The first annual Frisco Bowl will kickoff this Wednesday, December 20th. This game may be one of the most interesting games to watch. Louisiana Tech (6-6) will face SMU (7-5) in Frisco Texas.
Expect to see a lot of scouts at this one. Both teams are going to have some players moving on to the NFL.
DXL Frisco Bowl
Game Details
Teams: Louisiana Tech (6-6) vs. SMU (7-5)
Date: Wednesday, December 20th
Time: 8 pm EDT
Location: Frisco, TX
TV: ESPN
Louisiana Tech
Louisiana Tech is very fortunate to be playing in a bowl game this year. The Bulldogs were nearing the end of the season, at 4-6 and pulled off two key wins; 42-21 over UTEP in El Paso and UTSA at home 20-6 to finish 6-6. The 6-6 finish was just enough to get into the postseason.
The Bulldogs offense was down this year from 44 points a game, to about 28 points a game. No doubt, they lost some firepower from last year’s team. Wide receivers Carlos Henderson and Trent Taylor were two guys that enhanced the Tech offense from the 2016 team. Both receivers helped the team put up a bunch of points last year.
Both Taylor and Henderson were drafted into the NFL. Also, Safety Xavier Woods went from the defensive side to the Dallas Cowboys.
Furthermore, this 2017 team had only 11 returning starters from the year before. In addition, there were many close games, where the Bulldogs had to pull out some close victories. That being said, the one thing that is almost a given is their home field advantage. Louisiana Tech is 14-2 in the last couple of years in Ruston.
Their best player is defensive end Taylor Ferguson Jr. who may declare for the NFL Draft as a junior. If he can get in and disrupt SMU’s high flying offense, then this might be a close game.
SMU
The “Pony Express” may finally be back after years of irrelevance. SMU has a team that Dallas should be proud of. After five years straight of losing seasons, the Mustangs have reached the postseason. Actually, the last time SMU was in a bowl was 2012. They played in the Hawaii Bowl and defeated Fresno St. 43-10. Since then, the Mustangs have finished 5-7, 1-11, 2-10, and 5-7 until this year’s turnaround.
As a consequence, their coach at the time Chad Morris, moved on to the SEC with the Arkansas job. Filling his shoes is Sonny Dykes. Ironically, Dykes started his head coaching career with Louisiana Tech from 2010-2012. He helped the Bulldogs win a WAC Championship back in 2011 and was the Coach of the Year.
Now, SMU is looking to close their season on a winning note. After starting 4-1, the Mustangs slipped a bit but still finished at 7-5 to earn a bowl bid. Surely, the evidence was there in 2016, when they knocked off #11 ranked Houston 38-16. In that game, the Mustangs were a 22-point underdog.
SMU had 14 returning starters from the 2016 team and had a great nucleus already built in Dallas. Also, like Louisiana Tech, Courtland Sutton Jr. is slated to be drafted in the NFL in 2018. Sutton could a top 20 pick or higher. Expect a ton of scouts to be at this game.
Prediction
SMU is going to be a tough out for Louisiana Tech but look for a very entertaining high scoring affair. This could be close at halftime but expect SMU to run away with this game late.
Prediction: SMU 45 Louisiana Tech 30
