The Ragin’ Cajuns (-3) are gearing up to welcome the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers to Louisiana. The opening kickoff for this conference matchup is pegged for 7:00 p.m. ET and interested parties can watch the action on ESPN+.
Betting Preview: Coastal Carolina Chanticleers vs. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
In this Saturday Sun Belt game, Louisiana is projected as the favorite and is currently giving up 3 points. The Chanticleers are also receiving +135 moneyline odds while the Ragin’ Cajuns are -155. If one program can catch a lucky break early it would generate a reasonable betting opportunity in-game. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 66 points.
With the line opening at -3 and the O/U originally set at 65.5, odds have swayed a little.
The Chanticleers are 2-1 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 2.7 units so far. The team’s posted an O/U record of 2-0.
The Ragin’ Cajuns have gained 1.0 unit this season. The team is 1-1 ATS and owns an O/U record of 1-0.
The Chanticleers are 2-1 straight up (SU) and they haven’t faced any SBC competition yet. The Ragin’ Cajuns are 1-1 SU overall and are also 0-0 SU in conference play.
These two SBC foes did not get a chance to play one another a year ago.
The Chanticleers are coming off a resounding 58-21 victory over Campbell last week. Kilton Anderson completed 10 passes on 14 attempts for 202 yards, three scores and one interception. Marcus Outlow (63 yards on 14 rush attempts, one TD) and Torrance Marable (64 yards on eight carries, two TDs) provided the ground attack while Malcolm Williams (four receptions, 75 yards, two TDs) and Jaivon Heiligh (two catches, 35 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties in the win.
One week ago, Mississippi State knocked off this Louisiana crew by a score of 56-10. The Ragin’ Cajuns defensive unit let the Bulldogs kill the clock by running for 331 yards on 47 rush attempts, including six rush TDs. Nick Fitzgerald had a productive outing, posting 107 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 15 attempts for Mississippi State. As a group, the Ragin’ Cajuns collectively completed 23-of-34 passes for 245 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Andre Nunez went 21-for-29 for 224 yards, one touchdown and one interception while Levi Lewis was two-of-five for 21 yards. Nunez (-4 yards on seven rush attempts) handled the running game while Ryheem Malone (seven receptions, 69 yards) and Keenan Barnes (four catches, 76 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the loss.
Coastal Carolina has run the ball on 70.4 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Louisiana has a rush percentage of 51.9 percent. The Chanticleers have produced 251.7 rush yards/game and have nine touchdowns on the ground this year. The Ragin’ Cajuns are putting up 190.0 rush yards per game and have three total rushing TDs.
If the results so far this season can translate to this game, then the Ragin’ Cajuns should hold an edge when it comes to applying pressure, as their offensive line has allowed just four sacks while the D-line has registered six sacks. The Chanticleers offensive line has given up five sacks and their defense has got to opposing QBs on just four occasions.
The Chanticleers offensive scheme has tallied 173.3 yards per contest through the air overall and has seven passing TDs so far. The Ragin’ Cajuns have produced 243.0 pass yards per game and have five total pass scores.
Defensively, Coastal Carolina has allowed 212.3 rush yards and 220.3 pass yards per game. The Louisiana D has allowed 217.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 239.0 yards per game to opposing runners. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to the opposition, as the Chanticleers have given up an ANY/A of 7.00 to opposing QBs, while the Ragin’ Cajuns are allowing an ANY/A of 6.78.
Offensively, Anderson is up to 293 passing yards this season, and has connected on 78 percent of his 27 attempts with three passing scores and one interception. Anderson has a pristine 9.63 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 12.00 over the past two games.
On the other sideline, Andre Nunez has managed to complete 21-of-29 passes for 224 yards, one TD and one INT. Nunez’s ANY/A stands at 6.03 for the season and 7.22 over his last two games.
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers vs. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns NCAA Tip
SU Winner: Louisiana, ATS Winner: Louisiana, O/U: Over