson. Even though he didn’t repeat as the country’s most valuable player, he still was amazing. Overall, the dual-threat signal-caller passed for 3,489 yards with 25 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Jackson also was unstoppable on the ground, rushing for another 1,443 yards and 17 more scores.
Lamar Jackson was the rushing attack for the Cardinals this season. Still, a few other tailbacks pitched in to help matriculate the ball down the field. Malik Williams and Reggie Bonnafon combined for just over 950 yards and 11 trips to the back of the end zone. Bonnafon led the two with seven scores and 86 totes of the rock.
The Cardinals spread the football around to about four different receivers when passing the ball down the field. Still, plenty more saw plenty of action and should be available for the 2017 Taxslayer Bowl. The foursome I mentioned reeled in 168 balls for just over 2,600 yards and 19 touchdowns. Jaylen Smith led the way with 53 receptions for 873 yards and six scores. It’s safe to say that the Bulldog’s secondary will have their hands full in this match-up on Saturday.
The Cardinal’s defense was outstanding in their final three regular-season games. However, they were inconsistent at times over the course of the season. Basically, they are effective against the run but have struggled against the pass. The front seven finished out the year ranked 52nd in the nation, allowing only 153 yards on the ground. The secondary struggled, surrendering 232 yards a contest (78th). To their dismay, Louisville also struggled in the red zone, giving up 27 points against opposing schools (70th).
(23) Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-4)
The Mississippi State Bulldogs were in the running for an SEC title. Unfortunately, that proved to be out of reach in a conference where a bad Saturday meant playing for second fiddle. The Bulldogs did their share of damage with a capable offense that scored 32 points on 419.8 yards a game.
That offense was led by another dual-threat quarterback, Nick Fitzgerald. In 2017, he passed for 1,782 yards with 15 touchdowns and 11 picks. He also ran for almost 1,000 yards and another 14 scores. He will not be available for the Bulldogs because he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the final game of the year. Currently, backup quarterback Keytaon Thompson is set to get the starting nod.
Obviously, Mississippi State will have to rely on their running game to keep Lamar Jackson off of the field in the 2017 Taxslayer Bowl. With Nick Fitzgerald out, it will be easier said than done. Nevertheless, tailback Aeris Williams will be asked to shoulder the load. The durable runner scampered for just over 1,000 yards with five touchdowns. Keytaon Thompson did collect almost 400 rushing yards of his own with three more trips to the promised land.
The passing game was almost non-existent at times and that really hurt the Bulldogs’ chances of contending for an SEC championship. No receiver even recorded 25 catches and nobody on the squad went over 300 yards. Keith Mixon led the crew with 275 yards and Deddrick Thomas had a team-high four touchdowns.
The Mississippi State defense is their greatest strength as a team, and they are battled-tested. The group faced several powerhouse offensive opponents in the tough SEC. I expect they will be ready for Louisville. They are outstanding against the pass and are only allowing 302 total yards per game, good for tenth in the Country. They also were stout when it mattered, giving in to only 20 points a game (25th).
Prediction
Las Vegas has the Louisville Cardinals as 6.5 point favorites for the 2017 Taxslayer Bowl. Without Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald available it makes total sense. It is hard for me to imagine that the Bulldogs offense will generate enough points to keep up with Lamar Jackson for all four quarters. Plus, the Cardinals’ defense has shown a lot of improvement over the course of the last month. With that being said, I’m suggesting to my readers that the play is to take the Cardinals to cover the spread. Jump on the line now before the betting public pushes this to a touchdown or more.
The total 63 also intrigues me a bit. It’s hard for me to believe that this number can be breached with a one-dimensional offense on the field. Especially, when it’s run by a back-up who only has three-quarters of football under his belt at that position. Also, the Bulldogs’ defense is no slouch so Lamar Jackson won’t find as much room to do damage as he usually does. Take the under 63 and watch Louisville slowly assimilate the Bulldogs in the second-half. @EriktheHun
To make a play on this game, go to BetDSI Sportsbook to lay your money down.
Trends
The Cardinals are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
The Under is 4-0 in the Cardinals last 4 bowl games.
The Bulldogs are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 vs. ACC.
The Under is 5-2 in the Bulldogs last 7 games overall.
