Ole Miss football vs. Texas Tech in Texas Bowl: Score prediction, scouting report
OXFORD — Ole Miss football is bound for the Lone Star State.
The Rebels (8-4) are set to take on Texas Tech (7-5) in the Texas Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 28 (8 p.m. CT, ESPN).
Here's what to know ahead of the matchup.
Red Raiders boast elite air attack
Texas Tech concluded the regular season with the top passing offense in the Big 12, with 307.5 yards per game.
Three Red Raider quarterbacks have surpassed1,000 yards passing. Most recently, Texas Tech has opted to play Tyler Shough, who transferred from Oregon before the 2021 season.
Shough threw for 426 yards in a win over Oklahoma to close out the season. He has only appeared in six games, but Texas Tech is 3-1 when he attempts more than 20 passes, with the only defeat coming against a No. 3 TCU team bound for the College Football Playoff.
Shough is also dangerous running the ball. He rushed for at least 30 yards in every leg of a three-game winning streak to end the regular season, including a 76-yard rushing performance against Kansas.
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Texas Tech will be without elite pass rusher
Tyree Wilson finished second in the Big 12 with seven sacks this season, only half a sack behind Kansas' Felix Anudike-Uzomah for the top spot.
Remarkably, he did that in only 10 games. The 6-foot-6 edge rusher picked up 50 pressures and 32 quarterback hurries on the season, too, according to Pro Football Focus.
Wilson suffered a lower-body injury against Kansas in Week 11 that ended his season, and he has since declared for the NFL Draft.
Without their top pass rusher, will the Red Raiders be able to make Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart uncomfortable in the pocket?
Series history
There is a fair amount of recent history between the two programs – unlike many of the Big Ten programs Ole Miss was linked to entering Sunday
The Rebels last played the Red Raiders in Houston in 2018 and emerged with a 47-27 victory behind 204 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Scottie Phillips. Current star NFL wideouts DK Metcalf and A.J. Brown both caught touchdown passes for Ole Miss in that game, too.
Since 1986, Ole Miss and Texas Tech have met six times – three times in the regular season and three times in bowls. The Rebels have won all three of the bowl matchups, while the Red Raiders hold a 2-1 edge in the regular season.
Texas Bowl score prediction
Ole Miss 38, Texas Tech 31. This should be a high-scoring game. Despite Shough's recent rise, Ole Miss probably has the better quarterback, and it certainly has the better rushing attack. Now with heads clear of Lane Kiffin coaching rumors, this is a game the Rebels should win.
David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech in Texas Bowl: Score prediction, scouting report
