Louisiana Football Game 9 Preview: at Arkansas State

JONESBORO, Ark. – Coming off an impressive road win last week against South Alabama, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns wrap up a two-game road trip Saturday afternoon when it faces Sun Belt Conference West Division rival Arkansas State at Centennial Bank Stadium.

Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. The game will be televised live on ESPN+ with Roger Twibell (pxp), Nick Mobley (analyst) providing the commentary.

Fans in the Lafayette area can listen to the call of Jay Walker (pxp), Gerald Broussard (analyst) and Cody Junot (sideline) on Hot 107.9 FM, 103.3 The Goat, KPEL 1420 AM or worldwide on the Varsity Network app.

Louisiana (5-3, 2-2 SBC), which looks to become bowl-eligible for the school-record sixth consecutive year, turned in a complete-game performance last week in a 33-20 victory over the Jaguars in Mobile. The Ragin' Cajuns forced a season-high five turnovers and collected five sacks with Cameron Whitfield leading the team with 3.5.

Zeon Chriss tossed a pair of touchdown passes while Jacob Kibodi rushed for a career-best 119 yards with a touchdown.

A-State (4-4, 2-2 SBC) snapped a two-game losing streak last week with a 34-24 win at ULM. The Red Wolves used a second-half offensive surge scoring 24 points in the second half and earning their 14th consecutive win over the Warhawks.

Zak Wallace rushed 18 times for 118 yards and two scores, averaging 6.6 yards per carry, while Corey Rucker hauled in six receptions for a season-high 160 yards – his third time recording 100-plus receiving yards against the Warhawks.

Louisiana leads the all-time series, 29-21-1, and have won the last five meetings in the series. The Ragin' Cajuns, who are 11-12-1 against the Red Wolves in Jonesboro, claimed last year's contest at Cajun Field, 38-18, and earned a 28-27 win over A-State in 2021.

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GAME 9 PREVIEW – Louisiana (5-3, 2-2 SBC) at Arkansas State (4-4, 2-2 SBC)
Stadium/Location: Centennial Bank Stadium (30,382)/Jonesboro, Ark.
Date/Time: Saturday, November 4 at 2 p.m.

TV/RADIO
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Roger Twibell (PXP), Pete Cordelli (Analyst), Dorian Craft (Sideline)

Radio: Hot 107.9-FM, The GOAT 103.3, KPEL 1420 AM, Varsity Network
Talent: Jay Walker (PXP), Gerald Broussard (Analyst), Cody Junot (Sideline)

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Louisiana leads, 29-21-1
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 18-8
In Jonesboro: A-State leads, 12-11-1
Neutral Sites: A-State leads, 1-0
Streak: Louisiana +5
First Meeting: A-State, 13-12 – 10/17/1953 in Jonesboro
Last Meeting: Louisiana, 38-18 – 10/22/2022 in Lafayette

LOUISIANA HITS THE ROAD FOR IMPORTANT SBC WEST BATTLE
• The Ragin' Cajuns travel to take on the Arkansas State Red Wolves on Saturday at 2 p.m. on ESPN+ in a matchup featuring a pair of 2-2 teams in the hunt for the Sun Belt West championship.
• Louisiana holds a 29-21-2 record over the Red Wolves and have won the last five meetings.
• The Ragin' Cajuns won last year's meeting, 38-18, in Lafayette with the last game in Jonesboro being a tightly-contested matchup with Louisiana edging out the Red Wolves, 28-27.

A LOOK AT THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
• Louisiana's defensive has been a force on opposing quarterbacks, as the Cajuns have recorded 26 sacks. The Ragin' Cajuns are averaging 3.25 sacks per game, which ranks tied for 12^th nationally and first in the Sun Belt.
• Louisiana's offense has been equally as impressive as the Ragin' Cajuns average 32.9 points per game.
• The Ragin' Cajuns rushing attack ranks 11th in the country and tops in the Sun Belt at 214.0 yards per game. Jacob Kibodi (73.1), Zeon Chriss (68.0) and Dre'lyn Washington (54.0) rank in the top 15 in the Sun Belt in rushing yards per game as Kibodi and Chriss rank 55th and 66^th nationally, respectively.
• Jacob Kibodi was put on scholarship following the win at UAB and has rushed for 482 yards on 68 carries (7.1 YPC) with six touchdowns since the win against the Blazers.
• Zeon Chriss, who replaced Ben Wooldridge after four plays at UAB due to an injury, has stepped up to the challenge and has rushed for 476 yards and five touchdowns while also hurting defenses with his arm, throwing for 1,501 yards and 10 touchdowns while completing 66.2% (90-for-136) of his passes.
• Chriss ranks 25th nationally in completion percentage, 43rd in passing efficiency at 148.0 and fifth in the SBC in points responsible for per game (12.9).
• Kenneth Almendares has continued his stellar play from a year ago as he enters Saturday's contest 7-for-8 on his field goal attempts and tied the school record for most consecutive field goals made at 18.

AGAINST THE RED WOLVES
• Saturday's game is the 52nd meeting all-time between the two schools with Louisiana holding an 29-21-1 advantage.
• The Ragin' Cajuns have won the last five meetings and eight of the last 10.
• Last season, Louisiana defeated Arkansas State, 38-18, in Lafayette with the last meeting in Jonesboro being a tightly contested game with the Ragin' Cajuns edging out the Red Wolves, 28-27.

GRADUATES
• Twelve Ragin' Cajuns proudly don the Sun Belt graduate patch on their jersey after graduating with their Bachelor's degree.
• The list includes Kenneth Almendares, Jacob Bernard, Glenn Brown, Kaleb Carter, Alan Guerrieri, Jacob Kibodi, Thomas Leo, Patrick Mensah, Pearse Migl, James Ohonba, Nathan Thomas and Ben Wooldridge.

Louisiana Football Game 9 Preview: at Arkansas State

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Players Mentioned

Kenneth Almendares

Jacob Bernard

Kaleb Carter

Zeon Chriss

Alan Guerrieri

Jacob Kibodi

Thomas Leo

Patrick Mensah

Pearse Migl

James Ohonba

Nathan Thomas

Dre’lyn Washington

Cameron Whitfield

Ben Wooldridge

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