Louisiana vs Appalachian State NCAA Football Picks 12/7/2019

Game: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns vs Appalachian State Mountaineers

Date: Saturday, December 7, 2019

Sun Belt Championship

Location: Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, NC

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Appalachian State -7

Total/Over-Under: 57.5

Zac Thomas and the Appalachian State Mountaineers host the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns at Kidd Brewer Stadium on Saturday, December 7, 2019. The odds on this contest have Appalachian State as 7-point favorites. The Ragin' Cajuns are 9-3-0 ATS and 5-7-0 when betting on the total. The Mountaineers are 5-7-0 when wagering on the over/under and 8-4-0 against the spread.

In their last game, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns faced the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks and ended up getting the win by a score of 31-30. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Ragin' Cajuns was Levi Lewis who went 15/23 with 270 yards through the air and added 3 touchdowns. He ended the game without an interception. Raymond Calais led the team on the ground in the game. His longest run of the day went for 83 yards and he added 1 touchdown for the contest. He rushed for a total of 107 yards via 8 carries which had him averaging 13.4 yards per run. Ja'Marcus Bradley led the team in receiving yardage by earning 127 yards on 4 catches. He had an average of 31.8 yards per catch in the game. The Ragin' Cajuns ran the ball 41 times and added 253 yards which had them averaging 6.2 yards per run. Overall, they finished with a total of 64 plays for 523 yards. For the game, the Ragin' Cajuns racked up 20 1st downs and they had a total of 8 penalties for 70 yards which is telling in terms of discipline. In terms of defense, Louisiana gave up 22 catches on 37 throws totaling 330 yards, and a completion percentage of 59.5%. Overall, they conceded 570 yards and earned 1 takeaway. In the running game, the Ragin' Cajuns gave up 240 yards on 37 runs which means they had an average of 6.5 yards per rushing attempt allowed.

The Ragin' Cajuns head into this game 10-2 for 2019. They are one of top scoring teams in the nation averaging 38.8 points per contest, which has them at 12th in the nation. As a unit, they are averaging 274.3 yards on the ground per contest which is 1st in the conference. For total yards, they currently sit at 1st in the conference and 9th in the nation with 6,005 yards. The Ragin' Cajuns have one of the best defenses in Division 1, giving up 17.8 points per contest which has them at 1st in the Sun Belt. When it comes to passing yards, the Ragin' Cajuns have conceded 2,714 yards. Opponents are completing 56.4% of the throws they are attempting against them and averaging 6.5 yards per try. When talking about rushing yards, Louisiana Lafayette is allowing 172.3 yards per game which has them at 5th in the conference and 80th in the nation. Opposing teams are running for an average of 4.5 yards per carry putting them 6th in the Sun Belt Conference and 87th in college football overall. In total, they have conceded 2,068 yards rushing through 12 contests.

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In their last game, the Appalachian State Mountaineers faced the Troy Trojans and ended up getting the victory by a score of 48-13. Leading the way at QB for the Mountaineers was Zac Thomas who went 28/34 with 326 yards through the air and added 4 TD's. He gave away 1 pick during the game. Darrynton Evans paced the team in rushing for that game. He broke a long run for 52 yards and he tallied 2 touchdowns in the game. He scurried for 82 yards on 13 carries which meant he was running for 6.3 yards per run. Thomas Hennigan led the team in receiving yardage by racking up 140 yards on 11 catches. He earned an average of 12.7 yards per reception for that game. The Mountaineers rushed the ball a total of 37 times and racked up 194 yards giving them an average of 5.2 yards per rushing attempt. On the day, the Mountaineers totaled 27 1st downs and they had a total of 9 penalties for 75 yards telling us that this team had an undisciplined week of practice. On the day, they ran 72 plays which added up to 522 yards. When discussing the defense, Appalachian State allowed 27 completions on 46 attempts for a total of 304 yards, and a completion percentage of 58.7%. Overall, they allowed 339 yards and earned 2 takeaways. On the ground, the Mountaineers allowed 35 yards on 23 carries which gave them an average of 1.5 yards per carry allowed.

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The Mountaineers head into this game 11-1. In discussing the offensive production, the Mountaineers have one of the top tier offenses in the country. Appalachian State has made teams game plan around their running game by averaging 226 yards on the ground per game, putting them 18th in the country. As a team, they have a total of 2,712 yards rushing through 12 games, and if they want to continue their dominance, they'll want to keep running the ball. The Mountaineers average 437.1 yards per contest overall putting them 42nd in D-1 and 5th in the Sun Belt Conference. The Mountaineers are allowing 18.8 points per game ranking them 2nd in the Sun Belt and 19th in the country. Their passing defense is one of the top units in Division 1. They are allowing 186.8 passing yards per game. For passing yards allowed per game, the Mountaineers are ranked 1st in the conference. In discussing points given up, they have allowed 226 points in total. In discussing rushing yards, they are giving up 134.3 yards per contest ranking them 34th in the nation and 1st in the conference. This year, they have given up a total of 1,612 rushing yards and 13.2 rushing touchdowns.

Who will win tonight's Ragin' Cajuns/Mountaineers college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Ragin' Cajuns +7

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