University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

Saturday, December 17
New Orleans, La.
8 p.m.

Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns

vs

Southern Miss

GAME 13 PREVIEW: Southern Miss

12/17/2016 12:53:00 AM | Football

Ragin' Cajuns, Golden Eagles Set To Battle In 16th Annual R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

NEW ORLEANS – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team makes its fifth bowl appearance in six seasons when it faces Southern Miss in the 16th annual R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl on Saturday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
 
Kickoff is scheduled for 8:05 p.m., and will be televised live on ESPN with Jason Benetti (pxp), Rod Gilmore (color) and Quint Kessenich (sideline) calling the action.
 
The game can also be heard statewide on the Ragin' Cajuns Radio Network and worldwide on the Radio Pup app with Jay Walker (pxp), former Ragin' Cajuns letterwinner Richie Falgout (color) and Travis Webb (sideline) providing the commentary. Fans across the nation can also hear the game on ESPN Radio with Bill Rosinski (pxp), David Norrie (color) and Ian Fitzsimmons (sideline) providing the commentary.
 
Louisiana (6-6) makes its record fifth appearance in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl after making four straight appearances from 2011-14. The Ragin' Cajuns became bowl eligible for the seventh time overall after closing out the regular season with wins over Arkansas State and ULM.
 
Senior Elijah McGuire, who was one of six members of the Ragin' Cajuns to earn their respective degrees on Friday, rushed for a team-high 1,028 yards and seven touchdowns to lead Louisiana with graduate transfer quarterback Anthony Jennings passing for 2,083 yards and 11 TDs.
 
Al Riles, one of two members of the Ragin' Cajuns to earn first-team All-Sun Belt Conference honors, caught a career-high 55 passes for Louisiana with Keenan Barnes (30 receptions), McGuire (28 receptions and Ja'Marcus Bradley (20 receptions) highlighting a young receiving corp.
 
First-team All-SBC linebacker Otha Peters recorded 88 tackles for a stingy Louisiana defense with Tre'maine Lightfoot recording a team-high 95 stops. New Orleans native Travis Crawford recorded 66 stops for the Ragin' Cajuns with Tracy Walker recording 58 tackles and a team-high three interceptions.
 
Southern Miss (6-6), also making its record fifth appearance in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, became bowl eligible for first-year coach Jay Hopson after a season-ending victory over Louisiana Tech. The Golden Eagles possess an offense that ranked 22nd in passing during the season and 25th in total offense.
 
GAME 13
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (6-6) vs. Southern Miss Golden Eagles (6-6)
Dec. 17, 2016 • 8:05 p.m. • New Orleans, La. • Mercedes-Benz Superdome (73,208)
 
THE COACHES
LOUISIANA

Head Coach: Mark Hudspeth (Delta State, 1992) • @ULCoachHud
Record at UL: 24-30* (sixth season), Career Record: 90-51* (13th season)
 
SOUTHERN MISS
Head Coach: Jay Hopson (Ole Miss, 1992)
Record at USM: 6-6 (first season), Career Record: 38-23 (fifth season)
 
SERIES HISTORY
Series History: Southern Miss leads, 39-11-1
In Lafayette: USM leads, 15-10-1 | In Hattiesburg: USM leads, 23-1 | Neutral Sites: USM leads, 1-0
Hudspeth vs. ULM: 0-0
First Meeting: Louisiana 66, USM 0 • Nov. 17, 1923 at Lafayette
Last Meeting: Southern Miss 51, Louisiana 21 • Aug. 30, 2008 at Hattiesburg
 
TV/RADIO
ESPN | WatchESPN • Jason Benetti, PXP • Rod Gilmore, Analyst • Quint Kessenich, Sideline
KPEL 1420 AM (Flagship) • Jay Walker PXP • Richie Falgout Analyst • Travis Webb Sideline
ESPN Radio • Bill Rosinski, PXP • David Norrie, Analyst • Ian Fitzsimmons, Sideline
 
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