The Other Side of the Wall: Louisiana
The road to retaking the Sun Belt crown literally runs through Lafayette.
What does the matchup with the defending conference champions look like?
| Team | Louisiana |
|---|---|
| Time, Network | 4 pm, ESPN+ |
| 2022 Record | 4-4. 2-3 |
| Best Win | Marshall, 23-13 |
| Worst Loss | Rice, 33-21 |
| Troy’s Record | 9-9 |
| Last Matchup | L 21-35 |
| Preseason Conf. Rank | 1st SBC West |
| FPI Rank | 84 |
| FPI Win% (Troy) | 55.7% |
| Spread | -5.5 |
First, winning this game would eliminate Louisiana from contention in the West. Second, it would exorcise some demons over the past three years (especially 2019).
This UL team is on a surge though. After starting the season 2-3, the Cajuns have won two of the last three.
Last week’s loss to USM was a massive blow though. The Eagles took care of business.
How do the Trojans stack up though? Here are the national rankings.
| Troy | Louisiana | |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Offense | 21 | 62 |
| Rushing Offense | 122 | 104 |
| Scoring Offense | 105 | 68 |
| Total Offense | 78 | 86 |
| Passing Yards Allowed | 62 | 46 |
| Rushing Defense | 14 | 43 |
| Scoring Defense | 16 | 31 |
| Total Defense | 24 | 32 |
| Turnover Margin | 76 | 15 |
That’s a lot better than the numbers two weeks ago. UL’s offense is actually pretty balanced, but forcing them to play one-dimensionally will tear them up.
Check out the stats from this season.
The Cajuns haven’t won a game in which they rushed for fewer than 100 yards, and they also haven’t won a game in which they threw for fewer than 125 yards.
The one concerning game on this list is the Marshall game, in which the Herd held UL to 108 rushing yards. How did Louisiana win that game?
Turnovers.
| Opponent | UL TOs | Opp TOs | TO Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| SE Louisiana | 0 | 2 | +2 |
| EMU | 0 | 5 | +5 |
| Rice | 1 | 3 | +2 |
| ULM | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| South | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Marshall | 0 | 2 | +2 |
| Ark State | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| USM | 4 | 2 | -2 |
Louisiana has yet to lose a game in which it commits zero turnovers. If Troy can make just one happen, its chances of victory are much higher.
I think the run defense will hold up its end of the bargain, but the pass defense will have to step up too.
On the other side of the ball, Troy needs to stay consistent and prevent its own mistakes. Taking advantage of turnovers is what wins ballgames, as Southern Miss learned against both Troy and UL.
It’s a pretty simple recipe for success, and Troy has gotten very good at making it. Win this one, and last year’s conference champion starts getting desperate for a bowl bid.
The question becomes, how did that team get so meh?
To help us get a better sense of what happened, we reached out to the guys at Ragin Review. Here’s what they had to say.
Describe Louisiana like you would a dog that’s up for adoption.
Easy to Love. Easily excitable Inside pet. Plays well with kids. Not as territorial as you’d like in a guard dog. Likes to be pampered. Great family dog.
So, I take that to mean explosive, a little underwhelming, and high expectations. Sounds about right.
What movie title best describes the Cajuns’ expectations at this point in the season?
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Yo, that’s dark. But I get it. You’re in love with this team but you want to start over if you can. Great pick though.
In one word, describe the Marshall win. Why that word?
Tantalizing. In a really big spot, this team showed what they could be. We haven’t quite played up to that level again since.
Again, I get it. Louisiana was supposed to be the big dog (see what I did there) and other teams have taken over.
In one word, describe the South Alabama loss. Why that word?
Consequential. Explanation: For many reasons, that result at Cajun Field was significant. It set Troy and South Alabama up to determine the West. It effectively ended the Cajun’s Western Division dominance. It was a home loss. It was a loss on homecoming. It was a game the Cajuns had every opportunity to win. It robbed Louisiana of momentum that was building.
There it is. The first real sign that other teams were taking over the West. It *was* a consequential game for the rest of the division too.
Which Hogwarts house is Coach Desormeaux in?
