Date: Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Where: Memphis, Tennessee
When: 4:00 PM Eastern Time
TV: ESPN
Line: Mississippi State -7, Over/Under is at 50.5
Rice Owls (10-3 Overall, 7-1 in C-USA, Finished 1st in West Division)
Rice started the season with a 21 point loss to Texas A&M, but they played well against the Aggies despite the large margin. In their 2nd game, Rice took on another Big 12 team and this time won, beating Kansas 23-14 at home. Rice lost to Houston in the 3rd game of the year and sat at 1-2. Rice won their next 5 games before falling to North Texas on the road, 28-16 with their record at 6-3. Again, Rice would go on a winning streak, this time 4 games including the Conference USA Championship over Marshall. They finished 10-3 and won their first outright championship since 1957. Here are Rice's stats for the 2013 season:
Last Bowl Game: 2012 Armed Forces Bowl vs. Air Force (33-14 Win)
Passing Offense: 185.5 yards per game (101st in the FBS)
Rushing Offense: 240.2 yards per game (16th)
Points Scored per Game: 31.4 points per game (52nd)
Passing Defense: 195.7 yards per game (13th)
Rushing Defense: 240.2 yards per game (16th)
Points Allowed per Game: 22.9 points per game (33rd)
Player to Watch: Running Back Charles Ross. He is the top rusher for the run based Rice Owls. He has 1,252 yards and 14 touchdowns this year in 11 games. He missed the Florida Atlantic and Tulsa games due to a knee injury. In the 3 losses, Ross had 46 carries for 263 yards and 3 touchdowns to help make the point he will play big even if Rice loses this game.
Mississippi State Bulldogs (6-6 Overall, 3-5 in SEC, Finished T-5th in West Division)
It has been an up and down year in Starksville. The Bulldogs opened the season with a loss at Oklahoma State and then a win against FCS Alcorn State. In the 3rd game, they lost on a last second drive to Auburn and then demolished Troy to get to 2-2. They ended up at 4-3 heading into a stretch of games against South Carolina, Texas A&M, and Alabama. Mississippi State lost all three games and needed to win their final 2 games to reach bowl eligibility. They ended up needing overtime to beat both Arkansas and Ole Miss to get to 6-6. Here are Mississippi State's stats for the 2013 season:
Last Bowl Game: 2013 Gator Bowl vs. Northwestern (34-20 Loss)
Passing Offense: 240.3 yards per game (57th in the FBS)
Rushing Offense: 185.5 yards per game (45th)
Points Scored per Game: 26.3 points per game (82nd)
Passing Defense: 215.3 yards per game (35th)
Rushing Defense: 151.1 yards per game (46th)
Points Allowed per Game: 24.3 points per game (2nd)
Player to Watch: Quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott is both the team's leading passer and leading rusher. He only has 1,657 yards and 7 touchdowns through the air, but added another 751 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. He is going to need to play well for Mississippi State to win.
Prediction
This looks like a defensive battle here in the Liberty Bowl. Rice ranks in the top 16 in both passing and rushing defense. Meanwhile, Mississippi State ranks in the top 46 in both passing and rushing defense. For the record, Rice has the 24th ranked in total defense and Mississippi State is at 34th. It very well could be the first to 20 points who wins this game. Let's go with Rice to pull the upset and win 20-13.