Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Texas State Prediction, Game Preview


Louisiana-Lafayette at Texas State prediction and game preview. Projecting who wins the game between the Ragin’ Cajuns and Bobcats.


Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Texas State Game Preview

When: Saturday, October 22 – 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Bobcat Stadium, San Marcos, TX
Broadcast: ESPN3

Louisiana-Lafayette and Texas State are stuck in tailspins. And as such, they’re looking at one another as a chance to chart a new course. The Ragin’ Cajuns have dropped three straight since upsetting South Alabama on Sept. 17. This past Saturday, they were blanked for the first time since 2009. The Bobcats aren’t faring any better at the midpoint of the season. They’re 2-4, losers of two straight to Georgia State and Louisiana-Monroe. They do return home to Jim Wacker Field, which new coach Everett Withers hopes will spawn greater consistency, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

What To Know About Louisiana-Lafayette

The Ragin’ Cajuns house one really good back, Elijah McGuire, and a good set of linebackers. But it hasn’t been enough in 2016. LSU transfer Anthony Jennings hasn’t been the answer at quarterback for Mark Hudspeth, preventing the team from achieving balance. And the D, despite the presence of Otha Peters and Tre’maine Lightfoot, has been soft against the pass. Now, running the ball on Louisiana is tough, but that’s not the preferred mode of transportation in San Marcos.

What to Know About Texas State

The Bobcats appear to have peaked in the opener with Ohio. Since then, it’s been downhill, save for a blowout of FCS Incarnate Word. The offense will occasionally have pop, provided versatile quarterback Tyler Jones isn’t turning the ball over. It’s on defense where Withers’ kids have been really overmatched this season. Against five FBS opponents, Texas State is allowing 534 yards and 48 points per game. Plus, the team has just four sacks, which means Jennings doesn’t figure to be under pressure when going through his progressions.

Advantages

Offense: Push. The Ragin’ Cajuns have no passing game, while the Bobcats can’t run it. Neither team features balance.

Defense: Louisiana-Lafayette. The Bobcats sport one of the FBS’ worst defenses, particularly at the point of attack.

Special Teams: Louisiana-Lafayette. The best leg in this matchup belongs to Cajun punter Lumi Kaba, who’s average is up to 44.6 yards.

Coaching: Louisiana-Lafayette. Hudspeth may no longer be on AD’s short lists, but he’s still a proven motivator and quality coach.

Intangibles: Louisiana-Lafayette. The Cajuns have battled back from adversity before, and they still believe a bowl game is within their reach.

Matchup To Watch

McGuire vs. Texas State ILBs Gabe Lloyd and Bryan London

The Bobcats know they can derail Jennings, who’s shown this season why he was passed over in Baton Rouge. But to truly stop the Ragin’ Cajun offense on Saturday, Texas State must prevent McGuire from bouncing off tacklers and getting beyond the second level.

Louisiana-Lafayette at Texas State Betting Odds

Spread: Louisiana-Lafayette -6
Over/Under: No over/under as of post

Louisiana-Lafayette at Texas State Prediction

The ability to run the ball and make occasional stops will be the difference on Saturday, as Louisiana-Lafayette inches closer to the .500 mark. McGuire has only delivered one monster game this season, 223 yards on 23 carries versus South Alabama. Still, he has the right opponent this week to explode for 150 yards and a couple of scores against a leaky and poor tackling Texas State D. Jones will engineer a couple of long scoring drives, but it won’t enough to overcome his own defense or halt the losing skid.

Louisiana-Lafayette at Texas State Score Prediction: Louisiana-Lafayette 38, Texas State 30

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