Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns vs Marshall Thundering Herd Prediction, 12/18/2021 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns vs Marshall Thundering Herd

Date: Saturday, December 18, 2021

Location: Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, LA

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Thundering Herd (+6)

Total/Over-Under: 51.5

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (12-1) are hitting the road to Caesars Superdome on Saturday where they will attempt to defeat the Marshall Thundering Herd (7-5) in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. Marshall opens this game as 6-point dogs. The over/under comes in at 51.5.

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns head into this matchup 12-1 this season. In their last matchup, the Ragin' Cajuns faced the Appalachian State Mountaineers and walked away with a win by a score of 24-16. Levi Lewis connected on 15/30 with 210 yds through the air and 1 TD. He had a QB rating of 119.8 and finished the contest with no picks. Emani Bailey led the offense in rushing for the Ragin' Cajuns with 14 carries for 117 yards (8.4 yards per carry). The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns ran the rock 41 different times and amassed 188 yds, which is an average of 4.6 yards per attempt. In all, they had 73 plays which gave them 398 yards. Louisiana gave up 12 pass completions on 30 attempts for 119 yards, and a completion percentage of 40.0%. Against the run, the Ragin' Cajuns gave up 171 yards on 34 tries, which is an average of 5.0 yards per rush allowed.

The Ragin' Cajuns currently have 5,278 yards in total for the season. When it comes to scoring, Louisiana has amassed 21 touchdowns via the pass and 31 rushing touchdowns. They have surrendered the football 7 different times. Louisiana has accounted for 277 1st downs offensively, and they have been hurt by 68 penalties for 636 yds. As a unit they're averaging 192.0 yards on the ground which is 34th in the nation. When talking about scoring points, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns have an average of 30.7 points per game.

The Ragin' Cajuns rank 9th in the nation concerning their opponents scoring, allowing 18.3 points per game. The opposition is running for an average of 3.9 yards per running attempt and 145.8 yards on the ground per game this year. During the season, they have conceded 1,895 running yards through 13 outings. Concerning yards via the pass, the Ragin' Cajuns have conceded 2,591 yards which ranks them 45th in the nation. They are giving up 199.3 yards per outing via the pass and allowed a completion percentage of 52.8%. During this campaign, they are allowing 345.1 yards per contest which has them ranked 36th in the nation. They have yielded 17 touchdowns by air and 13 touchdowns on the ground.

Get all of our College Football Picks

The Thundering Herd come into this matchup with a record of 7-5 for this season. In their last game, the Thundering Herd walked away with a loss by a score of 53-21 against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Luke Zban (1 touchdown) finished the contest with 123 yards on 16/25 passing while his quarterback rating was 110.5. He had 1 interception and his average yards per pass attempt was 4.9. Rasheen Ali carried the rock 24 times for 99 yards, ending the contest with 4.1 yds per carry for Marshall. The Thundering Herd finished the contest with a total of 325 yards while running 79 plays (4.1 yds per play). Marshall ran for 3.2 yards per carry, totaling 126 yds on 40 attempts. Marshall conceded 34 attempts on the ground for 157 yds (4.6 yards per carry). The Thundering Herd pass defense gave up a completion rate of 52.1%, relinquishing 328 yards on 25 for 48 through the air.

The Marshall Thundering Herd maintain an average of 471.1 yards/outing, which has them ranked 11th in D-1. The Marshall offense has accrued 660 penalty yards on 76 violations, which is good for 60th in Division 1 in terms of helping out the other team. During the season thus far, the Thundering Herd have racked up 3,731 passing yards together with an average of 310.9 passing yards per contest, which has them ranked 12th in the country. Concerning their scoring prowess, the Thundering Herd are 27th in D-1 by tallying 34.0 PPG.

Marshall has allowed the opposition a total of 2,266 yards on the ground (188.8 yards/game) and 16 touchdowns rushing on the campaign. They have allowed 17 touchdowns through the air as well as 199.3 yards/game, which puts them in 26th in D-1. The Thundering Herd defense has been on the field for 919 plays, which is good for 121st in college football. The Thundering Herd are conceding 22.8 points per contest, ranking them 39th in D-1. In total, they have relinquished 274 points.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Ragin' Cajuns -6

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here