Huge Sun Belt West Showdown – Louisiana vs Texas State

The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns have a huge opportunity with a lot on the line Saturday afternoon when they host the Texas State Bobcats.  The Cajuns come in 3-2 overall, but 0-1 in the Sun Belt.  Just getting to .500 in the conference can go a long way to fighting for the Sun Belt West Division Title.

Make no mistake. These are not the same Texas State Bobcats that have never beaten the Ragin’ Cajuns.  Not only are they 0-10, but every game has been decided by at least 10 points.

The 2023 version of the Bobcats is not the same team that has lost all 10 matchups against the Cajuns. New Head Coach GJ Kinne turned over more than half the roster, bringing in at least 53 new players, including a pair of quarterbacks TJ Finley (LSU, Auburn) and Malik Hornsby (Arkansas).

Texas State is 9th in the nation in points scored per game (43.4) and 13th in yards per game (489).  They opened the season beating Baylor 42-31 in Waco.  After losing 20-13 to UTSA, the Bobcats have won their last three games against Jackson State, Nevada and Southern Miss,

The thing is the Ragin’ Cajuns have a pretty good offense themselves. They average 35.8 (32nd) points per game and 452.6 (31st) yards per game.

And while the Bobcats’ offense averages about 40 yards more, the Cajuns’ defense gives up almost 100 yards less than Texas State's.

Louisiana has next week off before hosting Georgia State on October 21st and then traveling to Mobile to face South Alabama on October 28th.  That means they’ll be home for most of the month of October.

With a couple of home wins, the Cajuns could be 5-3 overall and 2-1 in the Sun Belt prior to their four-hour trip east down I-10.  Should they come up short, they’ll be 0-2 in the conference with trips to Mobile and Troy looming.

While the season won’t officially be over with a loss, it does become a whole lot tougher.  And a win doesn’t guarantee smooth sailing moving forward, but it would be a whole lot easier.

As I wrote when I started, the Cajuns have a huge opportunity with a lot on the line Saturday afternoon against the Bobcats.