The Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Rice Owls both head into the Liberty Bowl on
the heels of historic feats. For Mississippi State, the Bulldogs are headed to their fourth
consecutive bowl game for the first time in school history.
The Owls also had a major accomplishment winning their first-ever Conference USA
championship with a 41-24 win over Marshall. The championship also gave them their
first outright football conference championship of any kind in 56 years.
The Bulldogs are looking for another winning season. The Rice Owls are looking for
their 16th win in their last 19 games. The AutoZone Liberty bowl could be epic.
Why Rice can win this game
The Owls are a very good football team regardless of the conference. In fact, it is hard
to find many weaknesses on this team. Running back Charles Ross is NFL-good, and
the Owls have already proven they can run the football against an SEC team.
Against the Texas A&M Aggies in the season opener, the Owls totaled 509 offensive
yards including 306 rushing yards and 31 points.
One of the reasons the Owls are looking for their
first 11-win season in school history is because
they make the most of their opportunities. Rice
scored on 42 of 47 red-zone trips in the regular
season, which was good for second in the C-USA.
Moreover, 35 of those 42 scores resulted in
touchdowns.
The Owls also have a very talented secondary led by Phillip Gaines and Bryce Callahan
and will play man-to-man most of the game. They will fill the box and do their best to
make Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott beat them with his arm.
This has worked well for them all season, and their pass defense ranks 13th in the
country, allowing 195.7 yards per game.
Why Mississippi State can win this game
The Bulldogs have been defeated six times this season. However, those six losses
were against Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, South Carolina and Auburn.
In other words, the Bulldogs might be the best 6-6 team in college football, and they’re
certainly battle-tested.
The Bulldogs offense has not been consistent, but they do have two of the best
playmakers in football with quarterback Prescott and wide receiver Jameon Lewis. Both