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Jacksonville State is playing in their first bowl game as they face Louisiana in the New Orleans Bowl. It is time to continue our College Football odds series with a New Orleans Bowl Jacksonville State-Louisiana prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
Starting in 2001, the New Orleans Bowl is back for the 23rd time. Since 2006, R&L Carriers has sponsored the game which traditionally features a team from the Sun Belt facing a team from Conference USA. This year, Conference USA is represented by Jacksonville State. They were not bowl-eligible originally due to NCAA rules about moving from FCS to FBS, but without enough teams that were bowl-eligible by record, Jacksonville State got the nod. They went 804 this year while finishing third in the conference. Their only losses were to South Carolina out of the SEC, Coastal Carolina, and then conference foes Liberty and New Mexico State.
Meanwhile, Louisiana comes into this game sitting 6-6 on the year. After starting the season at 5-3, they would go on to lose three straight games and almost miss making a bowl game. In the last week of the season, they faced UL Monroe, who had not won a conference game. They left no doubt in the game, scoring 52 points and taking the win to get to a bowl. This will be the seventh time in the New Orleans Bowl for Louisiana. They won this game each year from 2011 to 2014, although two wins were vacated due to NCAA violations. Louisiana would return to the game in 2016 and lose, but win the game in 2021 over Marshall.
Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
New Orleans Bown Odds: Jacksonville State-Louisiana Odds
Jacksonville State: -2.5 (-114)
Louisiana: +2.5 (-106)
Over: 58.5 (-110)
Under: 58.5 (-110)
How to Watch Jacksonville State vs. Louisana
Time: 2:15 PM ET/ 11:15 AM PT
TV: ESPN
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Jacksonville State Will Cover The Spread
The Jacksonville State offense is ranked 56th in the nation this year, scoring 28.1 points per game this year. They are not a heavy passing team, sitting 108th in the nation in passing per game while sitting 118th in passing yards per game this year. Zion Webb leads this offense this year. He has completed only 97 of 194 passes for 1,281 yards and five touchdowns. He also has six interceptions on the year. Webb does not throw the ball downfield much, nor have to. He is a great runner and dual threat. On the year, he has 638 yards on the ground with seven scores. Webb's touchdowns tie him for the team lead this year on the ground. He also has 21 rushes this year over 10 yards.
The Jacksonville State has a run-first offense. They are fourth in the nation in rushes per game, while sitting third in rushing yards per game. The run game is led by Malik Jackson. He comes into the game with 861 yards on the ground this year, with an impressive 6.4 yards per carry this year. A lot of that has been due to great offensive line play. He is averaging nearly four yards per carry this year before first contact. Further, he has scored seven times this year. Jackson Laos has not fumbled yet this year. Joining him in the backfield is Ron Wiggins. He has run for 344 yards this year in just seven games but also has scored five times this year.
The receiving game is focused on Perry Carter. He comes into the game leading the team in receiving this year. He has 34 receptions for 605 yards and three scores on the year. Sean Brown, the tight end, has also been solid. He has brought in 19 receptions this year for 299 yards. That is good for 15.7 yards per reception this year, as he has scored five times.
The Jacksonville State defense has also been solid. They are 18th in the nation in points allowed per game while being great on third down. They allow third downs to be converted just 34.08 percent of the time, which is 25th in the nation. The Gamecocks rank 24th in the nation against the rush, but sit 115th in the nation against the pass this year. Jeremiah Harris has been a star for them in the coverage game and overall. Jackson has 58 tackles this year from his safety position, which is third on the team. He also has 17 stops for offensive failures this year in the run game while missing just five tackles. Further, he has not allowed a passing touchdown this year, while coming away with two interceptions and three other pass breakups.
Why Louisiana Will Cover The Spread
The Louisiana offense has been solid this year as well. They rank 30th in the nation in points per game with 31.7 points per game this year. They are 45th in total yards per game. The passing offense is not great, sitting 68th in yards per game, but the running offense is 27th. Chandler Fields has started the last three games at quarterback for Louisiana. This year has completed 83 for 117 passes for 914 yards and seven scored. He also has three interceptions on the year. If he is not under center, it will be Zeon Chriss, who has 1,222 yards this year and 11 scores in seven games.
The focus on this offense is Jacob Kibodi. He enters the game with 729 yards on the ground this year, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. He has been great after contact this year with 416 yards after first contact, while he has 19 runs over ten yards. Kibodi also has not fumbled yet this year. Kibodi has also scored seven times on the ground. Zeon Chriss is second on the team with six touchdowns and 553 yards running the ball as a quarterback, and the change of pace back is Dre'lyn Washington. He enters the game with 437 yards this year and two scores.
The receiving game is led by two guys. First Jacob Bernard comes in with 473 yards this year on 37 receptions. He also has one touchdown. Peter LeBlanc comes in with 449 yards on 29 receptions, with four touchdowns. Finally, Neal Johnson comes in with 356 yards from the tight end position with five touchdowns.
On defense, Louisiana sits 89th in points allowed per game this year, allowing 29.5 points per game this year. They are 89th against the rush while sitting 54th against the pass. The defense struggled heavily against the run this year, which is the primary mode of offense for Jacksonville State. They will be missing a big part of their rush defense. Kendre' Gant is in the transfer portal. He has 31 stops for offense failures this year leading the team. He is also second on the team in sacks this year with six of them, while also defending three passes in the passing game.
Final Jacksonville State-Louisiana Prediction & Pick
Louisiana will have to find a way to stop the run in this game. They have not stopped the run well this year, and now will be missing one of their better rush defenders. Another further factor is motivation. This is a normal stop on the schedule for Louisiana, playing in this game for the seventh time. This is the first time Jacksonville State has been to a bowl game. History shows Rich Rodriguez has his team ready for bowl games, and this will be no different.
Final Jacksonville State-Louisiana Prediction & Pick: Jacksonville State -2.5 (-114)
