Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns vs Houston Cougars Prediction, 12/23/2022 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns vs Houston Cougars

Date: Friday, December 23, 2022

Location: Independence Stadium in Shreveport, LA

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Cougars (-2.5)

Total/Over-Under: 58.5

The Houston Cougars (7-5) are hosting the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (6-6) at Independence Stadium on Friday, December 23, 2022 in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. Louisiana is 2.5-point underdogs. The betting total comes in at 58.5.

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns head into this game 6-6 this season. In their last matchup, the Ragin' Cajuns went up against the Texas State Bobcats and went home with a win by a final score of 41-13. Dre'lyn Washington was the leader on the ground for the Ragin' Cajuns with 10 totes for 73 yards (7.3 yards per carry). Chandler Fields connected on 16/26 with 187 yds passing and 2 TDs. He had a quarterback rate of 139.6 and finished the game with 1 interception. When it came to stopping the run, the Ragin' Cajuns gave up 223 yds on 37 tries, which is an average of 6.0 yds per run allowed. Louisiana gave up 13 completions on 27 tries for a total of 133 yards, and a completion percentage of 48.1%. On the day, they tallied 68 plays which converted into 436 yards. The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns ended up running the ball 36 different times and totaled 165 yds, which had them averaging 4.6 yds per carry.

When talking about scoring points, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns are sitting at 27.0 points per outing. As a unit they are averaging 143.0 yards on the ground giving them a rank of 76th in college football. The Ragin' Cajuns have earned 4,415 total yards this season. With reference to notching touchdowns, Louisiana has totaled 26 touchdowns through the air and 10 touchdowns on the ground. Louisiana has tallied 234 first downs as a unit, and they have committed 80 penalties for 660 yds. They have turned the football over 16 different times.

The Ragin' Cajuns sit in 37th in college football regarding their opponents scoring, conceding 22.8 points per game. The opposition is running for an average of 4.0 yards per run and 142.3 rushing yards per contest so far this year. During this campaign, they have given up 1,708 yards via the ground game in 12 outings. Concerning passing yardage, the Ragin' Cajuns are allowing 2,632 yards which puts them in 54th in the country. They have conceded 219.3 yards per game via the pass as well as allowing a completion percentage of 56.8%. During the season, they have relinquished 361.6 yards/contest which has them ranked 48th in the country. They have surrendered 16 touchdowns via the pass as well as 18 touchdowns pounding the rock.

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The Cougars head into this matchup 7-5 for this year. In their last game, the Cougars walked away with a loss by a score of 37-30 when they played the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Clayton Tune (2 TDs) ended the game with 386 yards on 26/47 passing while his quarterback rating was 134.1. He tossed 1 pick and his Y/A was 8.2. Ta'Zhawn Henry carried the rock 9 times for 54 yards, finishing the contest with 6.0 yards per attempt for Houston. Houston ran the ball for 5.2 yards per tote, finishing with a total of 120 yards on 23 carries. The Cougars finished the game with 506 yards and they ran 70 plays (7.2 yards per play). The Cougars secondary allowed a completion percentage of 58.1%, relinquishing 316 yards on 25 out of 43 passing. Houston surrendered 32 rushing attempts for 115 yds (3.6 yards per carry).

When looking at the points being put on the board, the Cougars currently rank 14th in the nation averaging 37.2 points per contest. For the season so far, the Cougars have compiled 3,853 passing yards as well as an average of 321.1 passing yards per game, which ranks 7th in the nation. The Houston Cougars maintain an average of 463.6 yards per contest, which ranks them 21st in D-1. The Houston offense has racked up 854 penalty yards on 96 infractions, which is 8th in the nation in terms of helping out the opposition.

Houston has given up a total of 1,732 rushing yards (144.3 yards per game) and 18 touchdowns by way of the ground game so far this year. They have conceded 31 touchdowns through the air in addition to 285.7 yards/outing, which puts them in 126th in D-1. The Cougars defense has been on the field for 864 plays, which has them ranked 99th in D-1. The Cougars are conceding 33.5 PPG, which puts them 118th in the country. This year, they have surrendered 402 total points.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Ragin' Cajuns +2.5

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