AdvoCare Texas Bowl 2015: LSU vs. Texas Tech TV Schedule, Time and Odds
Leonard Fournette leads the No. 20 LSU Tigers into the 2015 AdvoCare Texas Bowl against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in what might be the highest-scoring game of bowl season.
Fournette and the Tigers had to deal with controversy all year, from the star running back's situation when it comes to pro eligibility to Les Miles' future with the program to the sluggish season that resulted in only eight wins.
Texas Tech wasn't far behind, though, thanks to one of the nation's worst defenses resulting in a few people losing jobs. Coach Kliff Kingsbury's team managed seven wins, though all came on the shoulders of an elite offense.
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It sounds like a lopsided pairing, but with the wild trajectory of both teams this year, truly anything can happen. Let's take a look at the important details surrounding the contest.
Game Details
When: Tuesday, December 29, at 9 p.m. ET
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Television: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Over/Under: 73.5
Spread: LSU (-7)
Team Injury Reports
| Bry'Kiethon Mouton | FB | Ques Tues |
| DeSean Smith | TE | Ques Tues |
| Travin Dural | WR | Out for season |
| John David Moore | TE | Out for season |
| Dillon Gordon | TE | Out for season |
| Mickey Johnson | DT | Out for season |
| Devin Lauderdale | WR | Out indefinitely |
| Dakota Allen | LB | Ques Tues |
| Talor Nunez | DL | Out for season |
| Justin Murphy | OL | Out for season |
Injury reports courtesy of USA Today.
Hitting the High Note
The wild ride for LSU ends one way or another Tuesday.
Whispers of SEC dominance and College Football Playoff aspirations fired up after the Tigers started 7-0, but Miles and Co. proceeded to drop three straight in 30-16, 31-14 and 38-17 fashion, two of those losses coming at the hands of ranked teams.
LSU turned it around to close the season with a 19-7 win against Texas A&M, but Miles admitted he understood the perceived hesitation by athletic director Joe Alleva when it came to his job status.
"We're a talented football team. We seemed to undershoot our mark this year. I agree with Joe. Winning championships is something Joe wants to work toward fully and I'm right with him. It's not enough to win occasionally. You have to win all the time. I get that," Miles said, according to ESPN.
The key, of course, is Fournette. Miles asked Brandon Harris to throw it just 254 times as opposed to 466 rushes this year, of which he completed 53.2 percent with 12 touchdowns to five interceptions.
Fournette, though, struggled when it mattered most by posting outputs of 31, 91 and 108 yards over the three-game skid before getting back to his usual self with 159 yards and a score in the season-ending win.
Luckily for LSU, getting Fournette going and closing this wild chapter on a strong note shouldn't be too difficult.
Making the Weakness
The Red Raiders aren't shy about their issues.
How could they be? The defense gave up 271.8 rushing yards per game. It also ranked 124th while allowing 42.6 points. As a result, co-defensive coordinator Mike Smith and two other position coaches received walking papers.
Now the lone coordinator for the Red Raiders, even David Gibbs admits "We're not gonna stop LSU from running the ball," according to ESPN.
"I'm sure they're licking their chops looking at our video waiting to run us over, so we got our work cut out for us," Gibbs said.
Stopping Fournette seems a pipe dream at best. Pouring on the points and keeping control of the game seems more likely thanks to quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The sophomore threw for 32 touchdowns and 14 picks while completing 65 percent of his passes, but don't forget the 484 rushing yards and 10 scores, either.
One-upping Mahomes in the rushing department and balancing the lethal attack is DeAndre Washington, who ran for 6.5 yards per carry with 1,455 yards and 14 scores.
Averaging 46.6 points and almost 600 yards of total offense per game helps compensate for almost any defense. Texas Tech now has to hope a two-game streak to end the season is a sign of things to come.
Prediction
What better time for LSU to put behind it the fact that the program has lost three of its last four bowl games than right now?
Fournette's sitting dangerously close to the 2,000-yard mark at 1,741 yards and it might not be so silly to think he could breach the barrier against one of the worst defenses in the nation.
While the Red Raiders have the talent to post points on the Tigers defense, Fournette's ability to control the pace will dictate this outcome. He's not going to find himself slowed against this defense, which will help shed some positive vibes on the program for the future as he helps turn around its bowl fortunes.
Prediction: LSU 45, Texas Tech 35
Statistics courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified. All betting information courtesy of Odds Shark.
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