PALMER: Five things to watch in the Texas Bowl

By Hunt Palmer

LSU began bowl prep this week, and the Tigers will take off to Houston in a week’s time to take on Baylor in the Kinder’s Texas Bowl.

The 2021 Texas Bowl and 2023 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl scarred me.

Jontre Kirklin’s postgame quotes about lacing up the helmets and playing like Tigers were admirable, but it didn’t make the game more entertaining. Purdue’s six good players and entire coaching staff bailed before the game against LSU. That game was a joke, too.

The results of these bowl games have lost their meaning. I can’t buy “building momentum” for next season. No value in adding the win to the left side of the record ledger.

It’s a glorified scrimmage.

That doesn’t mean nothing at all can be gained. Last year Garrett Nussmeier and Joe Sloan got a month to gameplan and play as a dress rehearsal for 2024. I thought that was helpful to them and interesting to the fans.

This year I’m looking for some other noteworthy players and performances in the bowl game. Here are the Top 5.

Tackle Tandem

At this point, my assumption is that Gio Paez and Paris Shand will play, and good for them. Both have been selfless and productive in in purple and gold, changing positions and playing with great effort. I have no doubt they’ll go out there and play their butts off. That said, I’m more interested in the continued development of Dominick McKinley and Ahmad Breaux. Jacobian Guillory figures to grab a starting spot at defensive tackle next year. Still Breaux and McKinley figure squarely in the conversation. LSU’s great teams have been stout at the point of attack. Hell, all great teams are stout at the point of attack. Both Breaux and McKinley were great last we saw them against Oklahoma. Here’s another opportunity for growth.

Tackle Tandem (Part 2)

Let’s flip sides of the ball. Will Campbell isn’t playing in this game, and I would imagine Emery Jones won’t either. But I don’t know that. Tyree Adams and Weston Davis are the next two men up at tackle, and until some more transfer portal news breaks, they’re the favorites for those spots next year. Here’s a dress rehearsal for those two who haven’t really seen any meaningful time. Adams surged to the “sixth man” role in fall camp before that freak hernia issue sidelined him for more than half the year. Davis was a five-star prospect in the 2024 class who looks the part but hasn’t played it. This could be a great opportunity for both.

Healthy Hilton

Those two touchdowns against Oklahoma showed a glimpse of what Hilton can be. As well as LSU threw the ball this year, the Tigers finished ninth in the SEC with 20 catches of 30-plus yards. They just didn’t stretch the field. They missed Hilton whose touchdowns against the Sooners were from 40 and 45 yards out. The redshirt junior wide out is healthy, and catches are available with CJ Daniels gone and Kyren Lacy having a bowl game decision to make. I’d love to see Hilton get out there and make some plays in the passing game.

Spears at Safety

Brian Kelly said it multiple times this year. LSU simply has to be better at safety. The coaching staff made the decision to stick with the experienced players the second half of the year. The results weren’t great. Spears played 28 snaps against Nicholls and then a season-high 44 at South Carolina. After back-to-back 37-snap outings against UCLA and South Alabama, he never got more than 13 the rest of the way. He’s just a true freshman, so no need for panic. But his physical traits offer massive potential. Right now, LSU is still searching for safety help in the portal. Major Burns is moving on, and Sage Ryan is transferring out. Spears figures to be the future. I have to think he factors into this game plan heavily.

Green Machine

LSU doesn’t have options at tight end. Mason Taylor is done and Ka’Morreun Pimpton portalled. So, it’s Trey’Dez Green’s gig for this one. He’s got a pair of touchdown catches this year, but only seven total grabs on the season for a long of 12 yards. He’ll see far more action on New Year’s Eve. I’m curious to watch him block a little bit more than he has this year, and of course you want to see the 6-foot-7 target with go-go Gadget arms makes some plays in the passing game.