Louisiana State @ Texas Tech preview

ADVOCARE V100 TEXAS BOWL STORYLINES

1. LSU coach Les Miles spent the last few weeks of the regular season unsure about his job security but comes into bowl season armed with the knowledge that he’ll be back to guide Leonard Fournette and company again next year. Miles will try to reward the school’s faith in him when he leads the Tigers against Texas Tech in the Texas Bowl in Houston on Dec. 29. The Red Raiders enter the postseason with some momentum after knocking off Kansas State and Texas in their final two games.

2. Texas Tech boasts the No. 2 scoring offense in the nation at an average of 46.6 points and the No. 2 passing attack (389.7 yards). LSU proved to be more vulnerable in the defensive secondary than usual and slipped to 47th against the pass, surrendering an average of 211 yards through the air. The Tigers were in the mix for a spot in the National Championship Playoff before surrendering 30 or more points in three straight losses, but finished the regular season with a 19-7 triumph over Texas A&M.

3. The Red Raiders will put their passing offense up against any opponent behind quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who enters bowl season third in the nation with 4,283 passing yards. The sophomore threw for 32 touchdowns and rushed for 10 more in a breakout campaign. The Texas Tech passing game is in direct contrast to LSU’s attack, in which quarterback Brandon Harris heads an offense that averages 173.1 yards – 110th in the nation.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: LSU -7

ABOUT TEXAS TECH (7-5, 4-5 Big 12): The Red Raiders became bowl eligible with a 59-44 victory over Kansas State on Nov. 14 and are excited to have an extra month of bowl practice to continue the steps forward gained down the stretch. “I think the last two games, (we) played our best football and felt like that is what we wanted to do and have a month to continue to try to get better and play one of the best teams we will have played all year,” coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters. “I like where we are at, but know that it is a big challenge ahead of us." Kingsbury’s squad could use the extra time to work on the defense, which gave up 44.5 points in its final two games.

ABOUT LSU (8-3, 5-3 SEC): The Tigers’ offense took a dip when Fournette’s historic pace tailed off in a 30-16 loss at Alabama on Nov. 7. The superstar sophomore posted his three lowest rushing totals in the team’s three losses before bouncing back with 159 yards in the season-closing victory over Texas A&M, pushing him past Charles Alexander (1977) for the school’s single-season rushing record with 1,741. “My brother was showing me a highlight tape someone made of me. Just looking at it, I was like, ‘Man, I did all that?’” Fournette told reporters. “It was like a dream, everything was coming so fast. I had a wonderful season. I enjoyed every bit of it.”



PREDICTION: LSU 35, Texas Tech 31