Louisiana football at South Alabama: Score prediction, scouting report
The first couple of weeks that freshman Zeon Chriss came in for relief of injured senior quarterback Ben Wooldridge, Louisiana football was arguably the most efficient offense in the Sun Belt Conference.
But that factoid is no more. That spot now belongs to South Alabama (4-3, 2-1), who has amassed 110 points the last two weeks. The Jaguars have accumulated 13 red zone trips against Louisiana-Monroe and Southern Miss the last two games and have scored 11 touchdowns.
That's what the Ragin' Cajuns (4-3, 1-2) will have to contend with on the road at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile on Saturday (4 p.m., ESPN+). UL comes into what will be a pivotal Sun Belt West division showdown off a loss to Georgia State last week where it had one of the least efficient outings on the season.
Can Louisiana football defense slow down South Alabama's offense?
James Madison was the last team to be able to corral the Jags. And the Dukes are clearly the class of the Sun Belt and are now a Top 25 team.
No doubt, limiting South Alabama will not be easy. Senior QB Carter Bradley is peaking right now and he's got two targets outside that have elevated their play in Caullin Lacy and Jamaal Pritchett, who combine for 1,200 receiving yards and 11 TDs.
Louisiana coach Michael Desormeaux said earlier this week that the Jaguars' balance on offense is understated as tailback La'Damian Webb is one of the league's better runners.
Georgia State's healthy mix of pass and run was a test for UL last week but this will be different as Bradley is not a threat to run. The Ragin' Cajuns tackle pretty well in space, which will be vital for their chances in Mobile.
Will Zeon Chriss, Ragin' Cajuns offense bounce back?
UL had very little rhythm on offense against the Panthers last week, something that was surprising — and alarming — with the team coming off an off week.
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Chriss ran for more yards (119) than he passed for (106) and with how the Cajuns' offense is structured, that's usually not a good sign. There was next to no run game as Jacob Kibodi and Dre'Lyn Washington combined for 40 yards.
The backs must get going again against South Alabama but it's not the best of matchups. The Jags rank 29th in the country in stopping the run, surrendering 114 yards a game.
Will Chriss be able to throw and will UL receivers get open?
South Alabama boasts the 31st best passing defense in FBS, allowing under 200 yards a game.
Possessions will be important for Louisiana and scoring efficiency will need to be high if it's going to win Saturday.
Who can play the cleaner game? Louisiana or South Alabama?
Something to watch between these two teams are penalties and turnovers. UL averages 50 yards a game in penalties while the Jags tally more than 60. For UL, lots of flags have come in poor spots during drives and the game.
And both squads are turnover prone. The team that wins that margin, or more importantly, turns takeaways into more points will be in position to win.
Score prediction
This is a bad spot for the Cajuns. South Alabama is red-hot and Louisiana is fading in the wrong direction, especially on the offensive side of the ball. South Alabama 28, Louisiana 20
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU/UL athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Louisiana football at South Alabama: Score prediction, scouting report
