Ole Miss is going bowling again, but a late-season slump relegated the Rebels to something different. So, the 8-4 Rebels will take on 7-5 Texas Tech in the TaxAct Texas Bowl on Dec. 28 at 8 p.m. CT in Houston.

The Rebels have gone bowling in all 3 seasons under head coach Lane Kiffin. Only 1 other head coach in Ole Miss history has qualified for bowl games in their first 3 seasons. Newly named Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze did it for the Rebels from 2012-14. Freeze is the only Rebels head coach to go to bowl games in each of his first 4 seasons.

The Rebels will be making their 1st Texas Bowl appearance and are going to their 1st bowl game in the state of Texas since back-to-back appearances in the 2008 and ’09 Cotton Bowl games.

Here are 5 things to know about the Rebels’ Big 12 opponent:

1. Ole Miss holds all-time edge

The Rebels hold a 4-2 all-time advantage over Texas Tech. Ironically, the last time the teams met, it was the 2018 season opener at NRG Stadium, the site of the Texas Bowl. The Rebels came away with a 47-27 victory to increase their all-time lead over the Red Raiders.

It was the 2nd straight victory for Ole Miss over Texas Tech, with the Rebels having won, 47-34, in the 2009 Cotton Bowl. Prior to that, Texas Tech swept a 2002-03 home-and-home series, downing Ole Miss 49-45 in Oxford after winning 42-28 in Lubbock the year before.

The 1st 2 games between the schools were played in Shreveport, Louisiana, at the 1998 and 1986 Independence Bowls, where the Rebels came away with victories of 35-18 and 20-17.

2. Red Raiders in back-to-back bowls

It’s the 1st time since 2012 and ’13 that Texas Tech has qualified for the postseason in consecutive seasons, and a fitting reward for Red Raiders 1st-year head coach Joey McGuire. Texas Tech won the Liberty Bowl last season under interim head coach Sonny Cumbie. It broke a bowl drought that extended back to the 2013 Holiday Bowl in which unranked Texas Tech upset No. 16 Arizona, 37-23, in the Red Raiders’ 1st year under current Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

This will be the 40th bowl appearance all-time for Texas Tech.

3. Red Raiders return to familiar ground

Texas Tech will be returning to the Texas Bowl for the 5th time in program history. That’s the 2nd-most of any bowl for the Red Raiders, who last played there in 2015. They are 2-2 in Texas Bowl games, with wins over Navy (2003) and Minnesota (2012).

The Sun Bowl is Texas Tech’s most visited postseason game, with the Red Raiders having played there 8 times, but not since 1993.

4. Pass-happy Red Raiders

Texas Tech led the Big 12 in passing this season, with 3 players throwing for more than 1,000 yards. Talk about your quarterback controversies. Sophomore Donovan Smith started the season but was slowed by a shoulder injury after 5 games.

Freshman Behren Morton took over and played 4 games before being sidelined by an ankle injury.

Senior Tyler Shough finished out the regular season, capping an outstanding stretch with a 436-yard passing game in the regular-season finale, a 51-48 overtime victory over Oklahoma.

For the year, Smith finished with 1,505 passing yards and 12 TDs, while Morton piled up 1,117 yards and 7 scores, and Shough contributed 1,062 yards and 6 TDs.

5. Red Raiders on a roll

Texas Tech was a mere 4-5 heading into the homestretch this season. But a 43-28 victory over Kansas started the Red Raiders on a 3-game winning streak to close out the regular season, their longest since 1995 and their longest Big 12 winning streak since 2013.

Texas Tech followed up with wins at Iowa State (14-10) and against Oklahoma in that aforementioned wild overtime shootout in which the Red Raiders overcame an 18-point deficit. It was the Red Raiders’ 1st victory over Oklahoma since 2011.

This is the 1st season in program history that the Red Raiders defeated Texas (37-34 in overtime) and Oklahoma. It’s their 1st winning record in conference play (5-4) since 2009.