UL-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (3-2 SU, 2-3 ATS) vs. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (4-2 SU, 4-2 ATS)
College Football Week 8
Date/Time: Tuesday, October 15, 2013 at 8PM EST
Where: Houchens Industries-LT Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, Kentucky
TV: ESPN2
By Loot, NCAA Football Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Point Spread: UL-LAF +4.5/WKU -4.5
Over/Under Total: OFF
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On Tuesday, the Sun Belt conference takes center stage, as the UL-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns face the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. While not a game of deep national interest, it is an important Sun Belt game, with both teams on the upswing. Western Kentucky is 4-2 and on the heels of 3 straight wins. The Ragin’ Cajuns have righted their ship, as well, winning 3 straight after an 0-2 start.
As the new head coach of Western Kentucky, Bobby Petrino inherited a team coming off a pair of 7-win seasons. In the season opener, they beat the SEC’s Kentucky Wildcats for the second straight season. Last year, they made a bowl game. So while not lighting the world on fire, there are some signs of promise for a school that until now, was far more known for their hoops.
To give an idea of where the Hilltoppers stand against other teams, they beat Kentucky, before a disappointingly lopsided loss to Tennessee and an upset defeat to South Alabama. Since then, WKU has beaten Morgan State, Navy, and Louisiana-Monroe. They are getting standout play from senior back Antonio Andrews. After a big year last season, Andrews is even better this season, leading the entire FBS in rushing yards with with 882--with a 7.1 average, 9 touchdowns, and 16 catches. Andrews was huge last year against UL-Lafayette, running for 238 yards and 2 touchdowns, though the Hilltoppers lost 31-27
There are some growing pains at quarterback for WKU’s Brandon Doughty. The junior is seeing his first real playing time this season. Luckily for him, they rely a lot on Andrews. Doughty has shown signs of improvement, with a 67.2 completion percentage, but he needs to take better care of the ball. The pass-catching corps is deep, with 8 receivers already in double-digits in receptions. Defensively, the results are mixed. They have been stout against the pass and otherwise stingy at times this year. In their last two games against Navy and Monroe, they gave up 17 combined points. So not all is bad at WKU. Their rise might not be meteoric, but they are rising nonetheless.
UL-Lafayette is also an up-and-coming team out of the Sun Belt--to an even greater degree than Western Kentucky. We don’t hear much about it because, well, we don’t hear much about the Sun Belt. But after a long run of mediocrity, the Ragin’ Cajuns have compiled consecutive 9-win seasons. They made their first-ever bowl game against San Diego State in 2011, winning in an upset, before beating East Carolina last year for their second straight bowl win. Head coach Mark Hudspeth has overseen a transformation in the football program, where they are now among the best in the conference.
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The Ragin’ Cajuns didn’t catch many breaks in the scheduling department this season, opening the season with road games at Arkansas and Kansas State. They lost both games and didn’t cover the spread in either game. but rather than get down in the dumps, they’ve bounced back with 3 straight wins. OK, the 70-7 slaying of Nicholls State was a gimme. They beat Akron by 5, but the Zips aren’t very tough. Then they notched a nice 24-point win over Texas State. They seem to be warming up to the season.
Like Western Kentucky, they rely on a strong running game, but rather than one super-back, they have more of a committee feel to their ground attack. Alonzo Harris and Elijah McGuire do a lot of the heavy lifting, with Torrey Pierce and Montrel Carter chiming in with production. Quarterback Terrance Broadway has also rushed for 4 touchdowns, while trying to develop as a passer in his second year as a starter. Coming off consecutive 300-yard passing performances, he is beginning to hit his stride, with 7 passing touchdowns in the last two games. Defensively, the Ragin’ Cajuns haven’t been terribly stingy, giving up an average of 46 points per game when not counting the laugher against Nicholls State.
Just as WKU running back Antonio Andrews was big in this matchup last season, UL-Lafayette was able to make up for 4 turnovers to salvage victory with time running out--on Broadway’s 14-yard touchdown run. The Cajuns’ quarterback had 258 yards passing and another 145 on the ground, with Harris also going off for for 104 and Pierce scoring two touchdowns. So the field is filled with guys who had success in this game last season.
Western Kentucky has the most explosive offensive presence on the field with Andrews. They also get a bargain with Petrino, with his problems the only reason he had to resort to coaching in the Sun Belt conference. Say what you might about him as a man, but WKU gets a SEC-level coach to commandeer the program and he should be able to enhance the Hilltoppers’ standing sooner than later. They seem to be playing better defense in each game and Petrino’s knack of making full use of his weapons is showing signs of manifesting. Both teams can be inconsistent, but at home, the Hilltoppers should be able to give Lafayette all they can handle.
Loot's Pick to Cover the Point Spread: Take the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.
