East Texan Patrick Mahomes and Texas Tech ready for bowl game

Tuesday’s AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl between No. 20 LSU (8-3) and Texas Tech (7-5) features one of the more intriguing clashes of styles in all of bowl season: The pounding, physical attack of LSU matching up against the Red Raiders’ high-flying offense. The Red Raiders are 7-5 against the spread this season while the Tigers are 5-6 against the spread.

I hate to say this will be an easy win, probably because it won’t, but the Tigers should win this one no problem only because Texas Tech’s run defense is pitiful.

Tigers running back Leonard Fournette is number one in the nation in rushing yards per game, and Red Raiders quarterback Patrick Mahomes is number three in passing yards per game. Dealing with Fournette will likely be their biggest test to date.

His 18 rushing touchdowns rank second in school history and he’s one score shy of tying LSU’s record.

Les Miles survived a palace coup and so what’s he going to do now? “I think it dissipated kind of in a very comfortable way as we went into the holidays”.

David Ching: I doubt LSU wants to get into a shootout with Texas Tech, as that would not suit the Tigers particularly well. The senior leads the Big 12 and is 12th in the nation with 1,455 yards rushing and his 14 rushing touchdowns lead the Red Raiders. DeAndre Washington is the best running back Tech has had in 20 years.

Series Record: LSU leads 2-0.

The OddsShark computer projects a 41.6-33.6 LSU victory over Texas Tech.

In 2011, Tech lost the last five games of the season after winning at No. 3 Oklahoma.

The question is whether Texas Tech’s defense can force LSU to try something else. They’re actually a bit better than that against the rush, where the 271.8 yards per game they surrender on the ground ranks 115.

LSU: LB Deion Jones.

LSU will look to pound the rock and drain the clock, while Texas Tech will air it out and prepare for a shootout. He’s seventh in the nation with 4,283 yards passing and has thrown for 32 touchdowns. He’s the sixth quarterback in FBS history to have thrown for 4,000 yards and ran for 450 yards in a single season and his rushing yards are the fourth-most by a quarterback in Texas Tech history and the most since 1972. LSU needs to be on its game again against Texas Tech, though. Just think, LSU administration, had you fired Miles after the regular season, we couldn’t have been treated to this brilliance. These teams first met in 1954…. Iowa plays Michigan State twice in its first four Big Ten games, including this conference opener. Jakeem Grant, Tech’s all-time leading receiver, could give LSU nightmares if the Tigers don’t account for him in open space. The Tigers have won at least eight games in 16 straight seasons….