The Kansas State Wildcats and LSU Tigers clash Tuesday night in the college football Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium in Houston. The LSU Tigers look to finish a game above a .500 record. The Kansas State Wildcats look for a win after splitting their last 10 games.
The LSU Tigers have lost three straight non-home games. Max Johnson is completing 60.3 percent of his passes for 2,815 yards, 27 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Kayshon Boutte and Jack Bech have combined for 998 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns, while Jaray Jenkins has 33 receptions. The LSU Tigers ground game is averaging 109.5 yards per contest, and Tyrion Davis-Price leads the way with 1,003 yards and 6 touchdowns. Defensively, LSU is allowing 25.3 points and 373.3 yards per game. Damone Clark leads the LSU Tigers with 136 tackles, BJ Ojulari has 6 sacks and Jay Ward has 2 interceptions.
The Kansas State Wildcats have won three of their last five non-home games. Skylar Thompson is completing 68.8 percent of his passes for 1,854 yards, 9 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Phillip Brooks and Deuce Vaughn have combined for 945 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns, while Malik Knowles has 26 receptions. The Kansas State Wildcats ground game is averaging 161.5 yards per contest, and Vaughn leads the way with 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns. Defensively, Kansas State is allowing 21.1 points and 348 yards per game. Daniel Green leads the Kansas State Wildcats with 83 tackles, Felix Anudike-Uzomah has 11 sacks and Russ Yeast has 3 interceptions.
The Tigers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 bowl games and 6-0 ATS in their last 6 vs. Big 12. The Wildcats are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 bowl games and 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite. The under is 4-1 in Tigers last 5 games overall. The under is 5-1 in Wildcats last 6 games overall.
The LSU Tigers have had a down year by their expectations, but they’ve had a nightmare schedule the last two months and have gone toe to toe with the majority of those elite teams. LSU is not nearly as bad as people make it out to be and a bounce here or a bounce there, the Tigers beat Alabama, Arkansas and Auburn, and the narrative changes a bit. The Kansas State Wildcats finished the season with back-to-back losses, they’ve struggled in their biggest games of the year, and an offense that ranks 101st in total offense and 81st in scoring offense isn’t going to scare LSU. This line is rather surprising to me. Give me the Tigers.