Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel has a chance to continue his huge numbers against Louisiana Tech. (US Presswire) |
No. 22 Texas A&M (4-1, 2-1 SEC) vs. No. 23 Louisiana Tech (5-0, 0-0 WAC) at Independence Stadium, Shreveport, La.
Kickoff: Saturday, 9 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
Spread: Texas A&M by 8
Watchability: If you like offense, this is the game for you. The Aggies are eighth in the nation in scoring with 44.6 points per game, while the Bulldogs come in third nationally with 53.2 points per game. Louisiana Tech has a chance to crash a BCS bowl, but it will likely need to win this game against an up-and-coming SEC team to make it.
Shining stars: Texas A&M: QB Johnny Manziel is one of the most exciting players in the conference. The redshirt freshman has thrown for 1,285 yards, 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions on the season. Those numbers are impressive, but add in his 495 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground this season, and it’s clear why defenses are beginning to fear the young signal-caller. Louisiana Tech: WR Quinton Patton might be the best receiver you haven’t heard of. The senior has 34 receptions for 532 yards and five touchdowns on the season. He’s coming off a junior season where he had over 1,200 yards receiving, so he’s continuing to prove he’s one of the top WRs in the country.
Who could steal the show: Texas A&M: Manziel gets most of the credit, but freshman WR Mike Evans is having a huge debut season for the Aggies as well. He leads the Aggies with 32 receptions for 412 yards. At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, he’ll be a tough matchup for any CB on Tech’s roster. Louisiana Tech: QB Colby Cameron is among the most accurate passers in the nation. His 68.3 percent completion rate is impressive, as is the fact that he hasn’t thrown an interception all season. In total, he’s completed 123 of 180 attempts for 1,456 yards in 2012.
You going? Ranking the road trip: Shreveport might not be the top college football destination in the country, but this should be a fun game to go to. Both programs are excited about their teams, and it’s within driving distance from each campus, so there will be a good mix of fans.
Magic number for Texas A&M: 10. The Aggies have won all 10 matchups against the Bulldogs, dating back to 1981.
Magic number for Louisiana Tech: 4. As in, four of the last five games Louisiana Tech has played against the SEC have either been a win or a loss within one score.
The game comes down to: Texas A&M should be able to move the ball and score, but can it get some stops against this explosive Tech offense? The Bulldogs have scored against everybody they’ve played. They haven’t had this kind of test yet, but they’ve had no problem scoring a lot of points against BCS conference opponents Virginia and Illinois this season. It will likely be a shootout, but the Aggies should have enough of an advantage on the lines to pull out a close win.
Prediction: Texas A&M 42, Louisiana Tech 38
For more up-to-the minute news and analysis from SEC bloggers Larry Hartstein and Daniel Lewis, follow @CBSSportsSEC.