Jacksonville State Gamecocks vs Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Prediction, 12/16/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Jacksonville State Gamecocks vs Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns

Date: Saturday, December 16, 2023

Location: Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, LA

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Ragin' Cajuns (-1)

Total/Over-Under: 55.5

Caesars Superdome is where the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (6-6) will compete against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks (8-4) on Saturday, December 16, 2023 in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. Jacksonville State opens as 1-point dogs. The total is set at 55.5.

The Jacksonville State Gamecocks head into this game 8-4 for this season. In their last game, the Gamecocks took the field against the New Mexico State Aggies and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 20-17. Zion Webb went 17/30 with 248 yards through the air. He had a QB rate of 112.8 and ended the game with 2 interceptions. Malik Jackson was the rushing leader for the Gamecocks with 8 carries for 43 yards (5.4 yards per carry). When all was said and done, they had 58 plays for 333 yards. The Jacksonville State Gamecocks ended up running the ball 28 different times and accumulated 85 yds, earning them an average of 3.0 yds per carry. Against the rush, the Gamecocks gave up 186 yards on 48 attempts, which is an average of 3.9 yds per rush surrendered. Jacksonville State relinquished 23 pass completions on 34 attempts for a total of 269 yds, and a completion rate of 67.6%.

The Gamecocks have attained 4,774 total yards this year. When it comes to notching touchdowns, Jacksonville State has earned 11 touchdowns through the air and 32 touchdowns via the ground. They have surrendered the football 16 different times. Jacksonville State has accumulated 258 first downs, and they have been hurt by 61 infractions for 544 yds. As a team they're holding an average of 232.3 yards on the ground which has them sitting 5th in the country. In terms of putting the ball in the endzone, the Jacksonville State Gamecocks are averaging 29.8 points per game.

In terms of passing yardage, the Gamecocks have conceded 2,981 yards which puts them in 105th in Division 1. They are allowing 248.4 yards per contest via the pass in addition to allowing a completion percentage of 59.1%. Overall, they have yielded 361.6 yards per outing which puts them 51st in the country. They have conceded 16 touchdowns through the air as well as 13 touchdowns via the ground game. They are giving up an average of 2.8 yards per rush and 113.2 yards on the ground per contest for the season. In total, they have allowed 1,358 running yards through 12 games. The Gamecocks are ranked 26th in college football when it comes to the opposition scoring, conceding 20.3 points per game.

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The Ragin' Cajuns come into this matchup with a record of 6-6 for this season. When they last stepped on the field, the Ragin' Cajuns got the victory with a final of 52-21 when they played the UL Monroe Warhawks. Elijah Davis carried the football 14 times for 109 yds, ending the game with 7.8 yards per carry for Louisiana. Chandler Fields (2 TDs) ended the game with 246 yds on 18/20 through the air while his quarterback rating was 226.3. He didn't throw any picks and his average yards per attempt was 12.3. Louisiana surrendered 42 rush attempts for 153 yds (3.6 yds per carry). The Ragin' Cajuns passing defense gave up a completion rate of 45.0%, relinquishing 86 yards on 9 for 20 passing. The Ragin' Cajuns finished with 466 yards on 63 plays (7.4 yds per play). Louisiana ended up running for 5.1 yds per attempt, totaling 220 yds on 43 carries.

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns maintain an average of 404.5 yards/outing, which has them ranked 52nd in D-1. The Louisiana offense has compiled 610 yards of penalties on 76 infractions, which ranks them 48th in the nation in terms of giving up free yards. They maintain an average of 182.7 yards per game on the ground and have rushed for 2,192 yards for this year. They have given away 10 picks while allowing opponents to recover 12 fumbles and they have recorded 252 first downs. Regarding putting points on the board, the Ragin' Cajuns are ranking 35th in Division 1 with an average of 32.3 points per contest. For the year so far, the Ragin' Cajuns have compiled 2,662 passing yards along with holding an average of 221.8 passing yards per contest, giving them a rank of 72nd in college football.

The Ragin' Cajuns are relinquishing 28.2 PPG, which has them 86th in college football. Louisiana has given up a total of 1,931 yards via the ground game (160.9 yards per game) in addition to 22 touchdowns by way of the ground game for the season. Overall, they have given up 338 points in total. They have yielded 22 touchdowns from the passing game as well as 213.3 yards per outing, ranking them 48th in Division 1. The Ragin' Cajuns defense has been on the field for 853 plays, which is 102nd in Division 1. They have 8 fumbles and 10 picks this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Gamecocks +1

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