The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns are coming into the Sun Belt Championship Game as big underdogs against the Appalachian State Mountaineers. Kickoff for this criticalgame is set for 12:00 p.m. ET and ESPN is scheduled to have the TV rights. When the two schools met last year, Appalachian State knocked Louisiana off by a landslide 63-14.
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns at Appalachian State Mountaineers Betting Preview
Louisiana is playing the role of underdog and is currently getting 18 points in this SBC game. The Ragin’ Cajuns are also receiving +800 moneyline odds while the Mountaineers are -1450. Should one team can find paydirt in the early stages it’ll create a nice live betting opportunity. Oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 59 points.
The line opened at -18. The game’s total has not changed after it was initially set at 59.
The surprising Ragin’ Cajuns have gained 4.8 units so far and are 8-4 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an Over-Under record of 6-5. The Mountaineers have gained 0.5 units this season. The team is 8-3 ATS and also has an O/U record of 6-5.
The Ragin’ Cajuns are 7-5 straight up (SU), including 5-3 SU against conference opponents. The Mountaineers are 9-2 SU overall and 7-1 SU in conference play.
The Ragin’ Cajuns just got a 31-28 victory over Louisiana-Monroe last week where the Ragin’ Cajuns completed 17-of-21 passes for 213 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Andre Nunez went 11-for-15 for 148 yards, three touchdowns and one interception while Levi Lewis completed six-of-six for 65 yards and one touchdown. Trey Ragas (115 rushing yards on 23 attempts) and Elijah Mitchell (61 yards on 16 carries) spearheaded the ground attack while Ryheem Malone (six receptions, 91 yards, one TD) and Ja’Marcus Bradley (four catches, 35 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties in the win.
Appalachian State is coming off of a 21-10 win over Troy. The team’s defensive unit did its duty in the victory, holding the Trojans to just 170 passing yards and 62 rushing yards. Deondre Douglas was a bright spot in the loss, posting 69 yards on six catches for Troy. For Appalachian State, Zac Thomas completed 12-of-24 passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Darrynton Evans (108 yards on 20 rush attempts) and the signal-caller Thomas (33 yards on 11 carries, one TD) led the running game while Corey Sutton (five receptions, 72 yards, two TDs) and Thomas Hennigan (two catches, 16 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the win.
When breaking down offensive play-calling, each squad has a similar run-pass ratio on the season. Louisiana’s run the ball on 61.4 percent of its offensive possessions while Appalachian State has a rush percentage of 62.3. The Ragin’ Cajuns have produced 230 rush yards per game (including 230 per game versus Sun Belt opponents) and have 28 scores on the ground this year. The Mountaineers are averaging 242 rush yards per game (242 in conference) and have 27 total rushing TDs.
The Ragin’ Cajuns offense has averaged 218 yards through the air overall (204 per game against conference opposition) and has 26 passing TDs so far. The Mountaineers have produced 199 pass yards per contest (167.6 against SBC competition) and have 22 total pass scores.
Louisiana has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 209 yards and pass for 235 yards per game. The Appalachian State D has allowed 153.8 yards per game to opposing passers and 124.4 yards per game to opposing runners. The Mountaineers are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 3.36 to opponents, while the Ragin’ Cajuns have allowed an 8.26 ANY/A.
Offensively, Nunez is up to 1,898 passing yards this season, and has connected on 66 percent of his 231 attempts with 17 passing scores and nine interceptions. Nunez has a 6.96 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 8.94 over the past two outings.
In the host locker room, Zac Thomas has managed to complete 118-of-193 passes for 1,505 yards, 15 TDs and four INTs. Thomas’ ANY/A sits at 7.81 for the season and 9.17 across his last two outings.
RELATED: Week 14 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Free Prediction: Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns at Appalachian State Mountaineers
SU Winner – Appalachian State, ATS Winner – Appalachian State, O/U – Under
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Notes
Betting Trends
The Over/Under for Louisiana’s last game going into it was 71. The under cashed in the team’s 31-28 win over Louisiana-Monroe.
Louisiana has produced 6.7 yards per carry across its last three contests and 5.5 over its last two.
Appalachian State has averaged 5.5 yards per carry over its last three outings and only 5.1 over its past two.
Appalachian State has lost four fumbles this season while Louisiana has let three get away.
In its last three matches, Louisiana is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The Over/Under for Appalachian State’s last game was 45. The under cashed in the team’s 21-10 win over Troy.
In its last three contests, Appalachian State is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
Appalachian State has won 10 of its last 11 games SU, with a -20-point loss to Georgia Southern on October 25th accounting for its only defeat over that stretch.
The Ragin’ Cajuns offense has created 10 pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Mountaineers have accounted for seven such plays.
The Louisiana defense has allowed 11 pass plays of 40+ yards, while Appalachian State has given up four such plays.
The Louisiana offense has created 29 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Appalachian State has created 27 such runs.
The Ragin’ Cajuns defense has allowed 15 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Mountaineers have given up nine such runs.
The Louisiana D has sacked opposing QBs 21 times this season. Appalachian State has registered 20 sacks.
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