The LSU Tigers failed to have the season everyone was expecting them to have. All was going well until the team met up with Alabama in Tuscaloosa where they suffered their first loss of the season and the tires seemed to come off. They did not expect to be in this position after once sitting in the top four of the College Football Playoff rankings, but key conference losses led the Tigers to the Advocare V100 Texas Bowl against Texas Tech.
The Tigers need to end this year on a high note. With Les Miles securing his spot with the team for another season, the Tigers need a win and will be on upset alert against the high-scoring Red Raiders. Many did not think Miles would survive the season following a few ugly losses, but a win over Texas A&M at the end of the season saved the head coach for at least another year. This is the second straight year that the Tigers failed to reach 10 wins and that does not sit well with the LSU faithful. With the offense stalling out and the defense failing to get stops, a loss to Texas Tech could really make people mad.
LSU needs to return to the team they were during their 7-0 start and that rests on the shoulders of Leonard Fournette. The running back made a stink about not getting nominated for the Heisman trophy, but his final games of the season were anything but elite. The running back was averaging 193.1 yards per game with 7.7 yards per carry and 15 touchdowns in a 7-0 start. But a three-game losing streak saw the running back put up just 230 yards. He was help to 31 yards on 19 carries against Alabama. Fournette picked things back up against the Aggies, rushing for 159 yards, but it was still a letdown compared to earlier games.
Fournette has a chance to make some noise against Texas Tech who currently has the third-worst rushing defense in the nation. They are giving up 271.8 yards per game while allowing a 200-yard rusher in four of their conference games. Fournette is likely licking his chops waiting to face the Red Raiders. Texas Tech has been working with an ugly defense all year, but has made up for it with a high-scoring offense. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes put up 4,283 yards to rank him third in FBS standings. The team has been averaging 46.6 points per game while putting up 594.5 yards per game. That will be a headache for LSU.
