ESPN 98.1 FM – 850 AM WRUF ESPN 98.1 FM – 850 AM WRUF
Saturday, Dec.31
#20 LSU (7-4) vs. #13 Louisville (9-3), Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl in Orlando, FL (ABC/11 a.m. ET)
Arguably the most high profile bowl game where any SEC team is involved, this is going to be a classic offense vs. defense match up. Led by Heisman winner QB Lamar Jackson, the Cardinals are averaging a video-game-like 70 points per game and 663 yards per game, both first in all of college football. Those wonky numbers are thanks to Jackson, who is top 15 in both rushing yards and passing yards and is accountable for 51 (!) touchdowns. Louisville was primed to be in the playoffs but collapsed at the end with losses to Houston and a stunner vs. Kentucky. If there’s any silver lining for LSU, it’s that they finished the season slow. Jackson has four passing touchdowns in his last three games with three INT.
The Tigers are another SEC team filled with failed expectations. Still reeling from a devastating finish to the Florida rescheduling debacle, LSU head coach Ed Orgeron is still searching for his first signature win after taking over the team mid season. Like the Cardinals, the Tigers have an elite run game. Leonard Fournette played in only seven games because of injuries but he’s been back in the last four. As a result, sophomore Derrius Guice stepped up and took off. He finished the season with a 285-yard, four-TD performance against Texas A&M and has 620 rushing yards in his last three.
Their defense is staunch, too. They are sixth in the FBS with 16 points per game against and 13th with 323 yards per game against. If they can hold down Jackson, there could be an upset brewing.
Georgia Tech (8-4) vs. Kentucky (7-5), TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville, FL (ESPN/11 a.m. ET)
The curse of a 5-7 season is finally over for Mark Stoops and his Kentucky squad. After an ominous 0-2 start portended bad things for the Wildcats, they went 7-3 the rest of the way and even challenged for the SEC East title at one point. Beating Louisville in their final game was icing on the cake. The Wildcat offense is pretty straightforward — run the ball. Stanley “Boom” Williams leads the team with 1,135 yards and seven scores and helps takes pressure off QB Stephen Johnson, who finished strong with five touchdowns in his last two games, but has only 12 scores to six picks.
The Yellow Jackets are almost a mirror match. They run the option over and over and while UK has had a few weeks to prepare, nothing matches the actual thing. Georgia Tech finished the season 5-1 including a win over Virginia Tech and are 16th in FBS in rushing yards per game with 257 yards thanks to the option. The question then becomes who can stop the run game better? Georgia Tech edges out UK, holding rushing opponents to 174 yards per game to Kentucky’s 225.
