The Kansas State Wildcats have a forecast 51% chance to win against The LSU Tigers with a spread of -1.0/1.0 and an over/under of 62.0. The Kansas State Wildcats are 0 – 0 against The LSU Tigers in the 2021-22 Season.
— Tuesday, January 04th LSU Tigers @ Kansas State Wildcats
With the New Year’s Six and the College Football Playoff semifinals behind us, there’s just one bowl game left before the National Championship next Monday.
The TexAct Texas Bowl is an SEC/Big 12 showdown as the LSU Tigers (6-6) face the Kansas State Wildcats (7-5). The kickoff on Tuesday is set for 9:00 p.m. ET from NRG Stadium in Houston, and the game will air on ESPN.
These teams have met just once, with LSU winning at home 21-0 in 1980. The Tigers are 28-23-1 in their bowl history, and this will be their 20th straight season with a bowl appearance. The Wildcats are 9-13 in their bowl history with a 1-6 record in January games.
Tigers Ready for New Era
The Tigers are 5-6-1 ATS, and the under is 7-5 in their 12 games this season. LSU is 5-2 at home but just 1-4 away from Tiger Stadium. They cannot run the ball, ranking 117th in the nation at 109.5 yards, and the offense is 77th in scoring at 27.1 ppg.
The big story for LSU is hiring Brian Kelly away from Notre Dame to replace Ed Orgeron. Neither will coach on Tuesday with interim coach Brad Davis in charge, but the game will provide a nice audition for the players under Kelly’s watchful eye.
Who plays quarterback for LSU on Tuesday is a good question. Max Johnson entered the transfer portal, Myles Brennan is injured, and playing freshman Garrett Nussmeier would burn his redshirt. That leaves two walk-ons in Tavion Faulk and Matt O’Dowd, neither of whom have ever thrown a college pass.
Leading running back Tyron Davis-Price is skipping the Texas Bowl to get ready for the NFL draft. On the season, he had 1,003 of their 1,312 rushing yards and six of the nine rushing touchdowns. In his absence, they will rely on freshman Corey Kiner who has 271 yards and two touchdowns on 65 carries.
Wideout Kayshon Boutte had 38 catches for 509 yards and nine touchdowns on the season before being injured in October. He still leads the team in yards and touchdowns through Jack Bech has 43 catches and 489 yards with three touchdowns. Jaray Jenkins is also having a good season with 33 catches for 479 yards and five touchdowns.
Wildcats Rely on Defense
The Wildcats are 6-5-1 ATS on the season, and the under is 7-5 in their 12 games. The KSU defense ranks 27th in the nation against the run, allowing 126.3 ypg, and they are 29th in points allowed at 21.1. The offense isn’t in the top 50 in any category, and overall, they rank 101st in total yards per game at 355.7.
Kansas State also has a question at quarterback as there’s a chance sixth-year senior Skylar Thompson returns from an ankle injury. Thompson has 1,854 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and four interceptions on the season. When Thompson missed the Texas game at the end of the regular season, Will Howard started and threw for just 65 yards on 9-of-13 passing.
Deuce Vaughn leads the ground game with 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns on the season. He topped 100 yards in each of the last five games and has scored in six straight. He’s also the leading receiver with 47 catches for 471 yards and three touchdowns.
The Wildcats defense has 30 sacks on the season, led by defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah with 11. Cornerback Russ Yeast has three of KSU’s nine interceptions, while linebacker Daniel Green has two of the team’s six fumble recoveries.
Betting Analysis
- LSU Tigers +7 (-110) Money Line +215
- Kansas State Wildcats -7 (-110) Money Line -270
- Total Points: 47.5 Over -110. Under -110
The LSU offense is a complete wild card in this game with a quarterback who’s never played a college game and no running back with real experience. Kansas State hasn’t gone over 300 total yards in the last three games, two of those going as losses.
The best players in this game are on defense, and both teams will make life rough for the quarterbacks, so look for a low-scoring affair.
Betting Pick: Under 47.5 points (-110)
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