The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (-3) and Texas State Bobcats are set to square off on the turf at Jim Wacker Field at Bobcat Stadium. The matchup is scheduled to get going at 7:00 p.m. ET and ESPN+ will broadcast the action.
Betting Preview: Texas State Bobcats vs. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
Texas State enters this SBC game as the underdog and is currently receiving 3 points. The Ragin’ Cajuns are also receiving -155 moneyline odds while the Bobcats are +135. This SBC matchup should provide several decent in-game betting opportunities, and oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 60.5 points.
Betting odds have shifted a little from when they were first set. The opening line was 3.5 and the game’s total was initially set at 61.
The Ragin’ Cajuns are down 0.6 units this season and 2-2 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U record of 2-1.
The Bobcats are down 3.0 units so far. The team is 1-2-1 ATS and owns an even O/U record of 2-2.
The Ragin’ Cajuns are 1-3 straight up (SU), including 0-1 SU against conference opponents. The Bobcats are 1-3 SU overall and 0-1 SU in conference play.
The Ragin’ Cajuns are hoping to get back in stride after a 56-14 defeat to Alabama last week. The defense allowed the Crimson Tide to pass for 340 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 268 yards and three scores. Jaylen Waddle had a productive day for the Crimson Tide in that one with 138 yards and two touchdowns on three catches. On the offense, the Ragin’ Cajuns completed 11-of-20 passes for 88 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Andre Nunez went nine-for-15 for 75 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions while Levi Lewis completed two-of-five for 13 yards. Trey Ragas (111 yards on 16 rush attempts, one TD) and Elijah Mitchell (85 yards on 11 carries) provided the ground attack in the loss while Ryheem Malone (four receptions, 20 yards) and Ja’Marcus Bradley (three catches, 24 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties.
Texas State most recently fell 25-21 to UTSA. The defense let the Roadrunners rush for 145 yards on 41 attempts. Jalen Rhodes put up a good showing in the win, recording 76 rushing yards on 17 attempts for UTSA. For Texas State, Tyler Vitt completed 15-of-22 passes for 192 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Vitt (11 yards on 12 rush attempts, one TD) mounted the ground game in the defeat as Keenen Brown (nine receptions, 124 yards, one TD) and Hutch White (three catches, 29 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching attack.
In terms of offensive play-calling, each of these teams sports a strikingly similar (57-43) run-pass ratio on the season. Having said that, the Ragin’ Cajuns have produced 204.5 rush yards/game and have seven scores via handoffs this year. The Bobcats haven’t been quite as successful, as they’re averaging 139.8 rush yards per game and have four total rushing TDs.
The Ragin’ Cajuns offense has logged 179.3 yards per contest through the air overall and has seven passing scores so far. The Bobcats have put up 194.3 pass yards per outing and have five total pass TDs.
Defensively, Louisiana has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 264.3 yards and pass for 240.3 yards per game. The Texas State defense has allowed 228.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 128.8 yards per game on the ground. The Bobcats are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 6.35 to opponents, while the Ragin’ Cajuns have given up an ugly 10.94 ANY/A.
Jones III has completed 25-of-50 passes for 312 yards, one TD and one INT. Jones III’s adjusted net yards per pass attempt sits at 4.18 for the year and 4.69 across his last two outings. In the other locker room, Nunez has amassed 483 passing yards this year. He’s connected on 49-of-66 attempts with four passing touchdowns and three interceptions. Nunez’s got a 5.35 ANY/A for the year, although that number sits at 3.76 over the last two games.
These two teams met a year ago with the final outcome being a 24-7 win for Louisiana.
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns at Texas State Bobcats Free Pick
SU Winner: Texas State, ATS Winner: Texas State, O/U: Under
Team Betting Notes
- Louisiana was favored by 48 points in its last game and the O/U was 69. The over cashed and Louisiana failed to cover in the 56-14 loss to Alabama.
- Louisiana has averaged 5.29473684210526 yards per carry over its last three contests and 6.3 over its last two.
- Texas State has averaged 3.8 yards per carry over its last three games and 2.4 over its past two.
- Texas State has lost five fumbles this season while Louisiana has not lost any.
- Over its last three matches, Louisiana is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- Texas State was favored by 8 points in its last outing and the Over/Under going into it was 48.5. The under cashed and Texas State failed to cover in that 25-21 defeat to UTSA.
- Over its last three contests, Texas State is 1-1-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The Ragin’ Cajuns offense has tallied two pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Bobcats have put up four such plays.
- Both defenses have allowed four pass plays of 40 or more yards. The Louisiana defense has given up eight pass plays of 30+ yards while Texas State has given up six such plays.
- The Louisiana offense has created 11 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Texas State has created five such runs.
- The Ragin’ Cajuns defense has allowed eight rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Bobcats have given up two such runs.
- The Louisiana defense has three times as many sacks as Texas State this year (nine to three).
