LSU vs. Texas A&M: Cotton Bowl

The LSU Tigers face the Texas A&M Aggies in the 75th Cotton Bowl Friday night in Cowboys Stadium. It will air at 8:00 on FOX. Texas A&M is ranked 18th while LSU is 11th.

The two teams come in having taken differing paths. LSU began the season 7-0 and got into BCS title contention before losing at Auburn. The Tigers (10-2) then lost their finale to Arkansas.

Texas A&M lost its first three games against AQ competition before switching quarterbacks. Once Ryan Tannehill was under center, the Aggies came together. In fact, they are 6-0 since he took over the offense, including wins over bowl teams Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Baylor and Nebraska.

The junior quarterback completed 65.3 percent of his passes for 11 touchdowns against just three interceptions. Jeff Fuller and Ryan Swope give Tannehill a pair of capable wideouts in the aerial attack. Another change for the Aggies offense that coincided perfectly with the 6-0 finish was the emergence of junior running back Cyrus Gray as a star.

Gray took over as a starter just as Tannehill did, as starting running back Christine Michael broke his leg. Gray took the opportunity and never looked back, ripping off at least 100 yards in each of the six games and scoring 10 touchdowns in the stretch. He exploded for 223 yards and a pair of TDs in the final game of the season, a 24-17 win over Texas.

Cotton Bowl: Final Box Score | LSU Rolls

LSU also has a stud running back to stabilize the offense. Stevan Ridley ran for 1,042 yards and 14 touchdowns. There were questions about his eligibility a few weeks ago, but those have since been resolved. Quarterback Jordan Jefferson has been a question for the Tigers for much of the season. The junior has thrown nine interceptions with just four touchdowns. He can run, though, having rushed for 383 yards and six touchdowns. Jarrett Lee provides an alternative in passing situations, but his numbers are only marginally better. The true upside is he takes much better care of the ball, while lacking the ability to scramble away from pressure.

Where LSU actually wins games is with defense and special teams. All American cornerback Patrick Peterson won the Bednarik (top defensive player) and Jim Thorpe (best defensive back) awards this season. The Tigers rank eighth in the nation in total defense, while checking in at 10th against the pass in ninth in points allowed. The size and speed both will be a big test for the hot Aggies' offense.

If and when LSU forces A&M to punt, waiting for the ball will be the dangerous Peterson. He finished fourth in the nation at 11.3 yards per return and took two back for touchdowns. He also averages 29.3 yards per kick return, good for sixth in the country.

The A&M defense is led by linebacker Von Miller, who won the 2010 Butkus Award.

Both coaches entered the season under some scrutiny, but have managed to fight off critics with a good season. Les Miles is 89-38 at LSU, but followed a national championship with nine losses in the following two seasons. Mike Sherman was 10-15 through two seasons at A&M, but the six-game winning streak has given him a winning record overall and bought him at least another year -- if not a few more.