The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns will play the Houston Cougars on Friday afternoon in the college football Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana.
The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns are 6-6 this season after they defeated Texas State by a score of 41-13 in their last game. Louisiana gained 436 total yards, went 6-11 on third down attempts in the win. The Louisiana offense is averaging 26.8 points per game with 224.9 passing yards per game and 142.8 rushing yards per game. Chandler Fields has thrown for 954 yards, 10 touchdowns, and four interceptions for the Ragin’ Cajuns this season. Chris Smith has rushed for 579 yards and three touchdowns, while Neal Johnson has caught 22 passes for 277 yards and two scores for Louisiana. The Louisiana defense is giving up 22.8 points per game and 361.6 yards per game.
The Houston Cougars are 7-5 this season after they lost to Tulsa by a score of 37-30 in their last game. Houston out gained Tulsa by a total of 506-431, but only went 3-13 on third down attempts in the game. The Houston offense is averaging 37 points per game with 321.1 passing yards per game and 142.7 rushing yards per game. Clayton Tune has thrown for 3,845 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, while also rushing for 491 yards and five touchdowns for the Cougars this season. Stacy Sneed has rushed for 489 yards and five touchdowns, while Nathaniel Dell has caught 103 passes for 1,354 yards and 15 scores for Houston. The Houston defense is allowing 33.5 points per game and 430 yards per game.
Louisiana is 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games against a team with a winning record, and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 bowl games. The over is 3-1-1 in Louisiana’s last 5 neutral site games. Houston is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games against the Sun Belt and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 bowl games. The over is 6-1 in Houston’s last 7 games.
Louisiana comes into this game without their leading receiver, but they will be facing a defense that is allowing over 33 points per game. Houston has most of their weapons, and they have one of the highest scoring offenses in the country. I think we are going to see a scoring explosion in this game, as Houston can score quickly, but they have a lot of issues stopping teams. Take the over here.