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3rd Quarter Report
Jacksonville State already has more points against Louisiana than they managed in total against New Mexico State back in November. After three quarters, neither squad has the contest in the bag, but Jacksonville State leads 24-21 over Louisiana.
If Jacksonville State keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 9-4 in no time. On the other hand, Louisiana will have to make due with a 6-7 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Preview
The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and the Jacksonville State Gamecocks will square off in the New Orleans Bowl at Caesars Superdome 2:15 p.m. ET on Saturday. Louisiana is expected to win (but not by much) so they better bring their A-game into this one.
Louisiana scored the most points they've had all season to find success back in November. They put a hurting on UL Monroe at home to the tune of 52-21. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest victory Louisiana has managed all season.
Louisiana's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Elijah Davis, who rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns on only 14 carries, and Chandler Fields, who threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns while completing 90% of his passes. Another player making a difference was Neal Johnson, who picked up 67 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
The team's defense also helped out by holding UL Monroe to a paltry 239 yards. A big part of that defensive dominance came down to Louisiana's ability to keep the quarterback under pressure: the team laid the passer out four times before it was all said and done. The heavy lifting was done by Tyler Guidry and Jordan Lawson who racked up four sacks between them.
Meanwhile, it looks like Jacksonville State got the smaller half of the wishbone at Thanksgiving dinner. They fell just short of New Mexico State by a score of 20-17.
Most of the squad's points came courtesy of special teams, who contributed nine in total. All those points came courtesy of Alen Karajic: he added nine points with three field goals.
The victory got Louisiana back to even at 6-6. As for Jacksonville State, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-4.
Saturday's matchup might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. The Ragin' Cajuns have been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 183.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like the Gamecocks (currently ranked fifth in rushing yards per game) struggle in that department as they've been averaging 232.2 rushing yards per game. It's looking like Saturday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check CBS Sports after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more college football content.
