Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Thursday, September 16th, 2021 

Venue: Cajun Field,  LaFayette Louisiana

Where to Watch: ESPN

DraftKings: Spread:  Louisiana-Lafayette -19.5/      Moneyline:  Ohio +850,             Louisiana-Lafayette -1400/     O/U:  54.5 points.

Ohio:  0-2  (Mac)

Louisiana:  1-1  (Sun Belt)

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Ohio is averaging 17.5 points a game (116th), 325 yards a game (101st).  That breaks down to 188.5 yards a game passing, 136.5 yards a game rushing.  They have a balanced approach to offense; they just aren’t very good.  Ohio put up only 9 measly points against Syracuse.  But then when they played Duquesne, a school more on their level, they hung 26 points in a 28-26 loss.  In the Duquesne game, QB Kurtis Rourke went 14/22 for 168 yards and 1 TD.  The star of Ohio’s 26 points was the rushing game.  O’Shaan Allison 12 carries 76 yards, DeMonte Tuggle 7 carries for 44 yards and 1 TD, Kurtis Rourke ran better than he threw, 4 carries 28 yards and 1 TD.  A disciplined offensive line, Ohio has allowed zero sacks in 2 games.

UL Lafayette skipped the 2020 season and reopened this year against Texas.  The final score was Texas 38 - Louisiana 18… That score should have tipped more people to the Arkansas upset that was coming Texas’ way. The Ragin’ Cajuns are a small sun belt program and they put up 18 points on Texas.  Then they went out in game 2 and put up 27 points on Nicholls State in a win.  In that Nicholls State game quarterback Levi Lewis threw 19/33 for 304 yards passing 2 touchdowns and 0 Int.  WR Michael Jefferson caught 1 TD to go with his 84 yards.  WR John Stephens Jr. caught the other TD to go along with 48 yards.

The Ohio Bobcats are not a good defensive team.  Duquesne upset them.  Ohio went into a game with a Football Championship Subdivision team and had 28 points hung on them in a 28-26 loss.  They didn’t just bend, they broke… against an FCS team. The Ohio defense has given up 5.7 yards per pass attempt against them this season.

The Louisiana Ragin Cajuns held Texas to 38 points.  This point deserves to be harped on.  L-LRC was scheduled as an easy debut game for Steve Sarkisian to show Austin that this new era of Longhorns would be an offensive powerhouse just like Alabama.  Texas expected a wild score like 62-3, 55-0… you know the scores you see in the SEC when those bullies play a small  conference school to pad the stats.  It wasn’t that game.  Louisiana held a bigger school with larger and more desired scholarship players to 38 points.  Louisiana has 3 sacks in 2 games.

These are small programs in small conferences.  Neither will be confused for a college football playoff caliber team ever.  This should be close to even except Louisiana-LaFayette stood up to the Texas Longhorns well enough and won their second game.  But is 19.5 points the correct spread to still give Louisiana the betting win?…. No

Our prediction for Thursday, September 16th is…  Louisiana-LaFayette 33 - Ohio 24.   The Ragin Cajuns will get the win but they won’t cover the 19.5 point spread.

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This is the first game of the season that Louisiana is the moneyline favorite.

This is the first game Ohio will play as the underdog.

Ohio: Nothing new reported

Louisiana:  Nothing new reported

Ohio:  QB Kurtis Rourke.  He has thrown for 307 yards over 2 games with 0 TD.  He will need some scoring through the air to get the defense out of Ohio’s running gaps.

Ragin Cajun:  QB Levi Lewis has thrown for 586 yards over 2 games this season.  He has 3 passing TD’s and 0 INT.  He does a good job targeting different receivers.  He’ll have to keep that INT number at 0.

"It would have been more exciting if we did win but at the end of the day getting 1000 in college is always a blessing," -Cameron Odom, about passing the 1000 yards receiving mark.  He is a redshirt fifth-year wide receiver.

“you and any of your guests voluntarily assume the risks related to exposure to COVID-19. You and all personal representatives, assigns, heirs, and next of kin hereby release, waive, discharge, and shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the University, State of Louisiana, the Louisiana Board of Regents, the University of Louisiana System, “  - A disclaimer on the Ragin Cajuns website called Game Day Central.  Don’t worry, if I do perish tell my family I died doing what I loved… Going to the Pizzaville Family Fun Zone at Cajun Field.

Louisiana:  QB Levi Lewis, RB Chris Smith, WR Peter LeBlanc, WR Kyren Lacy, WR Jalen Williams, TE Neal Johnson, TE Johnny Lumpkin

Ohio:  QB Kurtis Rourke, RB DeMontre Tuggle, WR Cameron Odom, WR Tyler Walton, WR Jerome Buckner, TE Ryan Luehrman

Ohio:  

Rushing:  O’Shaan Allison 59.5 yards per game

Receiving:  Jerome Buckner  51 yards per game

Passing:  Kurtis Rourke  155 yards per game.

Louisiana:  

Rushing:  Chris Smith  50 yards per game.

Receiving:  Michael Jefferson 42 yards per game.

Passing:  Levi Lewis  293 yards per game

Ohio:  Tim Albin, though it was Frank Solich… so recently as his last day of coaching and Tim’s first overlap mysteriously in report after report.

Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns: Billy Napier

Thunderstorm.  83* for the high.  Precipitation 80% ALL WEEK. It is storm season.