Two teams that prefer to feature their running games, Head Coach Billy Napier and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (+28) are set to face off against their in-conference foe South Alabama Jaguars at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The opening kickoff for this game is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch the action by tuning in to ESPN+.
Betting Preview: South Alabama Jaguars vs. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
Louisiana is significantly favored here and is currently giving up 28 points to South Alabama. Oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 53.5 points. If one school catches a lucky break early on, it’ll likely create a reasonable betting opportunity in-game.
Odds have moved from where they were first posted. The opening line was 25 and the game’s total hasn’t moved after being initially posted at 53.5.
The profitable Ragin’ Cajuns have gained 3.0 units so far in 2019 and are 8-1 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U record of 4-5.
The Jaguars are down 5.0 units this season. The team is 5-4 ATS and has an O/U record of 2-7.
The Ragin’ Cajuns have gone 7-2 straight up (SU), including 4-1 SU against conference opponents. The Jaguars are 1-8 SU overall and 0-5 SU in conference play.
Louisiana enters this matchup on a zero-game winless skid while South Alabama has won each of its last zero. The Ragin’ Cajuns are coming off a resounding 48-7 victory over Coastal Carolina last weekTheir defense allowed the Chanticleers to rush for 103 yards on 32 attempts. CJ Marable had a productive day for the Chanticleers in that one with 54 rushing yards on 10 attempts. On the offense, the Ragin’ Cajuns completed 30-of-37 passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns. Levi Lewis went 26-for-30 for 296 yards and three touchdowns while Jaiave Magalei completed four-of-seven for 43 yards. Elijah Mitchell (52 rushing yards on 10 attempts) and Chris Smith (99 yards on eight carries, one TD) led the running attack in the win while Ja’Marcus Bradley (seven receptions, 71 yards, one TD) and Peter Leblanc (five catches, 33 yards) manned the receiving duties.
One week ago, Texas State took care of this South Alabama team by a score of 30-28. The Jags defensive secondary allowed the Bobcats to air it out for 373 yards and three touchdowns. Hutch White put up a solid outing in the win, posting 165 yards on 10 catches for Texas State. For South Alabama, Desmond Trotter completed 13-of-17 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns. Tra Minter (87 rushing yards on 21 attempts, one TD) and Carlos Davis (63 yards on 16 carries, one TD) spearheaded the ground game in the defeat while Kawaan Baker (four receptions, 34 yards) and Jalen Wayne (two catches, 22 yards, one TD) led the receiving attack.
Louisiana has run the ball on 60.3 percent of its offensive possessions this year while South Alabama has a rush percentage of 63.9 percent. The Ragin’ Cajuns have run for 281 yards per game (including 246.8 per game against Sun Belt opponents) and have 32 scores via handoffs this year. The Jags are logging 153.6 rush yards per game (135.6 in conference) and have 10 total rushing TDs.
It appears that the Ragin’ Cajuns might own the edge in all aspects of the ground game, as their running backs has produced 6.7 yards per carry while their defense is allowing a YPC of 3.9 to opponents. The Jaguars have ran for 3.7 yards per carry and given up a YPC of 4.6 to opponents.
The Ragin’ Cajuns offensive scheme has averaged 218.2 yards in the air overall (199.8 per game versus conference opposition) and has 15 passing scores so far. The Jags have put up 143.7 pass yards per contest (141 against SBC foes) and have eight total pass TDs.
Louisiana should possess the upper hand in both defensive phases. The team’s allowed opponents to run for an average of 146.7 yards and pass for 191.3 yards per game. The South Alabama defense has allowed 212.6 yards per game to opposing passers and 201.8 yards per game on the ground. The Ragin’ Cajuns are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 4.91 to opposing QBs, while the Jags have given up a 7.34 ANY/A.
Trotter has completed 13-of-18 passes for 164 yards, two TDs and zero INTs. Trotter’s adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 9.90 for the year and 7.83 across his past two games. In the other huddle, Lewis has amassed 1,588 passing yards this season. He’s connected on 135-of-200 attempts with 12 passing touchdowns and only three interceptions. Lewis has a 7.79 ANY/A for the year, although that number is 11.35 over the past two outings.
When these two schools met a year ago, Louisiana emerged victorious by a final score of 48-38.
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns at South Alabama Jaguars Free NCAA Betting Tip
SU Winner: South Alabama, ATS Winner: South Alabama, O/U: Over
Team Betting Trends
- The Louisiana D has 18 sacks on the year while South Alabama has 13.
- Both offenses have lost eight fumbles this season.
- The Ragin’ Cajuns offense has recorded three pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Jaguars have put up four such plays.
- The Louisiana defense has allowed five pass plays of 40 yards or more, while South Alabama has given up seven such plays.
- The Louisiana offense has created 26 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while South Alabama has created 12 such runs.
- The Ragin’ Cajuns defense has allowed nine rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Jaguars have given up 16 such runs.
- The O/U for South Alabama’s last outing was 41.5. The over cashed in the 30-28 defeat to Texas State.
- Over its last three games, South Alabama is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- In its last three games, Louisiana is 3-0 ATS and the under cashed in each of those three.
- Louisiana has won eight of its last nine games SU, with a 10-point defeat to Appalachian State on October 9th representing the only loss over that stretch.
- The Over/Under for Louisiana’s last game was 58. The under cashed in the team’s 48-7 win over Coastal Carolina.
- Louisiana, as a team, has rushed for 6.4 yards per attempt across its last three outings and 6.1 over its last two.
- South Alabama has averaged 2.9 yards per carry over its last three games and 3.0 over its last two.
