GAME 12 PREVIEW: at ULM

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns will look to secure its fifth bowl berth in the past six seasons when it travels north to face in-state rival ULM in the regular-season finale for both teams on Saturday at JPS Field at Malone Stadium.

Kickoff is scheduled for 2:04 p.m., and will be streamed live on ESPN3. The game can also be heard statewide on the Ragin' Cajuns Radio Network and worldwide on the Radio Pup app.

Louisiana (5-6, 4-3 SBC) put itself in position for its seventh overall bowl appearance by virtue of a dramatic 24-19 win over previous SBC leader Arkansas State last Saturday at Cajun Field. The Ragin' Cajuns took a 14-7 lead at halftime and led 24-13 with 10:24 remaining before stopping A-State inside the UL 10 in the final seconds.

Anthony Jennings tossed for 242 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Ragin' Cajuns. The senior has thrown for a career-high 2,083 yards this season for Louisiana with 11 touchdowns in the air while rushing for a team-high seven TDs on the ground.

Elijah McGuire, one of two rushers in school history to rush for 4,000 yards, enters Saturday's game with ULM (4-7, 3-4 SBC) needing 82 yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the third consecutive season. Al Riles, second in the Sun Belt Conference in receiving yards per game (60.5), has caught a career-high 54 passes on the season for the Ragin' Cajuns with Keenan Barnes (30 receptions) tying for the Sun Belt Conference-lead with six touchdowns.

Tre'maine Lightfoot (92 tackles) and Otha Peters (87 tackles) highlight a defensive unit that ranks third in the Sun Belt Conference and 27th among FBS programs in rushing defense.

Stevie Artigue, who is 16-for-21 in field goals this season, and punter Steven Coutts (44.6 yards per attempt) are the top specialists for the Ragin' Cajuns.

GAME 12
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (5-6, 4-3 SBC) at ULM Warhawks (4-7, 3-4 SBC)
Dec. 3, 2016 • 2:04 p.m. • Monroe, La. • JPS Field at Malone Stadium (30,427)

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Mark Hudspeth (Delta State, 1992) • @ULCoachHud
Record at UL: 23-30* (sixth season), Career Record: 89-51* (13th season)

ULM
Head Coach: Matt Viator (McNeese State, 1986)
Record at ULM: 4-7 (first season), Career Record: 82-40 (11th season)

SERIES HISTORY
Series History: Louisiana leads, 26-24* (see all-time series on p. 4)
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 14-12* | In Monroe: Tied, 11-11 | In Shreveport: Tied, 1-1
Hudspeth vs. ULM: 3-1*
First Meeting: ULM 13, Louisiana 7 • Sept. 15, 1951 at Lafayette
Last Meeting: Louisiana 30, ULM 24 • Oct. 31, 2015 at Lafayette

TV/RADIO
ESPN3 | WatchESPN • David Saltzman PXP • Brian Kinchen Analyst
KPEL 1420 AM (Flagship) • Jay Walker PXP • Richie Falgout Analyst • Travis Webb Sideline

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
• A win by the Ragin' Cajuns would make the team bowl eligible for the fifth time in six years under head coach Mark Hudspeth.
• Senior receiver Al Riles has caught a pass in 27 consecutive games dating back to the 2014 season.
• Senior Elijah McGuire is one of two players in school history to rush for over 4,000 yards in a career.
• McGuire needs 82 yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the third straight season.
• Sophomore receiver Keenan Barnes is tied for the Sun Belt Conference lead with six touchdown receptions.

THE ULM SERIES
• Louisiana continues one of its longest rivalries in school history today when it faces ULM in the regular-season finale at JPS Field at Malone Stadium. The schools meet for the 52nd time in a series that began in 1951.
• The Ragin' Cajuns have an official 26-24 lead in the series and have officially won six of the last seven meetings.
• The series is tied at 11-11 in games played in Monroe while the Ragin' Cajuns have claimed the last five meetings at JPS Field at Malone Stadium dating back to 2005.

