College Bowl Preview — QB Chaos Could Hurt LSU in Texas Bowl

OnlineSportsBet customers may be well aware that the LSU Tigers are in the middle of a transition period. Ed Orgeron, who had his moment in the sun a couple of years ago when passing game “consultant” Joe Brady and quarterback Joe Burrow took him to a national championship, kind of fell apart without those two, and despite his popularity in the state he was done in not just by lack of performance, but by some personal issues as well. Truth be told, the latter was probably brought about by the former.

Now LSU is ready to leap into a new era as they reached out and snagged Brian Kelly, who of course had been coaching at Notre Dame, who signed a ten-year contract.

Kelly is making recruiting plans and filling out his staff, but he most likely has his hand on what is going on with the program as it has prepared for its Texas Bowl appearance against the Kansas State Wildcats, which is scheduled to kick off at 9 PM ET at NRG Stadium in Houston.

Kelly will not be on the sidelines for this game. Brad Davis, who was offensive line coach under Orgeron and will fill the same role under Kelly, will be the interim head coach for this game, so there is a certain degree of continuity.

It is not known how many players will actually stick around next year for Kelly’s first season, as there is a different system to adapt to and the new coach’s preferences to consider. But there are opt-outs to look at, as well as a situation at the quarterback spot that has created some consternation.

Kansas State is the big favorite in the game, as is listed in the Texas Bowl odds at OnlineSportsBet:

Kansas State Wildcats -9 (+100)

LSU Tigers +9 (-120)

Over 47 points -107

Under 47 points -113

It was kind of tough to get a handle as to what was going to happen with the Bayou Bengals in advance of this game, because nobody knew who would be playing quarterback.

Max Johnson was the starter during the regular season, and when you look at his numbers (27 TD’s, 6 INT’s), you know that this team could have gone into this contest with a lot of confidence.

But alas, Johnson announced his intentions to transfer. And there were injuries as well. The only experienced QB available would have been freshman Garrett Nussmaier, but the problem with him is that he wanted to redshirt, and having played bits and pieces of four games, he would have surrendered that had he played.

The school applied for a waiver with the NCAA, but apparently that waiver has been denied.

So what does that leave LSU with?

One of them is Tevion Faulk, whose father, Kevin Faulk, is a former LSU star who is now the team’s running back coach. And the other is Matt O’Dowd, who would be appearing in his first game as a walk-on.

This wouldn’t be so bad if LSU had a deep and accomplished running back corps. But they don’t, because Tyrion Davis-Price, the top ground gainer -by a mile – is absent from the team for personal reasons.

On defense, All-America linebacker Damone Clark is opting out. So is Derek Stingley Jr., who is likely to be a top NFL draft pick. Eli Ricks, another All-American, is transferring to Alabama.

K-State doesn’t have any opt-out problems. All the seniors are sticking. That includes QB Skylar Thompson, who should be playing after an injury. With tiny Deuce Vaughn, the ‘Cats have the most potent offensive weapon on the field (1717 yards from scrimmage, 5.9 ypc). And the D-line has allowed just 3.6 yards per rushing attempt.

LSU recruits well, so it is expected that they have more talent, even after the guys who are stepping out. But the focus isn’t nearly as intense as it is on the Kansas State side. That counts for something, and even if it’s not a big play, we’ll go with the favorite.

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