GAME 9 PREVIEW: at Georgia Southern

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team plays its second game in a 14-day span when it returns to action on Thursday (Nov. 10) to face Georgia Southern in a nationally-televised contest at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Ga.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CST. The game will be televised live on ESPNU and can be heard statewide on the Ragin' Cajuns Radio Network.

Louisiana (3-5, 2-3 SBC) will face Georgia Southern (4-5, 3-2 SBC) for the first time on the gridiron and will makes its first of two straight trips to the state of Georgia this season. The Ragin' Cajuns, who opened their three-game, 14-day stretch last week against Idaho, will travel to face Georgia on Nov. 19 in an 11 a.m. (CST) contest.

Elijah McGuire (727 yards rushing, 5 TDs), Anthony Jennings (1,442 yards passing, 9 TDs) and Al Riles (39 receptions, 432 yards, 1 TD) are the top offensive threats for the Ragin' Cajuns with Tre'maine Lightfoot (76 tackles), Otha Peters (63 tackles) and Travis Crawford (48 tackles) leading the defense.

McGuire enters Thursday's game tied with Tyrell Fenroy for the school-record in total touchdowns (49). The senior is 88 yards shy of joining Fenroy as the only players in school history to rush for 4,000 yards.

GAME 9
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (3-5, 2-3 SBC) at Georgia Southern Eagles (4-5, 3-2 SBC)
Nov. 10, 2016 • 6:32 p.m. CT • Statesboro, Ga. • Paulson Stadium (25,000)

RADIO/TV
ESPNU | WatchESPN • Alex Faust PXP • Jay Walker Analyst
KPEL 1420 AM (Flagship) • Jay Walker PXP • Richie Falgout Analyst • Travis Webb Sideline

THE SERIES
Series History: First meeting
In Lafayette: 0-0 | In Statesboro: 0-0 | Hudspeth vs. GS: 0-0

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Mark Hudspeth (Delta State, 1992) • @ULCoachHud
Record at UL: 21-29* (sixth season), Career Record: 87-50* (13th season)

GEORGIA SOUTHERN
Head Coach: Tyson Summers (Presbyterian College, 2002)
Record at Georgia Southern: 4-5 (first season), Career Record: Same

5 THINGS TO KNOW

Elijah McGuire is tied with Tyrell Fenroy for the school record for most total touchdowns (49) in school history.
Wide receiver Al Riles has caught a pass in 24 consecutive games dating back to the 2014 season.
Louisiana ranks 29th nationally in run defense allowing 126.6 yards per game and is 44th overall in total defense (384.1).
The Ragin' Cajuns have recorded the fewest turnovers (9) in the Sun Belt Conference this season and are 13th nationally.
Punter Steven Coutts is 17th overall in punting averaging 44.6 yards per attempt.

GAME NOTES
THE SERIES
• Tonight's contest is the first-ever meeting between the schools on the gridiron.

THREE CAJUNS CELEBRATE HOMECOMING IN THE PEACH STATE
• Tonight's game in Statesboro marks the homecoming for three current Ragin' Cajuns - quarterback Anthony Jennings (Marietta) and defensive backs Tracy Walker (Brunswick) and Christian Goodlett (Lawrenceville).
• Walker will have approximately 40 members of his family in attendance at tonight's game including his mother, Georgette Humphreys, who will see her son play collegiately for the first time.

(THE STATE OF) GEORGIA IS DEFINITELY ON THE CAJUNS MIND
• Tonight's game against Georgia Southern will not be the first time Louisiana will play a game in the Peach State. After facing the Eagles tonight, the Ragin' Cajuns will return to the state of Georgia next Saturday (Nov. 19) to face SEC opponent Georgia at Sanford Stadium in Athens.
• The meeting with UGA will be the second between the schools with the Bulldogs claiming a 55-7 win in the 2010 season opener.

NOTES FROM THE IDAHO GAME
• First meeting between the Ragin' Cajuns and Vandals since 2004
• Captains were Al Riles (WR), Reggie Miles (DB), T.J. Posey (LB) and Grant Horst (OL).
• Louisiana won the toss (now 4-4 on the season) and deferred to second half.
• Michael Jacquet's 52-yard reception on the Ragin' Cajuns first play from scrimmage was his longest of the season (previous was 39 yards at Texas State).
• Anthony Jennings' 3-yard TD run in the second quarter caps a 17-play scoring drive – the longest scoring drive for the Cajuns in 2016.
• Jennings' 17-yard run in the second quarter matched his longest run of the season.
• Steven Coutts' 68-yard punt in the third quarter was a career-best (had two punts of 64 yards entering game).
• The homecoming loss was the first under head coach Mark Hudspeth and the first since a 54-21 loss to Western Kentucky on Oct. 23, 2010.
• Stevie Artigue kicked two field goals (37 and 29 yards) to give him 14 on the season, moving him to within one of cracking the top five in a single-season.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Stevie Artigue

Steven Coutts

Travis Crawford

Christian Goodlett

Grant Horst

Michael Jacquet III

Anthony Jennings

Tre'maine Lightfoot

Elijah McGuire

Otha Peters

T.J. Posey

Al Riles

Tracy Walker

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