Scouting report for Mississippi St. in Liberty Bowl
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football is headed to Memphis for the second time this season, this time to face an opponent Mike Leach knows well.
The Bulldogs landed in the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 28 (5:45 CT, ESPN) against Texas Tech — the school that fired Leach in 2009. Leach hasn't faced the Red Raiders since his departure.
Mississippi State (7-4, 4-4 SEC) and Texas Tech (6-6, 3-6 Big 12) have met seven times, most recently a 20-16 win for the Bulldogs in 1970. Here's what to know about Mississippi State's bowl opponent.
Coaching change
Texas Tech fired coach Matt Wells on Oct. 25, and while Baylor associate head coach Joey Mcguire was hired last month to replace Wells, he won't take over until after the season. That leaves interim head coach Sonny Cumbie at the helm for one more game before he heads to lead Louisiana Tech's program. Cumbie played for Leach at Texas Tech, walking on in 2000 and serving as the backup quarterback for three seasons. In 2004, Cumbie threw for 4,742 yards, 32 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. His best game came against California in the Holiday Bowl that year, with a career-high 520 passing yards to go along with three touchdowns, leading the Red Raiders to a win.
Leach gave Cumbie a start in coaching, too, making him a graduate assistant in 2009, in charge of coaching the quarterbacks and preparing the defensive scout team.
Trouble against the pass
Texas Tech will know just how Leach intends to run his offense in the Liberty
Bowl — he coached there for 10 seasons.
He's going to air it out. Quarterback Will Rogers is second in the country with 4,449 passing yards and leads the nation in completion percentage (75.1) and completions per game (39.42).
But Texas Tech may not be able to stop Rogers and the Mississippi State offense.
The Red Raiders rank 118th in the country, allowing an average of 266.4 passing yards a game. They haven't been strong in total defense, either, allowing 410.1 yards per game — 91st in FBS. And their scoring defense ranks 104th, giving up an average of 32.1 points each game.
Mississippi State has the third-best passing offense in the country and has scored 30.9 points per game. If Rogers and the receivers are clicking, it could be a long day for Texas Tech.
Kicking superiority
If there's one area in which Texas Tech has a distinct advantage, it's the kickers. The Bulldogs have struggled, with Brandon Ruiz and Nolan Mccord converting 14 of 25 field goals.
For the Red Raiders, kicker Jonathan Garibay has been consistent, earning his team's only All-big 12 first-team selection. Garibay has made 92.9% of his field goals — the fifth-best mark in the country.
The senior's signature moment came against Iowa State, booting a 62-yard game-winning field goal through the uprights.
Score prediction
Mississippi State 38, Texas Tech 27: Expect Rogers to continue what already has been a record-breaking season for the Bulldogs, exposing a Red Raiders secondary that hasn't had much success this season. And Leach will have the added motivation of beating his former program.