THE LAST MEETING - Louisiana 30, ULM 24, 10/31/2015 at Lafayette
• Jamal Robinson finished with a team-high 92 yards receiving, 64 coming on a late touchdown pass from Brooks Haack, as the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns rallied for a soggy 30-24 victory over ULM in the 70th Homecoming Game.
• Playing in a torrential downpour throughout the game, the Ragin' Cajuns (3-4, 2-1 Sun Belt) began their comeback with a score on the first possession of the second half. A pair of Torrey Pierce runs covering 32 yards put the Cajuns in a goal-line situation and two plays later Elijah McGuire bulldozed his way into the endzone, slicing ULM's lead to 24-16 at the 10:50 mark of the third.
• A series of defensive stops ensued until the Cajuns' special teams came up with blocked punt that was recovered by Montrel Carter at the ULM 16. After failing to get a first down, a roughing the kicker penalty gave the Cajuns new life and they took advantage as Haack later scored on a 13-yard run to make it a 24-22 ballgame.
• ULM (1-7, 0-4 Sun Belt) maintained the lead after Stevie Artigue missed a 37-yard field with 6:18 remaining, but was unable to move the chains and was forced to give the ball back to the Cajuns with 3:20 to play.
• On the next play, Haack connected with Robinson on the 64-yard touchdown play. After McGuire scored on a two-point conversion, the Cajuns led 30-24.
• The Ragin' Cajuns defense made their seventh and final stand of the second half when Mario Osborne forced a fumble on a sack of Garrett Smith, which was recovered by LaDarrus Kidd with 1:38 to play. After ULM called its final two timeouts, McGuire preserved the win running over the right tackle to convert on a third and short.
• Louisiana's defense limited ULM to five first downs and 106 yards of offense in the decisive second stanza. Dominque Tovell led the charge finishing with 12 tackles (10 solo) and two of the team's five sacks. Haack completed 6-of-11 passes for 85 yards during the rally.

NOTES FROM THE ARKANSAS STATE GAME
• Captains were P Steven Coutts, TE Matt Barnes, DL Rodrick Stephens and DL Jarvis Jeffries.
• The win by Louisiana snapped Arkansas State's 15-game SBC winning streak dating back to 2014.
• Louisiana won the coin toss (now 6-5 on the season) and deferred to the second half.
• Louisiana finished with a 3-3 record at home.
• Louisiana improved to 7-1 overall against the Red Wolves in games played in Lafayette since joining the Sun Belt Conference.
• The win was Louisiana's first in a home finale since a 52-30 win over South Alabama on Nov. 24, 2012.
• The win was Louisiana's first at home in the month of November since a 19-9 win over South Alabama (11/1/14) - erasing a four-game losing streak.
• Taboris Lee's 17-yard TD on an interception return was the first defensive TD of the season for the Ragin' Cajuns and the 15th in the Mark Hudspeth era.
• Lee's TD was the first defensive score at home since Justin Anderson returned an interception 58 yards in the 2013 opener against Nicholls State (9/14/13)
• Louisiana's 99-yard drive in the second quarter was the longest of the season by the Ragin' Cajuns and second of 90 yards or more in 2016 (previous high was 92-yard drive at Georgia Southern).
• Anthony Jennings' 242 yards passing was the second-highest total of his career. His two passing TDs were his first since the Texas State game (10/22) and equaled his total in the last six games dating back to New Mexico State (10/1).
• Elijah McGuire's 14-yard TD reception that gave Louisiana a 14-7 lead in the second quarter was the 10th TD reception of his career and his school-record 51st overall TD.
• Ja'Marcus Bradley's 113 yards receiving was a career-high and marked his first career 100-yard game. His 42-yard reception in the third quarter was a season-best.
• With a 34-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, Stevie Artigue moved into sole possession of fifth-place on the school's single-season field goal list with 16.
• Christian Goodlett's 12 tackles were a career-high.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Stevie Artigue

Keenan Barnes

Matt Barnes

Ja'Marcus Bradley

Montrel Carter

Steven Coutts

Christian Goodlett

Brooks Haack

Jarvis Jeffries

Anthony Jennings

Taboris Lee

Tre'maine Lightfoot

Elijah McGuire

Mario Osborne

Otha Peters

Torrey Pierce

Al Riles

Jamal Robinson

Rodrick Stephens

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