The Louisiana Ragin Cajuns will welcome a Sun Belt West foe to Cajun Field this Saturday in the form of GJ Kinne’s Texas State Bobcats. The Cajuns have never lost to Texas State, but this isn’t the typical Bobcats football team. Sitting at 4-1 on the season, this group scores points and plays good defense. Will the Cajuns be able to slow down that train from San Marcos? Or will Texas State start a new win streak in this divisional battle?
There are plenty of factors for this game that should create a very fun environment. For starters, this game will be nationally televised on ESPNU. This is also the Military Appreciation game where many things will be happening to honor members of the armed forces. Thirdly, it’s the annual blackout game, which means that the Cajuns will be wearing their rare all-black uniform. Mix all of those factors with the cool front that pushed through earlier this week and this 2:30 p.m. kickoff should be a blast.
CAJUNS STREAK IN JEOPARDY?
Louisiana has dominated Texas State since they joined the Sun Belt in 2013, beating the Bobcats each of the nine times by an average of 26.3 points. However, this is a much different team. Kinne’s group is averaging 43.4 points per game and nearly 500 yards of total offense per game to start the season, including wins over Baylor and Nevada. This has typically been viewed as a win on the Cajuns’ schedule before it was even played, but that’s certainly not the case in 2023.
FINLEY VS CHRISS
The quarterback battle alone is going to be worth the price of admission for this contest. Louisiana will be led by the redshirt freshman Zeon Chriss who has made big plays over the last few weeks but also some critical mistakes. On the other side, it’s former LSU and Auburn Tiger TJ Finley who went to Texas State for a fresh start and has made the most of his opportunity, leading the Bobcats to its best start since the team joined the conference 10 years ago.
Both of these quarterbacks will make explosive plays, lead their offenses down the field, and put points on the board. So if offense and fireworks for your thing, this is the game for you this weekend.
BIGGEST GAME AT CAJUN FIELD
This may be the biggest home regular season game in recent memory. Obviously, the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Championship game takes the cake as the biggest game since Texas A&M in 1996, but in terms of regular season games, this is a big one. The winner of this game will be carrying a ton of momentum through their conference slate as well as becoming one of the top contenders in what has become a crowded Sun Belt West division.
SERIES RECORD: Louisiana leads 9-0
Previous Meetings:
2022: 41 Louisiana-Texas State 13
2021: 45 Louisiana-Texas State 0
2020: 44 Louisiana-Texas State 34
2019: 31 Louisiana-Texas State 3
2018: 42 Louisiana-Texas State 27
STAT LEADERS
Louisiana
Zeon Chriss: 50-74, 595 yards, 4 TDs, 4 INTs
Jacob Kibodi: 40 carries, 376 yards, 4 TDs
Jacob Bernard: 14 receptions, 188 yards
K.C. Ossai: 36 tackles (17 solo), 1 sack, 1 forced fumble
Kenneth Almendares: 6-for-6, Long of 46, 22-22 XP
Texas State
TJ Finley: 99-136, 1,393 yards, 10 TDs, 1 INTs
Ismail Mahdi: 50 carries, 488 yards, 7 TDs
Joey Hobert: 30 receptions, 370 yards, 3 TDs
Brian Holloway: 42 tackles (22 solo), 6.5 TFL, .5 sacks, 1 INT
Mason Shipley: 2-of-2, Long of 43, 29-29 XP