Writer - Ryan Musich
HOUSTON, Texas---The fourth best team in Conference USA’s West Division, Louisiana Tech, faces off against the fourth best team in the American Conference’s West Division, SMU, December 20th in Frisco, Texas for the first annual Frisco Bowl.
This game will be played at a neutral site, as it will be played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, but this could turn into a home game for Mustangs as the SMU campus is just right down the road from Frisco.
SMU will be playing their first game with new Head Coach Sonny Dykes at the helm. Dykes will certainly not have time to implement his high powered offense, so look for some of the assistants from former Head Coach Chad Morris’s staff to help with the play calling.
This one sets up to be a shootout, as both offenses have been prolific throughout the year. With SMU’s offense averaging close to over 500 yards a game and Louisiana Tech’s offense averaging almost 410 yards, points are bound to come in flurries in this game.
For the Mustangs, the key to their offense is quarterback Ben Hicks. Hicks threw for over 3400 yards and 32 touchdowns to go along with only nine interceptions. It will be interesting to see how Hicks and Dykes click throughout the game.
Defensively for the Mustangs, senior defensive end Justin Lawler, sophomore safety Mikial Onu, and sophomore defensive back Rodney Clemons highlight the playmakers on this Mustangs defense to keep an eye on during this game.
Louisiana Tech did not clinch a bowl bid until the regular season finale against UTSA. There were 81 teams eligible to earn a bowl game invitation, three more than the 78 total spots, and the Bulldogs ended up one of the fortunate 6-6 teams to be extended a bid into the postseason.
Tech will rely on sophomore quarterback J’Mar Smith and Conference USA co-newcomer of the year wide receiver Teddy Veal to carry their offense. Defensively, players like junior defensive end Jaylon Ferguson, senior safety Secdrick Cooper, and freshman cornerback Amik Robertson will have the hefty task of trying to slow down an exciting SMU offense.
Prediction:
These two teams have the opportunity to play one of the more entertaining bowl games this season, but I think SMU has too much firepower for Louisiana Tech. Sonny Dykes will get off to an excellent start heading into his off-season when his ponies win 52-28.
This game will be played at a neutral site, as it will be played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, but this could turn into a home game for Mustangs as the SMU campus is just right down the road from Frisco.
SMU will be playing their first game with new Head Coach Sonny Dykes at the helm. Dykes will certainly not have time to implement his high powered offense, so look for some of the assistants from former Head Coach Chad Morris’s staff to help with the play calling.
This one sets up to be a shootout, as both offenses have been prolific throughout the year. With SMU’s offense averaging close to over 500 yards a game and Louisiana Tech’s offense averaging almost 410 yards, points are bound to come in flurries in this game.
For the Mustangs, the key to their offense is quarterback Ben Hicks. Hicks threw for over 3400 yards and 32 touchdowns to go along with only nine interceptions. It will be interesting to see how Hicks and Dykes click throughout the game.
Defensively for the Mustangs, senior defensive end Justin Lawler, sophomore safety Mikial Onu, and sophomore defensive back Rodney Clemons highlight the playmakers on this Mustangs defense to keep an eye on during this game.
Louisiana Tech did not clinch a bowl bid until the regular season finale against UTSA. There were 81 teams eligible to earn a bowl game invitation, three more than the 78 total spots, and the Bulldogs ended up one of the fortunate 6-6 teams to be extended a bid into the postseason.
Tech will rely on sophomore quarterback J’Mar Smith and Conference USA co-newcomer of the year wide receiver Teddy Veal to carry their offense. Defensively, players like junior defensive end Jaylon Ferguson, senior safety Secdrick Cooper, and freshman cornerback Amik Robertson will have the hefty task of trying to slow down an exciting SMU offense.
Prediction:
These two teams have the opportunity to play one of the more entertaining bowl games this season, but I think SMU has too much firepower for Louisiana Tech. Sonny Dykes will get off to an excellent start heading into his off-season when his ponies win 52-28.