Mississippi State: 3 things to know about Tulsa football
Mississippi State is going for its first bowl win since 2017. It's not going to be easy.
The Bulldogs are up against a Tulsa team that was nearly crowned American Athletic Conference champion. The Golden Hurricane lost on a last second field goal to undefeated Cincinnati.
Mississippi State, meanwhile, went 3-7 this season with wins over LSU, Vanderbilt and Missouri. None of those teams finished the regular season with a winning record.
Tulsa did.
The No. 25 Golden Hurricane are 6-2. Here are three things to know about Mississippi State's matchup with the AAC runner-up in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl from Fort Worth, Texas, at 11 a.m. CT on Dec. 31.
Tulsa is favored
Mississippi State will be in a familiar situation.
The Bulldogs opened as 2.5-point underdogs according to ESPN. They've been underdogs in every game this season except for against Arkansas and Vanderbilt.
Overall, Mississippi State is 4-6 against the spread. As underdogs, they're 4-4. Tulsa has been nearly flawless against the spread, meanwhile. The Golden Hurricane are 7-1.
Bounce back season
This is Tulsa's first winning season since 2016. The Golden Hurricane went 2-10, 3-9 and 4-8 in the three seasons leading up to this one.
Coach Philip Montgomery has only had two winning seasons, including this one, in his six-year tenure. He's going for his third bowl win at Tulsa and his first since 2016.
Three-headed monster
Tulsa's offense doesn't do anything spectacular. The Golden Hurricane rank No. 51 in passing offense and No. 69 in rushing offense nationally. But Mississippi State still needs to watch out for a trio of tailbacks.
Three Tulsa running backs have gotten 80 or more carries. T.K. Wilkerson, Corey Taylor II and Deneric Prince have combined for 1,177 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.
Senior quarterback Zach Smith has only accounted for 1,537 yards and 12 touchdowns, so the Bulldogs will have to make sure they aren't beaten by the Golden Hurricane's three leading rushers.