The SBC’s third-leading passer, Garrett Smith (1,491 yards, 12 TDs), will be on display when the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks meet the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns. Both Louisiana-Lafayette (2-4) and Louisiana-Monroe (1-6) come into this game looking for a win to build upon. The game will begin Saturday, Oct 31 at 5:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESP3.
Louisiana-Lafayette was defeated by Arkansas State 37-27 last week. Jalen Nixon had a solid outing passing the ball in the loss, completing 17 of 44 passes for 253 yards, two TDs and two interceptions. He did some damage on the ground, running for 201 yards and a TD on 19 attempts. Louisiana-Monroe also fell short, falling to Idaho 27-13. Marcus Green had a solid game for the Warhawks, registering six receptions for 62 yards and one TD. Garrett Smith added 186 yards and a TD through the air.
The Ragin’ Cajuns, a nine-point favorite, will be looking to defend their home field when Louisiana-Monroe visits. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is currently unavailable.
Heading into Week 9 of the college football season, the Ragin’ Cajuns are 2-4 Straight Up (SU) and 3-3 Against The Spread (ATS). In the past five games, Louisiana-Lafayette is 2-3 for both SU and ATS. The Ragin’ Cajuns have America’s 16th-ranked running attack with 231.3 yards per game. The Louisiana-Lafayette pass defense has played at another level the past five games. It has given up 194.0 passing yards per game during that span. Keep an eye on Louisiana-Lafayette to turn it up a notch during the third quarter, when they average 9.8 points per game.
Across the field, the Warhawks have 1-6 SU and 2-4-1 ATS records this season. In the previous five games, Louisiana-Monroe has a record of 0-5 SU and 1-3-1 ATS. The Warhawks like to keep the ball in the air. On average, they pass 38 times per game. The Louisiana-Monroe pass defense has given teams problems during the past five games. During that time, opponents have gained an average of only 229.0 passing yards against this scary bunch.
Predictions: SU Winner – Louisiana-Lafayette, ATS Winner – Louisiana-Lafayette
Notes
Louisiana-Lafayette is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Louisiana-Lafayette’s last 6 games.
Louisiana-Lafayette is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone OVER in 14 of Louisiana-Lafayette’s last 19 games at home.
Louisiana-Lafayette is 20-5 SU in its last 25 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Louisiana-Lafayette’s last 6 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Louisiana-Lafayette’s last 5 games when playing Louisiana-Monroe.
Louisiana-Lafayette is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Louisiana-Monroe.
Louisiana-Lafayette is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Louisiana-Monroe.
Louisiana-Lafayette is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Louisiana-Monroe.
Each team is 1-0 SU when leading at halftime this season.
Louisiana-Monroe is winless (0-5 SU) in games where it comes out ahead in the turnover battle, and an even 1-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
The Louisiana-Lafayette passing attack is ranked only 82nd in the nation, while the Louisiana-Monroe pass defense is ranked 49th. The Warhawks passing game is ranked just 75th, compared to the 46th-ranked pass defense of the Ragin’ Cajuns.