Will the Winner of New Orleans Bowl Play Again
The first total Saturday of bowl activeness for the 2021-22 higher football flavor concludes with Marshall meeting Louisiana in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. The Ragin' Cajuns experience right at home in the Superdome, as this game marks the sixth time this program has played in this basin. As well, with Lafayette simply a short drive from New Orleans, Louisiana will have a decided dwelling house-field advantage. Simply Marshall won't lack for motivation here. The Thundering Herd finished a solid 7-5 in motorbus Charles Huff'southward first year and will be hungry to finish 2021 on a high note.
Related: Higher Football Picks for Every Bowl Game in 2021-22
Alter is in the air for Louisiana. Later on guiding the Ragin' Cajuns to a 40-12 record with 3 division titles and a Sun Belt championship, passenger vehicle Billy Napier departed for Florida in early on December. Michael Desormeaux – a former Louisiana quarterback and assistant with the program since 2016 – was promoted to head coach. The New Orleans Bowl will be Desormeaux's first as the total-time motorcoach, only the majority of the roster is in identify for this game and the overall transition without Napier should be limited for Saturday nighttime. Louisiana is riding a 12-game winning streak, including victories against Appalachian State in the Sun Belt championship game and a 42-xiv blowout of Liberty in mid-November. The Ragin' Cajuns' 2021 flavor was already a success with a briefing title, and a win over Marshall would add together to the program's highest single-flavour win total (12).
Marshall also had its share of change this season. New passenger vehicle Charles Huff started his tenure with a two-iii mark, merely the Thundering Herd went on to win five of its next seven games. Four of Marshall's five losses came past seven points or less, including defeats to East Carolina, Appalachian State and UAB. A loss to WKU on Nov. 27 prevented the Thundering Herd from winning Conference U.s.'s E Division title, merely overall, Huff had a solid accommodating debut in Huntington.
Marshall and Louisiana have never met on the gridiron. Nonetheless, there'due south a good risk these two teams see each other more often in the nigh hereafter with Marshall fix to join the Sun Belt prior to the '22 or '23 season. The Thundering Herd are 7-2 in their last ix basin trips. The Ragin Cajuns are vi-2 all-time in bowls. Also, Louisiana is 4-1 in the New Orleans Bowl.
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana (12-1) vs. Marshall (7-5)
Outset: Sabbatum, Dec. 18 at 9:xv p.m. ET
Where: Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
Television: ESPN
Spread: Louisiana -5
When Marshall Has the Ball
Ane of Huff's kickoff decisions equally head coach was to retain offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey. That motion paid off for Marshall, as the criminal offense ranks second in Briefing United states of america in yards per play (6.iv) and third in scoring (34.0 ppg). The Thundering Herd also rank second in the league in plays of twoscore-plus yards (22).
Quarterback Grant Wells directs an offense that has a slight lean to the pass in play-calling (52 percentage), and the redshirt freshman capped his second year as the starter with 3,436 passing yards and sixteen touchdowns. The West Virginia native has been accurate (67 percent) but has to accept better care of the ball (21 interceptions since the get-go of 2020). Wells left the regular-season finale against WKU due to injury merely appears to be on runway to play on Sabbatum night.
Receiver Corey Gammage (69 catches) is the top target for Wells, with Willie Johnson (32), Shadeed Ahmed (36), Jayden Harrison (23), and Talik Keaton (xix) as well as tight end Xavier Gaines (41) forming a talented collection of playmakers. Louisiana has been aggressive at getting to the quarterback (38 sacks) and ranks second in pass efficiency defense in the Dominicus Belt. Notwithstanding, Arkansas State, Troy and FCS Nicholls each eclipsed 300-plus yards through the air against this unit, showing it's possible to movement the brawl confronting the Ragin' Cajuns with the laissez passer. Marshall has been solid at pass protection (17 sacks allowed), but fifty-fifty if Wells has time to throw, the Louisiana defense isn't giving upwardly much on the back end.
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Although the play-calling is tilted slightly to the laissez passer, the best histrion for Huff and Cramsey is running back Rasheen Ali (1,241 yards). The freshman scored xx times on the basis and was a valuable safety outlet in the passing game (44 catches) all yr. Like to the laissez passer defense, Louisiana has been tough versus the run. The Ragin' Cajuns are allowing but 3.87 yards per blitz and 145.nine yards a contest. However, four of the last five opponents ran for at least 164 yards, and this unit won't have linebacker Ferrod Gardner (67 tackles) and lineman Tayland Humphrey (31) on Saturday night. Those two absences could make it slightly easier for Ali to find room to run.
