Mississippi vs. Texas Tech: Five things to watch in Texas Bowl

In bowl video games, Ole Miss is 3-0 in opposition to Texas Tech. Till Monday night time, Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire and Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin had by no means met.

Listed here are 5 issues to observe as Texas Tech seems to be to increase its three-game profitable streak and Ole Miss makes an attempt to snap a three-game shedding skid Wednesday night time at NRG Stadium.

Backfield delight

Quinshon Judkins and former North Shore star Zach Evans pack fairly a punch within the Ole Miss backfield. Judkins leads all SEC working backs in each dashing yards (1,476) and dashing touchdowns (16). Evans ranks seventh within the SEC in dashing yards (899). A yr in the past, whereas enjoying for TCU, Evans ran for greater than 100 yards in opposition to the Purple Raiders. The Rebels are the perfect dashing Energy 5 workforce within the nation. If the Purple Raiders can not comprise the Ole Miss run recreation, it’ll hamper their probabilities of profitable. Groups averaged 166.4 dashing yards per recreation this fall when enjoying Texas Tech, ranked ninetieth nationally in run protection, whereas the Ole Miss offense completed the common season third within the nation with 261.6 dashing yards per recreation.

QB comparability

Each beginning quarterbacks started their careers within the Pac 12, with Jaxson Dart at USC and Tyler Shough at Oregon, the place he performed in each the Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl. In his first season at Ole Miss, Dart has thrown for two,613 yards and 18 touchdowns, finishing 62 p.c. He has rushed for 666 yards this season. Half of Dart’s TD passes have gone to Jonathan Mingo and Malik Heath, the second set of Insurgent teammates to every surpass 800 yards receiving in the identical season. By guiding the Purple Raiders to wins in every of their last three video games, Shough has earned his fifth begin of 2022. In restricted time due to a shoulder damage in 2022, Shough has handed for 1,102 yards, finishing 59.7 p.c.

Tempo

Each groups favor a quick tempo. With its Air Raid offense, Texas Tech is understood for taking part in rapidly. This season’s common of 83.8 offensive performs per recreation leads FBS. By means of 12 video games, the Purple Raiders are at 1,006 performs. Tech’s single-season document for offensive performs is 1,155 set in 2002 over 14 video games, an 81.7 plays-per-game common. Ole Miss is tied for FBS lead in seconds per play at 20.7, rating 14th nationally in whole performs (917). “Simply since you play it, doesn’t imply your protection goes to be good,” Kiffin mentioned. “In the event you look, a whole lot of tempo groups on offense, they nonetheless wrestle on protection.”

Huge performs

The sport has the makings of a high-scoring contest. Texas Tech has scored simply over 33 factors per recreation, however has struggled at occasions defensively, giving up virtually 30 per recreation. The Purple Raiders are one in every of two applications nationally to rank in high 10 of FBS for red-zone offense (eighth) and red-zone protection (ninth). Ole Miss is averaging 491 yards of offense, within the high 20 in dashing yards (3,139), dashing makes an attempt (571), yards per rush (5.5), dashing TDs (31), in addition to a 48-percent mark on third downs. The Rebels are No. 6 within the nation with 82 performs of greater than 20 yards. Three of the highest 5 offensive seasons in program historical past have all are available in Kiffin’s three years on the SEC West Division college.

Fourth down

McGuire is aggressive in play calling. The Purple Raiders have gone for it on fourth down 46 occasions this season. Tech’s 28 profitable fourth-down conversions through the common season led FBS, barely forward of Baylor (27). The Purple Raiders’ 46 makes an attempt are simply essentially the most in FBS, 5 greater than Baylor and 6 forward of Northwestern. Of their 37-34 additional time victory in opposition to Texas, the Purple Raiders had been 6-of-8 on fourth downs, their most conversions in a recreation relationship to 2000. The Purple Raiders matched that whole by going 6-for-7 on fourth downs in a 48-10 homecoming win in opposition to West Virginia, which had been all within the first half.