To say LSU will be shorthanded tonight in the Texas Bowl would be an understatement.
Division I college football teams are normally allowed to have a max of 85 scholarship players on the roster. The Tigers will take the field with less than 40 available against Kansas State. But that hasn't affected the belief of the Bayou Bengals.
"Theres a lot of young guys that are working really hard," LSU Interim Coach Brad Davis said. "When I say young guys, I mean guys that may have not got many opportunities in the regular season. So as coaches, it's our to job to really find what they do well and accent that. I'm proud of the way these kids been working. They've been unbelievable in this whole process. From the onset of bowl prep to right now. They want to win the game. That's the biggest piece. They want to win."
Despite the low numbers, LSU will still have a lot of Acadiana flavor on display tonight. Freshman All-American tight end Jack Bech and freshman All-SEC wide receiver Malik Nabers are expected to start. Meanwhile 1st year defensive back Sage Ryan is listed as the 2nd string nickelback, and should see significant time in the slot.
This has become common for the Acadiana area over the last few years, with Westgate product Kayshon Boutte also putting up great numbers before his season-ending injury. But for the group, making an impact so early is a point of pride.
"It's definitely really cool. We all have a really good relationship. Me and Malik (Nabers) are like that," as Jack Bech proceeds to cross his fingers. "It's cool we're all from the same area. We grew up the same area. It's pretty cool knowing how the 337 area has.... how many kids we have doing well on the team."
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