Liberty Flames (7-3) vs Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (9-1)
Game Info: Saturday, November 20, 2021 at 4:00 pm (Williams Stadium)
Betting Odds: Liberty Flames -4.5 -- Over/Under: 53.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns will travel to Williams Stadium (VA) to take on the Liberty Flames this Saturday afternoon in College Football action.
The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns won their 9th straight game and improved to 9-1 on the season after defeating the Troy Trojans, 35-21, this past Saturday. Louisiana did a great job of forcing the Troy offense to commit costly turnovers and was able to hold off the Trojans for the victory after a 27-yard TD run by Levi Lewis gave the Ragin’ Cajuns a 28-13 lead with 6:03 left in the 3rd quarter. Louisiana was outgained Troy by a 391-370 margin, however, won the turnover battle by a 3-0 margin in the victory. Leading the way for the Ragin’ Cajuns was QB Levi Lewis who completed 14 of 22 passes for 166 yards & 3 TD while also rushing for 44 yards & 1 TD.
On the season, Louisiana is averaging 31.2 ppg on 420.1 total yards per game (218.9 passing yds/g; 201.2 rushing yds/g). Offensively, Louisiana has been led by QB Levi Lewis who has completed 62.1% of his passes for 2108 yards, 15 TD, & 4 INT while also rushing for 210 yards & 3 TD. The top receiving threats for the Ragin’ Cajuns have been Michael Jefferson (13 rec, 332 yards, 3 TD), Dontae Fleming (22 rec, 285 yards, 2 TD), Peter LeBlanc (29 rec, 281 yards, TD), & Kyren Lacy (19 rec, 243 yards, 3 TD). Leading the way for the Ragin’ Cajuns backfield has been the duo of Chris Smith (125 att, 762 yards, 8 TD) & Montrell Johnson (119 att, 677 yards, 10 TD).
Defensively, Louisiana is holding their opponents to an average of 19.2 ppg on 357.8 total yards per game (210.3 passing yds/g; 147.5 rushing yds/g).
The Liberty Flames had their 2-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 7-3 on the season after being defeated by the 16th ranked Ole Miss Rebels, 27-14, on November 6th. Liberty struggled early in this one against the Ole Miss defense and could not fight all the way back after going into halftime trailing by a 24-0 margin. Liberty was outgained by Ole Miss by a 466-457 margin and lost the turnover battle by a 3-0 margin in the loss. Leading the way for the Flames was RB Shedro Louis who had 101 rushing yards & 1 TD on 7 carries.
On the season, Liberty is averaging 35.1 ppg on 446.0 total yards per game (250.9 passing yds/g; 195.1 rushing yds/g). Offensively, Liberty has been led by QB Malik Willis who has completed 66.4% of his passes for 2159 yards, 21 TD, & 9 INT while also rushing for 755 yards & 10 TD on 153 carries. The top receiving threats for the Flames have been Demario Douglas (42 rec, 618 yards, 5 TD), CJ Daniels (27 rec, 463 yards, 7 TD), & Kevin Shaa (18 rec, 274 yards, 3 TD). In the Liberty backfield with Willis has been the trio of Joshua Mack (100 att, 413 yards, 3 TD), Shedro Louis (63 att, 358 yards, 4 TD), & T.J. Green (61 att, 329 yards, 3 TD).
Defensively, Liberty is holding their opponents to an average of 18.7 ppg on 316.6 total yards per game (182.2 passing yds/g; 134.4 rushing yds/g).
The Ragin’ Cajuns are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games as an underdog and 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games after allowing more than 280 yards passing in their previous game. The Flames are 8-0 ATS in their last 8 home games and 10-3 ATS in their last 13 games as a favorite.
This should be on of the better games to watch on Saturday as both Louisiana & Liberty are two of the better non-Power 5 schools in the country this season. Both Louisiana & Liberty have playmakers on offense and top-20 scoring defenses, however, I think Louisiana has been a bit more consistent this season as we have seen Liberty slip up a few times, no more than against UL Monroe. I expect this to be a tight, competitive game, however, as I think the Ragin’ Cajuns are just a bitter overall, I think the play here is to take Louisiana and the points. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns +4.5
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Mitch's Take...
