Welcome everyone to the latest edition of the Ragin Cajun previews! This week, we look at the Cajuns midweek matchup against Appalachian State.
Last Week: Neither team actually played last week, but the last time these two took the field the Cajuns fell to New Mexico State 37-31 and the Mountaineers came away with a win over Georgia State by the score of 17-3.
Last Meeting: The last time the Cajuns met up with App State was in Boone and lost 28-7. The Mountaineers have won both meetings since they joined the Sun Belt two years ago.
What to Watch For:
Mountaineers Run Game Almost At Full Strength: The open date for the Mountaineers couldn’t have happened at a better time as they could be having one of their elite members of their running back corps back in Marcus Cox. The senior back out of Georgia is running at full speed according to coach Scott Satterfield after injuring his left leg against Miami. Jalin Moore has filled in admirably as the starter for the last two games with a little over 400 yards. The sophomore back will cause some troubles for the Cajuns defense which has been pretty effective against the run as of late.
Is Jennings Head Back In It? The last couple of week for the Cajuns have been marred by less than stellar play from Anthony Jennings with four interceptions in his last two outings. With an extra few days off the field could be the best thing that’s happened to him lately. He can get his head back in the game and focus on not making poor decisions with his passes and have his offensive line get back at least close to full strength. If they can perform well, then the Cajuns quarterback can get things done offensively.
Must Win Game for Cajuns: If the Cajuns want to get back to their winning ways, the midweek matchup against the Mountaineers is the catalyst. The rest of their schedule looks to be more favorable with matchups against the less than stellar teams in the conference like ULM and Idaho. This game could turn things around for the Ragin Cajuns if a W is put on the board.
The Cajuns Will Win If:
The Ragin Cajuns can take down App State if the Cajuns defense can shut down the run. App State’s QB Taylor Lamb has underperformed as of late so if you can shut down what’s been working and make this team one-dimensional, you can make it extremely competitive.
App State Will Win If:
The Mountaineers can go back to Boone with another conference win if the passing game can improve. Lamb has given the Cajuns secondary hell in recent years and with the inexperience in the secondary you could expect more of the same. That being said, if that’s all they are doing on Wednesday the win won’t happen.
-Clint Domingue