WHERE: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, TN

WHEN: Tuesday, December 28, 5:45 p.m.

WATCH IT ON: ESPN

SERIES HISTORY: Mississippi State leads the series 4-2-1. The Bulldogs won the last four matchups between the two teams dating back to 1967-70.

CURRENT DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK ODDS: Mississippi State -8 (OVER/UNDER): 60

Mississippi State is 7-5 on the year. The Bulldogs got their season started by beating Louisiana Tech, 35-34, and NC State, 24-10, before losing to Memphis, 31-29, to wrap up the early season portion of their non-conference schedule. Mississippi State would kick off SEC play by losing to LSU, 28-25, but would bounce back the following week to beat Texas A&M in College Station, 26-22. The Bulldogs would take a, 49-9, drumming from Alabama before rebounding to beat Vanderbilt, 45-6, and Kentucky, 31-17. Mississippi State would lose a close game on the road to Arkansas, 31-28, but would again bounce back to beat Auburn, 43-34, and Tennessee State, 55-10, in the annual late season non-conference game for SEC teams. The Bulldogs lost to Ole Miss, 31-21, in the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving Day to wrap up their regular season schedule.

Mississippi State’s Mike Leach is in his second season at the helm for the Bulldogs and has a, 11-12, record as head coach. After going 4-7 in his first year, Leach has turned around a team that finished last in the SEC West standings a season ago. Mississippi State finished 2021 tied for third in the conference with a, 4-4, record in SEC play. This will be the first time Leach has faced Texas Tech since he was fired in 2009.

The Bulldogs are 23rd out of 130 FBS schools in total defense, giving up 330.9 yards per game, and 56th in scoring defense, allowing 25.2 points per game. They’re 90th in third down conversion percentage defense, allowing the opposition to convert on 41 percent of their attempts.

The Mississippi State defense has been stout against the run, ranked 10th and allowing only 100.8 yards per game on the ground. They’ve struggled at times with their pass defense, ranking 68th and are allowing 230.1 yards per game through the air.

The Bulldogs are tied for 62nd in the nation with 27 sacks and eight different defenders have recorded at least one sack this season. They’re 66th in tackles for loss per game with a 5.7 TFL average.

Mississippi State is 48th in scoring offense, putting up 30.9 points per game and 22nd in total offense, averaging 449.6 yards per game.

The Bulldogs are a true air raid attack this year. They’re 3rd in the country and lead the SEC in passing offense, averaging 385.7 yards per game and have 105 more yards through the air than second place Alabama.

The Mississippi State offense runs the football on roughly 28 percent of their snaps and are dead last, 130th in rushing, averaging 63.9 yards per game on the ground.

The sophomore quarterback was tied for second in the nation in passing with 4,439 yards through the air and ninth with 35 touchdown passes, breaking Dak Prescott’s single season records for passing yards and passing touchdowns. Rogers was 3rd in the SEC in passing efficiency this year with a 150.19 rating, finishing just behind Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral. Rogers made six starts as a true freshman in 2020 and posted single game records for completions, attempts, and passing yards by a freshman. He also broke the school record for passing yards in a season by a freshman and was the first freshman quarterback in school history with multiple 300-yard passing games.

The junior wideout finished 33rd in the NCAA with 989 receiving yards and 24th in receiving touchdowns, hauling in 9 scores for the Bulldogs offense. Polk’s 98 receptions tied him for second most in the country this year and his 8.2 receptions per game were good for 4th overall. His 98 grabs set a new Mississippi State record for receptions in a season, and he led the SEC in catches this year. Polk needs 46 yards in the Liberty Bowl against Texas Tech to break the school record for receiving yards in a season. He transferred over the offseason from the University of California, where he posted 478 yards and 3 touchdowns in 12 games played as a Golden Bear. Polk’s greatest strength is making plays on the ball in the air.

The senior linebacker led the Bulldog defense in sacks the last two seasons and was 12th in the SEC in sacks this year. Wheat is a physical edge rusher and at 6-foot-2, 269 pounds, he fits the mold for the prototypical 3-4 or 3-3-5 outside linebacker/defensive end. Wheat has 45 tackles with 6 sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery on the season. He made his Mississippi State debut in 2020 and was the highest rated defensive player for the Bulldogs, leading the team in coverage grade and was second in tackling and pass rush grades, according to Pro Football Focus. Wheat plays with a high motor and great speed, and he can disrupt an offensive gameplan with his ability to get after the quarterback and make plays in space.

The 2021 version of the Liberty Bowl should feature a battle of the passing games. Sonny Cumbie runs a more balanced offense than Mike Leach, but with the Mississippi State defense being stout against the run and more vulnerable through the air, expect Cumbie to try and expose their defense with the passing attack. Texas Tech will need Donovan Smith to play like he did in the Iowa State and Baylor games, when he averaged 292 yards passing and had 5 touchdowns through the air. Smith has -19 yards rushing the last two games, so extending plays and finding ways to gain positive yards when a play breaks down will be key in this contest. If the Red Raiders 118th ranked pass defense can’t get stops and slowdown Will Rogers, then the offense may be forced into a shootout type of game, throwing the ball downfield frequently to try and keep up with the Bulldog offense. The Texas Tech secondary will undoubtably be tested more often in coverage than they have been all season. Mississippi State likes to exploit defenses using the short passing game, and while they are 3rd in passing yards per game, they’re also second to last, 129th, in yards per completion. The Red Raider defense will have to do a good job of keeping guys in front of them, tackling in space and getting population to the ball carrier to limit the yards after catch. The Bulldog offense is 90th in the country with 30 sacks allowed. The opportunity will be there for the Texas Tech defensive line, led by Tyree Wilson and Jaylon Hutchings, to make their impact felt in this game and provide aid to the defensive backs by putting pressure on Rogers.

KEY OFFENSIVE MATCHUP: Donovan Smith vs. The Mississippi State Secondary

KEY DEFENSIVE MATCHUP: The Texas Tech Secondary vs. Will Rogers