When Louisiana Has the Ball
With Napier off to Florida, Desormeaux will work as the primary play-caller on Saturday night. The time off between the Sun Belt title game and the New Orleans Basin allowed Desormeaux to go acquainted with this office, and the criminal offence isn't expected to make any desperate changes. With the aforementioned scheme and a familiar confront calling plays, the transition time should exist minimal. Likewise, Desormeaux will have help from a veteran core of key contributors on offense.
Quarterback Levi Lewis is ane of the veterans Desormeaux is going to lean upon on Saturday night. The senior enters the New Orleans Bowl with eight,933 career passing yards and 73 touchdowns and another one,014 yards and xiv scores on the ground. Lewis won't mail service huge totals through the air, but his efficiency (sixty.4 completion percentage) and lack of mistakes (iv picks over 359 attempts) continue the offense on rails.
Leading receiver Peter LeBlanc (37 catches) is expected to miss Saturday night'south matchup, only there'southward plenty of depth in the receiving corps. Michael Jefferson (xv catches) showed big-play potential this year, and Dontae Fleming, Kyren Lacy and Errol Rogers Jr. each defenseless over twenty passes. Tight cease Neal Johnson (22) is another weapon to watch. Marshall allowed 17 passing scores in 2021 simply led Conference Usa in laissez passer efficiency defense. Merely two opponents – E Carolina and WKU – eclipsed more than 300 yards against this defense.
The footing assault has been the strength of Louisiana'south offense in recent years, and despite losing Elijah Mitchell and Trey Ragas, there wasn't a shortage of production in the run game for this team in 2021. The Ragin' Cajuns are averaging 192 yards a game behind a strong offensive line and a backfield that featured three players over 500 yards. Chris Smith paces the team with 856 yards, with Montrell Johnson (784) and Emani Bailey (548) also seeing a scattering of carries. However, Desormeaux will take to overcome some absences here, as first-team All-Sun Chugalug tackle Max Mitchell is not expected to play, and Smith also is out due to injury. While those absences are massive, the matchup against Marshall's defense still favors Louisiana. The Thundering Herd are giving up 189.7 rushing yards a contest, with six opponents reaching at least 200 on the ground.
Marshall's defense volition bend a piffling (388.two yards a game immune) but is tied for beginning in C-The states in fewest points allowed (22.viii). Helping the Thundering Herd continue opponents out of the end zone has been a good pass rush (38 sacks) and timely stops on third downs and inside the red zone. Getting Louisiana into obvious passing situations and limiting the run game on early on downs is disquisitional to Marshall'south hopes of a win. Also, when the Thundering Herd get the Ragin' Cajuns into obvious passing downs, it has to contain Lewis in the pocket and not permit his legs to go a factor on any scrambles for first-down yardage.
Last Assay
Judging how a team will perform with an acting motorcoach and changes on the staff prior to a bowl is always challenging. Juggling play-calling and head-coach duties for the first fourth dimension is a new experience for Desormeaux, but the veteran core of players around him should make that transition a trivial easier. The formula for Desormeaux on offense won't wait much different than it was nether Napier: Run the ball and allow Lewis create and distribute with efficiency. On the other sideline, Marshall's one-2 punch of Wells and Ali volition test a Louisiana defence force that allowed merely one opponent to score more than 30 points this year. The Ragin' Cajuns aren't built to come from behind all nighttime, so if Marshall is able to set the pace and flow of the game by getting ahead early, that should play into Huff's hands. Another chemical element to picket on Sat night will be turnovers. The Ragin' Cajuns were plus-13, while the Thundering Herd were minus-five in that department this autumn. On paper, Louisiana is the improve team. However, with all of the transition among the coaching staff and a couple of key pieces out, a close victory by Marshall wouldn't be a surprise.
Prediction: Marshall 27, Louisiana 24
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Source: https://athlonsports.com/college-football/new-orleans-bowl-louisiana-ragin-cajuns-vs-marshall-thundering-herd-prediction-picks-2021
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