Pinned
Link copied
After two games on the road, Louisiana is heading back home. They will take on the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Louisiana gave up the first points and the most points on Saturday. Their bruising 37-17 defeat to Arkansas State might stick with them for a while. Louisiana didn't live up to their potential and found themselves falling short of the advantage oddsmakers thought they had coming into the game.
Louisiana's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Zeon Chriss, who rushed for 16 yards and a touchdown, and Peter LeBlanc who picked up 129 receiving yards and a touchdown. LeBlanc's longest reception was for an incredible 87 yards.
Meanwhile, Southern Miss finally caught a break after seven consecutive losses. They strolled past UL Monroe with points to spare on Saturday, taking the game 24-7.
Frank Gore Jr. was the offensive standout of the matchup as he rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown. Southern Miss also got help from Jakarius Caston who showed off his sure hands for 92 receiving yards.
With Louisiana's defeat and Arkansas State's win, both teams now sport identical 5-4 records.
Thursday's contest 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 197.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like the Golden Eagles struggle in that department as they've been averaging 162.6 per game. It's looking like Thursday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Louisiana ended up a good deal behind Southern Miss in their previous matchup back in October of 2022, losing 39-24. Thankfully for Louisiana, Jason Brownlee (who picked up 102 receiving yards and two touchdowns) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
