The SBC’s top passer, Nick Arbuckle (2,351 yards, 13 TDs), will be on display when the Georgia State Panthers meet the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns. This rocky season seems to be looking up for Louisiana-Lafayette (3-4), as it has won two of its last three. The game will begin Saturday, Nov 7 at 2:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESP3.
Georgia State fell to Arkansas State 48-34 last week. Keith Rucker had an outstanding performance in the loss, registering five receptions for 61 yards and two TDs. Penny Hart also had a big day, contributing 128 receiving yards on seven receptions. Louisiana-Lafayette is hoping for another victory like last week’s performance, when it beat Louisiana-Monroe 30-24. Jamal Robinson had a big game for the Ragin’ Cajuns, totaling four receptions for 92 yards and one TD.
The Panthers, a six-point underdog, will be looking to defend their home field when Louisiana-Lafayette comes to town.
Heading into Week 10 of the college football season, the Panthers are 2-5 Straight Up (SU) and 4-3 Against The Spread (ATS). In the past five games, Georgia State is 1-4 SU and 3-2 ATS. The Georgia State offense features a strong passing attack, currently ranking 13th in the nation with 335.9 passing yards per game. Transitioning to the Georgia State defense, there are some things to keep in mind when it is on the field. The Ragin’ Cajuns will be matching up against a stout Georgia State pass defense, which only allowed 240.0 passing yards over their last five matchups. One of the keys to the game will be whether the Panthers can take advantage of Louisiana-Lafayette’s knack for throwing picks. They rank 105th in the nation in interceptions thrown with 1.1 per game. On special teams, Louisiana-Lafayette may give up some big plays to the Panthers in the return game. The Ragin’ Cajuns have allowed 121.3 return yards per game, making them one of the worst in Division I.
On the other side, the Ragin’ Cajuns have 3-4 SU and ATS records this season. In the previous five games, Louisiana-Lafayette has a record of 2-3 SU and 1-4 ATS. If earlier games are any indication, the Ragin’ Cajuns will run the ball aggressively. They average 220 rushing yards per game, good enough for 18th in Division I. Lately, the Ragin’ Cajuns have had a better pass defense. They’re allowing only 220.0 passing YPG over their last five matchups. The pass rushers for the Ragin’ Cajuns have got to be excited about their matchup this week against the Panthers, who rank 110th in the country with an average of 2.9 sacks allowed per game. The Ragin’ Cajuns could take advantage of Georgia State’s reputation to run out of gas late in games. They are 112th in Division I in fourth-quarter points allowed with 10.6.
Predictions: SU Winner – Louisiana-Lafayette, ATS Winner – Louisiana-Lafayette
Notes
Georgia State is 2-16 SU in its last 18 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Georgia State’s last 6 games.
Georgia State is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Georgia State’s last 16 games at home.
Louisiana-Lafayette is 2-0 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. Georgia State is 2-1 SU when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter.
Georgia State is 1-2 SU in games where it comes out ahead in the turnover battle, and winless (0-2 SU) when losing the turnover battle.
