Appalachian State Mountaineers at LA-Lafayette Preview

The Appalachian State Mountaineers have enjoyed quite the streak of late, beating traditional Sun Belt powers in Louisiana-Monroe and Arkansas State in consecutive weeks. This week sees the granddaddy of them all, the team one thinks of when the Sun Belt Conference is mentioned. That would be Jake Delhomme’s alma mater, the University of Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns. The Cajuns do not dominate the conference every year, but they hold the belt right now from last year.

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The Mountaineers make their last road trip of the year this weekend to the Bayou. Their goal will be to put their new running game and growing offensive competence to the test against the preseason conference champion.

Date: November 22
Time: 2:00 PM
TV: ESPN3
Venue: Cajun Field (Lafayette, LA)

Last Time: Never

Hey, new is new. Appalachian State is currently 0-6 in games played in Louisiana lifetime. Ironically, none of those losses was a current Sun Belt Conference member.

Sep 20, 2014; Boise, ID, USA; Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns head coach Mark Hudspeth runs off the field at the conclusion of the game against the Boise State Broncos at Albertsons Stadium. Boise State defeats UL Lafayette 34-9. Mandatory Credit: Brian Losness-USA TODAY Sports

Opponent: Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns (7-3)

Do not let the record deceive you, the Cajuns have been rolling to a 6-0 record in conference play. They do not meet Georgia Southern this year, so that natural comparison is moot. The Cajuns have been relying on a high powered offense to get the points on the board.

Senior quarterback Terrance Broadway got knocked out of the late season action last year, but he has been healthy and productive this year. He has over 1700 yards passing with twelve touchdowns through the air to nine interceptions. His inaccuracy could be an advantage for App to take advantage of. He has also run for more than 550 yards on the season as well.

Sep 20, 2014; Boise, ID, USA; Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns running back Elijah McGuire (15) scores a rushing touchdown during the second half against the Boise State Broncos at Albertsons Stadium. Boise State defeats UL Lafayette 34-9. Mandatory Credit: Brian Losness-USA TODAY Sports

The go to end zone guy looks like sophomore running back Elijah McGuire. He has 960 yards running with 11 touchdowns on the year. His tag team partner, big 238 lbs Alonzo Harris has 600 yards rushing and nine more scores. As you can imagine, the Cajuns like to run the football and stay away from the pass. Helps to have the senior laden offensive line too. This means that a fast start from App could pull them out of what they want to do.

The defense also has lots of experience, but Arkansas State did put forty on them three weeks ago. This is a solid team overall. App will need their best game to win.