Texas Tech Red Raiders vs Mississippi State Bulldogs Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 12/28/2021

Game Time: 6:45 pm ET, Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Venue:  Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, TN 

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  TT +8, MSST -8; Over/Under:  60 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  TT +8.5, MSST -8.5; Over/Under:  59.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  TT +8.5, MSST -8.5; Over/Under:  60.5 points

 

Texas Tech Red Raiders:  6-6 (9th place, Big 12)

Mississippi State Bulldogs:  7-5 (5th place, SEC West)

 

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Texas Tech Red Raiders:  lost on the road on Nov. 27 against the Baylor Bears 27-24.

Mississippi State Bulldogs:  lost at home on Nov. 25 against the Ole Miss Rebels 31-21.

 

 

 

Texas Tech is coming into this game after finishing their regular season with a 6-6 record overall and they are 1-0 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They have lost 4 of their 5 games and are coming into this one on a 2 game losing streak after another loss in their last game. Their last win was against the Iowa State Cyclones while their 4 losses in that span came against the Kansas State Wildcats, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, and the Baylor Bears in their last game. Donovan Smith completed 15/23 passes for 262 yards and 2 touchdowns in that one. Tahj Brooks led the team in rushing with 40 yards and 1 touchdown on 14 carries. Travis Koontz had a nice day as he led the receivers with 117 yards and 1 touchdown on 5 receptions while McLane Mannix had 57 yards and 1 touchdown on 2 receptions. Reggie Pearson led the defense in that game with 9 solo tackles and 2 assisted ones. Tony Bradford Jr. recorded the only sack in that game for them while no one on the defense came up with any interceptions in that one. They have scored 360 points in their 12 games this season averaging 30 PPG and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 385 points against them allowing 32.1 PPG. Their offense is averaging 408.5 YPG while their defense is allowing 410.8 YPG.

 

 

Mississippi State is coming into this game after finishing their regular season with a 7-5 record overall and they will be playing their first neutral site game of the season in this game. They have won 2 of their last 3 games but are coming into this one off of a loss in their last game which snapped a 2 game losing streak that they were on. Their 2 wins were against the Auburn Tigers and the Tennessee State Tigers while their loss came against the Ole Miss Rebels in their last game. Will Rogers completed 38/58 passes for 336 yards and 1 touchdown in that one. Jo'quavious Marks led the team in rushing with 45 yards and 1 touchdown on 8 carries. Makai Polk led the receivers with 98 yards on 10 receptions while Lideatrick Griffin had 77 yards on 5 receptions. Jaden Walley caught the lone touchdown pass in that one. Jalen Green led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles and 5 assisted ones. Nathaniel Watson recorded the only sack in that game for them while Jett Johnson came up with the only interception in that one. They have scored 371 points in their 12 games this season averaging 30.9 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 303 points against them allowing 25.3 PPG. Their offense is averaging 449.6 YPG while their defense is allowing 331.3 YPG.

 

Mississippi State is coming into this Liberty Bowl as an 8 point favorite with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Mississippi State was playing very well down the final stretch of their season while Texas Tech was headed in the opposite direction finishing the season off on a losing streak. Texas Tech did not have a good season this year, they played well in their first few games but that is where they got a majority of their wins. Their team had to deal with some injuries but they got worse as the season went on. Mississippi State started off bad but they got a lot better as the season went on and they even finished out their conference schedule strong. The best bet to place in this game is on Mississippi State to cover the spread here as they have been playing much better in recent games and should continue that here.

 

Texas Tech Mississippi State Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Tuesday, December 28, 2021 (6:45 pm ET start time) is Mississippi State 35 Texas Tech 21.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Texas Tech Red Raiders Mississippi State Bulldogs prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAF predictions and previews.

 

 

Texas Tech Red Raiders: 3-6 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 10 points. 1-5 ATS after having lost 4 out of their last 5 games. 0-6 ATS after covering the spread in 2 out of their last 3 games. 1-6 ATS off a close loss by 7 points or less to a conference rival. 1-5 ATS after a loss by 6 or less points. 2-11 ATS after 1 or more consecutive wins against the spread.

Mississippi State Bulldogs: 17-29 O/U when playing with 2 weeks or more of rest. 19-30 O/U after a bye week. 17-27 O/U after covering the spread in 3 out of their last 4 games. 6-18 O/U off an upset loss as a favorite. 2-11 O/U off an upset loss as a home favorite. 15-32 O/U after a 2 game home stand. 47-74 O/U after 1 or more consecutive losses against the spread. 7-18 O/U after 3 consecutive games where they forced 1 or less turnovers. 38-73 O/U after a game where they committed 1 or less turnovers.

 

 

Texas Tech Red Raiders:  T. Shough (QB) Late Dec - Collarbone injury. T. Koontz (TE) Ques Dec 28 - Undisclosed injury. M. Price (WR) Ques Dec 28 - Ankle injury.

Mississippi State Bulldogs:  B. Ruiz (K) Ques Dec 28 - Undisclosed injury. C. Ford (WR) Ques Dec 28 - Undisclosed injury. R. Thomas (WR) Ques Dec 28 - Undisclosed injury. M. Heath (WR) Ques Dec 28 - Undisclosed injury.

 

 

"Incredibly proud of our team, the fight that they showed. It's so easy when things go against you to take your ball and go home, to take your ball and stop playing and to stop fighting. And if anything, these kids did just the opposite." - Sonny Cumbie on his team’s loss against Baylor in their last game of the season.

 

 

"The stat sheet looks pretty good. We played hard. But they made more key plays and that's the difference." - Mike Leach on his team’s loss against Ole Miss in their last game of the regular season.

 

 

 

WR Geiger Sr., Kaylon 

WR Ezukanma, Erik 

WR Mannix, McLane 

TE Koontz, Travis 

QB Smith, Donovan

RB Thompson, SaRodorick 

 

WR Heath, Malik 

WR Polk, Makai 

WR Calvin, Jamire 

WR Austin Williams 

QB Rogers, Will 

RB Jernighan, J.J. 

 

 

Passing: H. Colombi (1291)

Rushing: T. Brooks (461)

Receiving: E. Ezukanma (705)

Touchdowns: S. Thompson (9)

 

Passing: W. Rogers (4449)

Rushing: D. Johnson (432)

Receiving: M. Polk (989)

Touchdowns: M. Polk (9)

 

Coaches:

Texas Tech Red Raiders: Sonny Cumbie (Interim)

Mississippi State Bulldogs: Mike Leach (2nd season)