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The Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks are hoping to patch up the holes in a defense that has allowed an average of 39.36 points per matchup. Louisiana-Monroe and the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns will face off in a Sun Belt battle at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Cajun Field. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both teams posted some lofty points totals in their previous games, so things might heat up even more when they meet.
Things were close when Louisiana-Monroe and the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers clashed last week, but the Warhawks ultimately edged out the opposition 45-42. QB Caleb Evans had a stellar game for the Warhawks as he accumulated 346 passing yards and picked up 69 yards on the ground on nine carries. That was the first 300+ yard effort for Evans this season.
Meanwhile, you're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter, and that's exactly how it played out for Louisiana. They steamrolled past the Troy Trojans 53-3. RB Trey Ragas and RB Chris Smith were among the main playmakers for Louisiana as the former rushed for 79 yards and two TDs on 11 carries and the latter rushed for 87 yards and one TD on five carries. One of the most memorable plays of the contest was Smith's 80-yard touchdown rush in the third quarter.
Louisiana's defense was a presence as well, and it made life painful for the quarterback and got past Troy's offensive line for a total of four sacks for a loss of 18 yards. It was a group effort with five picking up one sack apiece.
Their wins bumped Louisiana-Monroe to 5-6 and Louisiana to 9-2. Two defensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: The Warhawks are third worst in the nation in touchdowns allowed, with 52 on the season. To make matters even worse for the Warhawks, the Ragin' Cajuns enter the game with only seven passing touchdowns allowed, good for fourth best in the nation. So the Louisiana-Monroe squad has its work cut out for it.
