GAME 7 PREVIEW: at Texas State

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team opens up the second half of its season on Saturday (Oct. 22) when it travels to San Marcos, Texas to face Texas State in a Sun Belt Conference game at Bobcat Stadium.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:06 p.m., with the game being available online at ESPN3/WatchESPN. The game can also be heard statewide on the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Radio Network, including in the Lafayette area on KPEL 1420 AM and KHXT 107.9-FM.

Louisiana (2-4, 1-2 SBC) looks to snap a three-game losing skid as it faces Texas State (2-4, 0-2 SBC) for the fourth time in school history. The Ragin' Cajuns claimed a 34-10 victory in the previous meeting in San Marcos and earned a 49-27 win in last year's contest at Cajun Field.

After facing Texas State, the Ragin' Cajuns will head into an open date before returning to action on Nov. 5 against Idaho in the 71st annual Homecoming Game at Cajun Field.

GAME 7
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (2-4, 1-2 SBC) at Texas State Bobcats (2-4, 0-2 SBC)
Oct. 22, 2016 • 6:06 p.m. • San Marcos, Texas • Bobcat Stadium (30,000)

RADIO/TV
ESPN3 | WatchESPN • Marc Hoenig PXP • Bucky Godbolt Analyst
KPEL 1420 AM (Flagship) • Jay Walker PXP • Richie Falgout Analyst • Travis Webb Sideline

THE SERIES
Series History: Louisiana leads, 3-0*
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 2-0* | In San Marcos: Louisiana leads, 1-0 | Hudspeth vs. Texas State: 2-0
First Meeting: Oct. 5, 2013 at Lafayette • Louisiana, 48-24
Last Meeting: Oct. 10, 2015 at Lafayette • Louisiana, 49-27

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Mark Hudspeth (Delta State, 1992) • @ULCoachHud
Record at UL: 20-28* (sixth season), Career Record: 86-49* (13th season)

TEXAS STATE
Head Coach: Everett Withers (Appalachian State, 1985)
Record at Texas State: 2-4 (1st season), Career Record: 27-17 (4th season)

5 THINGS TO KNOW

Louisiana ranks seventh among FBS schools in net punting average (43.3).
As a team, the Ragin' Cajuns rank 25th nationally in rushing defense allowing 129.5 yards per game.
Wide receiver Al Riles has caught a pass in 22 consecutive games dating back to the 2014 season.
Elijah McGuire (288 points) is one touchdown shy of tying former Ragin' Cajuns running back Tyrell Fenroy (294, 2005-08) for the all-time lead in scoring.
Twenty-nine players have seen action for the first time this season for the Ragin' Cajuns.

GAME NOTES
THE SERIES
• Tonight's contest is the fourth meeting between Louisiana and Texas State with the Ragin' Cajuns officially holding a 2-0 lead.
• The teams first met in Lafayette during the 2013 season with Louisiana claiming a 48-24 victory (the victory was eventually vacated due to NCAA sanctions).
• Louisiana claimed a 34-10 game in San Marcos in 2014 that was nationally-televised before claiming a 49-27 win in last year's game in Lafayette.

THE LAST MEETING - Louisiana 49, Texas State 27 (Oct. 10, 2015 • Lafayette, La.)
• The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns used a 28-point third quarter to break free from a halftime tie and claim a 49-27 victory over Texas State in the Sun Belt Conference opener for both teams.
• Louisiana (2-3, 1-0 Sun Belt) won its Sun Belt opener for the eighth straight season.
• Elijah McGuire piled up a season-high 170 yards on a career-high 28 carries. Jalen Nixon had a career night finishing 22-of-29 for 238 yards and accounted for four touchdowns, including three touchdown tosses.
• Jamal Robinson posted the fifth multiple-touchdown game of his career hauling in two scores, the latter which proved to be the winning score in the third quarter.

ON THIS DATE
Below are all-time results for Louisiana in games played on Oct. 22.

All-Time Cajuns Results on Oct. 22
1921 - at Tulane JV - W, 13-7
1927 - at Loyola - L, 28-0
1937 - at Millsaps - W, 7-0
1949 - Louisiana College - W, 7-0
1960 - Louisiana College - L, 13-7
1966 – Samford - W, 6-3
1977 - at Temple - L, 27-20
1983 – Lamar - W, 31-6
1988 - Southern Miss - L, 27-14
1994 - at Utah State - W, 27-25
2002 - at New Mexico State - L, 31-28
2005 - at Middle Tennessee - W, 13-10
2011 - at Western Kentucky - L, 42-23
2013 - at Arkansas State - W, 23-7

McGUIRE SETS UL ALL-PURPOSE YARDS RECORD; 4TH AMONG ACTIVE PLAYERS
• With 53 all-purpose yards on Oct. 12 against Appalachian State, Elijah McGuire moved past Tyrell Fenroy as the Ragin' Cajuns all-time leader with 5,236 yards.
• McGuire set the record in the third quarter with a 13-yard run that surpassed Fenroy's total of 5,231 yards set from 2005-08.
• McGuire, who is one of five active NCAA players with 5,000 all-purpose yards, recorded 223 yards of total offense in a 28-23 win against South Alabama and passed Darryl Surgent for second-place on the school's all-time list.

NOTES FROM THE APPALACHIAN STATE GAME
• Captains for the game were Al Riles (WR), Otha Peters (LB), Elijah McGuire (RB), Taboris Lee (DL).
• Reggie Miles (DB) earned his first career start.
• Appalachian State won coin toss and deferred to second half (Cajuns now 2-4 on coin toss).
• Terrence Jones (DE) makes his debut after season-ending injuries to David Lemoto and LaDarrius Kidd at NMSU. Jones is the 29th player to see his first action in a Ragin' Cajuns uniform in 2016.
• Denarius Howard grabbed his first interception of the season in second quarter.
• Louisiana was shut out in the first half for the first time since Nov. 28, 2015 at Appalachian State (trailed 14-0).
• Louisiana was shut for the first time since a 55-0 loss to No. 25 Nebraska on Sept. 26, 2009.
• The shut out was the first for the Ragin' Cajuns at Cajun Field since a 27-0 loss to North Texas on Oct. 26, 2002 - a span of 79 games.
• Levarious Varnado's 35-yard punt return in the third quarter was the longest of the season (previous was 7 yards by Gary Haynes vs. South Alabama).
• Elijah McGuire's 13-yard run in the third quarter moved him past Tyrell Fenroy (5,231 yards, 2005-08) as UL's all-time leader in all-purpose yards.
• Taboris Lee recorded his first sack of the season in the third quarter.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Gary Haynes

Denarius Howard

Terrence Jones

LaDarrius Kidd

Taboris Lee

David Lemoto

Elijah McGuire

Jalen Nixon

Otha Peters

Al Riles

Jamal Robinson

Levarious Varnado

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