The last time the LSU football team played in NRG Stadium in Houston, the Tigers gave up 268 yards on the ground but just 50 passing yards in 28-24 comeback win against Wisconsin in the 2014 season opener.
While the No. 20 Tigers’ AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl opponent, Texas Tech, ranks in the top 30 in the nation in rushing yards per game, the Red Raiders’ passing attack shouldn’t look anything like what the Badgers did in last year’s game.
After all, Kliff Kingsbury’s club averages nearly 400 passing yards per game.
“I’ve got my hands full,” said junior cornerback Tre’Davious White.
The challenges of facing the No. 2 total offense in the nation, led by the third-ranked passer in the country, sophomore Patrick Mahomes, isn’t lost on White and his defensive counterparts, but the Red Raiders’ offensive firepower has also made an impression on LSU offensive linemen.
The Texas Tech defense is one of the statistical worst defenses in terms of points allowed per game, but junior offensive tackle Jerald Hawkins realizes the Tigers might be in track meet on Dec. 29.
That might include possessing the ball for as long as possible, he agreed.
“They don’t stop too many people,” Hawkins said. “But you got to look at it, they always put up numbers to be right there with [their opponent]. Their offense is a great thing, and the defense always comes to play. They never give up, so they always have that motor with them.
“I believe that will be a great game plan, keeping it away from them.”
Mahomes’ weapons on the outside, including 5-foot-7 speedster receiver Jakeem Grant, are able to spread teams out, but senior running back DeAndre Washington’s 1,455 yards has put junior defensive tackle Christian LaCouture and the rest of the defensive front on notice.
The Big 12 bowl opponent comes weeks after one of the best defensive performances of the season in the regular season finale against Texas A&M on Nov. 28, during which the Tigers recorded four sacks and three turnovers while holding the Aggies to a single touchdown.
LaCouture said the key for the defensive line in the Texas A&M win was performing well in the one-on-one battles, which must continue against a similar scheme later this month.
Coincidentally, Kingsbury was the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M for one season, which was the first year the Aggies joined the Southeastern Conference. Despite Kingsbury’s Texas A&M offense struggling in his only other meeting against LSU, he led the conference’s top-ranked offense in nearly every major statistical category, including rushing yards per game.
“[Texas Tech] actually like to run the ball a lot more than we thought,” LaCouture said. “Their running back has rushed for like 1,500 yards this year. They’re more than capable of running ball just as they are throwing it, so we have to prepare for both. They’re known for throwing the ball, uptempo team, but we have to prepare for both.
“We just have to keep affecting the quarterback and getting in the backfield and making plays.”
Four juniors request draft evaluations
While only LaCouture, Hawkins, White and center Ethan Pocic were made available to the media on Tuesday afternoon, all four juniors said requests have been submitted for NFL draft evaluations on their behalf. But all remain adamant their focus is on the bowl game.
While LSU coach Les Miles said he emphasizes the importance of the evaluations when a underclassmen makes his decision, none of the four are concerned about when those will arrive, waiting to discuss it with Miles and their families once the season is officially complete.
“I haven’t been asking too many questions about it just because no good can come out of that,” Pocic said. “It’s only really distractions.”