3 time defending R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Champions University of Louisiana at Lafayette leads our 4th Game of the Week. The Ragin Cajuns travel to Boise in an effort to move their record to an even .500 with an win over the Broncos.
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3 Times
The Ragin Cajuns have represented the Sun Belt well in recent years. Since the 2011 season the Cajuns have finished 9-4 and closed the season with a win in the Superdome winning the New Orleans Bowl title. Under Coach Hudspeth the team is an impressive 27-12. This season has started slow with a surprise loss to Louisiana Tech in week two then Lafayette traveled to Ole Miss for their second loss of the season in week 3. They held a share of last years conference championship with Arkansas State and are eager to capture the #1 Sun Belt spot solo.
Boise State
Mountain West’s Boise State will hose the Cajuns in Boise on Saturday. Boise was the 2012 Mountain West Conference Champs and it was just 4 years ago that the 2010 Bronco team went 14-0, setting records for both the school and the NCAA. This year Boise is led by first year head coach Bryan Harsin. Like ULL they fell to Ole Miss in week 1. They picked up their two wins against Conference rival Colorado State and the win in week 3 against Huskies of U Conn.
The Match Up
The Ragin Cajuns are being led by Senior Terrance Broadway. No stranger to the #RLBowl, his passing and leadership earned him the MVP honor after the 2012 game. Terrance is off to a decent start this year. While he has found safety in the pocket, being sacked only once, he has thrown 6 interceptions. That overshadows the 4 touchdowns he has thrown in the first 3 games. He has amassed over 500 yards so far but has a pass completion rate of less than 60%. Boise’s QB is senior Grant Hedrick. Grant has already accumulated over 800 yards. With 5 interceptions and 5 touchdowns he is leading a top 40 Passing Yards offense. He is completing more than 70% of his passes and that could be a big factor in Saturday’s game.
From mwcconnection.com shared these comments from UL-Lafayette Coach Hudspeth made after the loss to Ole Miss:
“Our football team right now is not clicking on all cylinders, but that’s part of football and a part of life,” UL-Lafayette HC Mark Hudspeth said after their Ole Miss game. “Our coaches have to figure that out.”
Lafayette lost to Ole Miss 56-15. Boise lost to Ole Miss 35-13. Defense is gonna be key, the two offenses are pretty balanced against one another. While the odds makers give favor to Boise, this is shaping up to be a close and hard fought game.
Details
This is the first meeting between these two teams. The game will be broadcast by CBS Sports, 10:30 pm EST, Saturday the 20th. Game tracker will stream the game online.
Vote
Vote for your favorite in the poll above. Tell us who you think will win this Mountain West/Sun Belt battle. Follow the #RLBowl hashtag on Twitter and connect with us there @RLCarriers. Learn more about the #RLBowl and R+L Carriers on our Facebook page as well. The 14th annual New Orleans Bowl features the Mountain West and Sun Belt Conferences and will be played in the Mercedes Benz Superdome on December 20.
