Texas Tech going for win No. 8, plays Ole Miss in Texas Bowl
HOUSTON (AP) — Texas Bowl: Texas Tech (7-5) at Ole Miss (8-4), Dec. 28, 9 p.m. EST (ESPN)
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK COLLEGE LINE: Ole Miss by 3 ½
Series record: Ole Miss leads 4-2.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Ole Miss could end a three-game skid, and improve to 4-0 against Texas Tech in bowl games and 13-3 in its last 16 bowl games. The Red Raiders will try for their first eight-win season since going 8-5 in former coach Kliff Kingsbury’s first season in 2013.
KEY MATCHUP
Texas Tech QB Tyler Shough vs. the Ole Miss secondary. Shough is 4-0 this season, including wins in Texas Tech’s last three games. Shough sustained a broken collarbone in the team’s opener and didn’t return until Nov. 12. The Rebels rank 56th in the nation by allowing 218 yards passing a game and Shough has thrown for 1,062 yards and six touchdowns with three interceptions in his limited action.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Texas Tech: RB SaRodorick Thompson leads the Red Raiders with 670 yards rushing and has six rushing touchdowns and one TD catch.
Ole Miss: RB Quinshon Judkins leads the SEC and ranks eighth in the nation with 1,476 yards rushing. The freshman has 16 rushing touchdowns, which is tied for ninth in the country.
FACTS & FIGURES
Ole Miss got wins over Texas Tech in the 1986 and 1998 Independence bowls and the 2009 Cotton Bowl. … The last meeting between these teams was also at NRG Stadium, where the Rebels got a 47-27 victory to open the 2018 season. … Ole Miss is in a bowl game for the third straight season under coach Lane Kiffin. … The Rebels rank third in the nation by averaging 261.6 yards rushing a game. … Ole Miss averages 491.3 yards a game, which is the fifth-highest in school history. … The Rebels rank second in the SEC by converting 47.7 % of their third-down attempts. … RB Zach Evans ranks seventh in the SEC with 899 yards rushing. … WRs Jonathan Mingo and Malik Heath are the second pair of teammates in school history to have more than 800 yards receiving in a single season. … OL Jeremy James hasn’t allowed a sack in 387 pass blocking snaps. … Texas Tech is led by first-year coach Joey McGuire. ... Texas Tech has won 10 of its last 14 bowl games. … The Red Raiders are in a bowl game for consecutive seasons for the first time since 2012-13. … Texas Tech is making its fifth appearance in the Texas Bowl. … Texas Tech converted 28 of 46 fourth-down attempts this season. … WR Jerand Bradley leads Texas Tech with 656 yards receiving. … LB Krishon Merriweather leads the Red Raiders with 104 tackles. … The Red Raiders will be without star OLB Tyree Wilson after he declared for the NFL draft following a November foot injury.
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