Carrying a four-game winning streak and coming off of a 37-24 win over Georgia Southern (Sept. 28) in its Sun Belt opener, Louisiana returns home for a rematch of the 2018 Sun Belt Championship Game against Appalachian State on Wednesday, Oct. 9. Kickoff from Cajun Field is slated for 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
The game will be the seventh meeting between the two programs, with Appalachian State leading the all-time series, 6-0. Wednesday's contest is also a rematch of last season's inaugural Sun Belt Conference Championship Game, which Appalachian State won, 30-19, on Dec. 1 in Boone.
Louisiana is coming off its first win in Sun Belt Conference opener since the 2016 season after it defeated Georgia State, 37-24, on the road in Statesboro.
Who: Appalachian State (4-0, 1-0 SBC) vs. Louisiana (4-1, 1-0 SBC)
Where: Cajun Field – Lafayette, La.
When: Wednesday, Oct. 9 – 7 p.m. (CST)
Watch: ESPN2
On the Call: Clay Matvick (play-by-play), Ryan Leaf (color)
Listen: ESPN1420
On the Call: Jay Walker (play-by-play), Chris Lanaux (color), Cody Junot (sideline)
All-Time Series: Appalachian State Leads, 6-0
Last Meeting: Dec. 1, 2018 (Appalachian State Won, 30-19)
Game Notes:
Moving the Chains
• Louisiana's offense has had no issues moving the ball in chunks and currently ranks fifth nationally in total first downs with 135.
• Of the 135 first downs, 73 have come on the ground, good for eighth nationally.
• The ability to consistently move the chains has to do with the big plays created by the Louisiana offense. The Ragin' Cajuns are currently tied for sixth in the nation with 101 plays of 10+ yards.
Rushing Game on Top
• With Louisiana's 275 yards on the ground on against Georgia Southern on Sept. 28, the team has upped their season total to 1,570 yards, the third-most team rushing yards in the country.
• Louisiana also ranks second in the country in yards per attempt with 7.3 yards per carry, ranking just behind Oklahoma (7.84).
• Louisiana Football has scored 22 rushing touchdowns this season, tied for the most in FBS with SMU.
• The Ragin' Cajuns also rank first in average yards per game, tallying 314.0 yards on the ground.
Three-Headed Monster
• Louisiana's combination of Elijah Mitchell, Trey Ragas and Raymond Calais have been unstoppable
• The trio has produced 1,223 of the 1,570 total rushing yards and 17 of the team's 22 rushing scores.
• Furthermore, at least two of the backs have scored a rushing touchdown in every game this season, while all three found the end zone on the ground against Texas Southern on Sept. 14.
Electric Elijah
• Elijah Mitchell had another solid game against Georgia Southern on Sept. 28, rushing for 82 yards and two scores.
• Mitchell has rushed for a touchdown in every game this season.
• Mitchell is currently tied for third in the country in total rushing touchdowns with nine.
• His two touchdowns mark the seventh time in his career where he has rushed for multiple touchdowns and the third time he has rushed for two touchdowns in a single game.
Ragas is Rushin'
• Trey Ragas put up a terrific game against Georgia Southern, rushing for 131 yards and a two scores.
• With his 131 yards rushing on Saturday, Ragas has now gone over 100 yards in a single game 11 times in his career.
• Like Mitchell, Ragas has rushed for a touchdown in every game this season.
• Ragas ranks 16th in the country in rushing with 548 yards on the ground.
Open the Record Books
• Louisiana broke multiple school records with the 77-6 victory over Texas Southern on Sept. 14.
• The Ragin' Cajuns scored the most points in school history (77), won by the largest margin in school history (71) and broke the record for the most touchdown's in a game with 11 scores.
• Louisiana also tied the record for the most rushing touchdowns in a single game with eight, the third time in school history the team has rushed for eight touchdowns in a single game. The previous two times were against Nicholls State in 2013 and Arkansas State in 2014.
Spreading the Wealth
• On Sept. 14 against Texas Southern, six different Ragin' Cajun running backs scored a touchdown. The six were: Raymond Calais, Trey Ragas, Elijah Mitchell, Ashton Johnson, Michael Orphey, Jr. and Chris Smith. Johnson, Orphey, Jr. and Smiths all registered as their first career scores in that contest.
Bradley Continues to Dominate
• Ja'Marcus Bradley caught two passes for 22 yards and had a touchdown against Georgia Southern on Sept. 29.
• Bradley now has 352 receiving yards on the year, ranking third in the conference and 43rd in the country in that category.
• Bradley also extended his reception streak to 32 games and tallied 50 or more receiving yards in a single game for the 18th time in his career.