The Appalachian State Mountaineers will travel to Cajun Field on Saturday afternoon to take on the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game. This season, the Mountaineers are 10-2 (7-1) and are on a six-game winning streak after defeating the Georgia Southern Eagles at home 27-3. Senior quarterback Chase Brice finished 12-of-24 for 235 yards and two touchdowns. The Ragin Cajuns are 11-1 (8-0) and are riding an 11-game winning streak after defeating the UL Monroe Warhawks 21-16. Senior quarterback Levi Lewis went 13-of-22 for 163 yards.
Appalachian State at Louisiana Betting Preview
Appalachian State Mountaineers Preview: Noel Running Well
Sophomore running back Nate Noel has been playing extremely well thus far for the Appalachian State Mountaineers. So far this season, he has recorded 184 rushing attempts for 1,036 yards (5.6 yards per carry) with four rushing touchdowns and eight receptions for 16 yards (two yards per catch). In his last game against Georgia Southern, Noel finished with just nine rushes for 21 yards (2.3 yards per attempt).
This season, the Appalachian State Mountaineers have been a great defensive program as they are giving up 18.9 points per game. In their previous game against the Georgia Southern Eagles, Appalachian State allowed three points on 200 total yards (107 passing, 93 rushings). The Eagles struggled to move the chains throughout the game as they were 4-of-17 on third-down attempts and 2-of-4 on fourth down tries. Appalachian State did an excellent job limiting the running attack as they allowed just two yards per carry.
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Preview: Chunk Plays From Smith
The Louisiana Ragin Cajuns have been running the ball with sophomore running back Chris Smith this year. On the season, Smith has 134 rushing attempts for 803 yards (six yards per carry) with eight rushing touchdowns and 13 receptions for 65 yards (five yards per catch) with an additional receiving touchdown. In his last game against UL Monroe, Smith finished with ten rushing attempts for 31 yards (3.1 yards per carry) and a 10-yard catch.
The defense of the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns have been doing fantastic as they are allowing 18.7 points per game this season. In their previous game against the UL Monroe Warhawks, Louisiana gave up 16 points on 325 total yards of offense (161 passing, 164 rushings). The Ragin Cajuns defense did wonders as they forced the Warhawks to go 4-of-14 on third down tries and 2-of-5 on fourth down attempts. Louisiana needs to stop the run a little better than they did here, as they gave up 4.1 rushing yards per attempt.
Who to Bet on Mountaineers at Ragin’ Cajuns
The top sportsbooks across the country list this game as the Appalachian State Mountaineers being a road favorite by under a field goal. Appalachian State gives up just 5.7 points in their previous three games, while Louisiana allows 17 points in that same stretch of games. The Mountaineers are 8-4 against the spread this season, while the Ragin Cajuns are 5-7 against the spread. All in all, go with the Appalachian State Mountaineers to cover the spread in this game.