I don’t know what any of that means. But, I can tell you people are skeptical around Lafayette. Mike is a native, a former QB, a 7-year staff member (from Hud to now HC) and obviously, learned under Napier. He has the resume’. He’s universally well-liked. We’re still getting to know each other in this capacity, however.
A native, very close to the family, well-liked. That’s a Weasley by all accounts. Griffyndor is your answer.
What are three names on defense Troy fans should pay attention to.
MLB Jourdan Quibideaux (Quib-i-doe) | NT Zyion Hill-Green | CB Eric Garror
When Louisiana snaps the ball, what is most likely to happen?
With Ben Wooldridge under center, we’ve been trying to throw the football more. But Coach Des will not abandon the run unless absolutely necessary.
Clearly balanced. They’re No. 10 in the conference in rushing and No. 8 in the conference in passing.
If we wake up Sunday and the underdog wins, what happened the day before?
If Louisiana comes out and wins (which I expect to happen, btw) (fair enough) it’s because the Cajuns came out and didn’t beat themselves. In every single game that we’ve lost this year, the #1 culprit was this offense making major mistakes in key moments. No team has just flat out lined up and beaten the Cajuns in 2022. If the Cajuns win, it’s because we controlled field position, didn’t turn the football over and stayed on schedule with regard to winning on first and second down.
Like I mentioned above, Louisiana hasn’t lost when it doesn’t have a turnover. This all tracks.
What do fans expect the Cajuns to be doing in December?
Bowling. Somewhere, anywhere. With all of the changes this football program has been through over the last 10 months, a bowl game would be a nice accomplishment for Coach Des and the staff.
Two games left, and you have to play Troy, Georgia Southern, FSU and Texas State. There might be two wins there.
What’s the best place to get BBQ in town (even if Troy is at home)?
As far as the total package experience, its Tchoup’s (prounounced Chop’s) MidCity Smokehouse. Plenty of options, great craft beer selection, outdoor patio with TVs and open space for kids, and the staff is outstanding. Owner is a huge sports fan and of course, Cajuns supporter.
Menu time. I’m a sucker for some brisket, but damn if the buffalo dip and the Cubano don’t look good too.
Is UL a Coke or Pepsi school?
Coke.
Most of the Sun Belt seems to be. Troy is 0-1 against Pepsi and 6-1 against Coke schools.
What’s one question you have for us about Troy, if you have one (we’ll answer in the article)?
Looks like Troy is in the bottom 3 in the league in multiple offensive categories. What has been the struggle offensively for Troy in conference games? How confident are you guys in the special teams (as a whole)? What is the deal with the Doege / Watson situation? How healthy are you on defense for this game?
That’s like four questions but I’ll answer them all.
1. Half the problem is the league is stacked with stout defenses, and the other is finishing drives. Like Louisiana, if Troy doesn’t beat itself offensively, it will drag the other team down to whatever level is needed to win.
2. Very confident. It’s been a silently good season, with Mike Rivers flipping fields and Brooks Buce nailing 40+ yarders on a regular basis. Kickoffs haven’t mattered, and the Troy punt return unit hasn’t been terribly important to the gameplan.
3. Whoever’s hot is getting the ball. Whoever’s playing well is under center. Doege seems to be better at keeping up the tempo, while Watson seems to be a better field manager. They’re super selfless, too, which is great for Troy’s gameplan.
4. Troy has had three guys on defense out basically all season, and they were major contributors last year. It hasn’t seemed to matter though. Cornerback Caleb Ransaw was out the past few weeks and now he’s back, just in time for Louisiana’s passing attack.
This game has been a tough nut to crack, or at least the Cajuns are. They took down the next comparable defense 23-13, but Troy’s offense has been at least one degree more effective than Marshall’s.
Holding South Alabama to 6 points gives me hope, but Louisiana is hungry for an upset at home. Troy is 5-7 at Cajun Field, too.
In the end, Troy has had two weeks to prepare for this game, and the Mighty Trojan Death Machine is as stout as it’s ever been. Another close, ugly game is in the cards… and that’s where Troy thrives.
Final prediction: 21-17 Troy.
Again, special thanks to Ragin’ Review. You can follow them on Twitter here.