San Diego State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette: Previewing the 2011 New Orleans Bowl
San Diego State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette: Previewing the 2011 New Orleans Bowl
The New Orleans Bowl will serve as the nightcap of the first day of bowl games, and while San Diego State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette isn't exactly a true prime-time matchup, there will still be some great talent on display down in New Orleans on Saturday night.
The star of the game will be San Diego State's Ronnie Hillman, one of the top running backs in the country. But there are a few other players to keep an eye on as well, such as San Diego State QB Ryan Lindley and Louisiana-Lafayette TE Ladarius Green, two talented seniors who will both be looking to impress NFL scouts.
San Diego State may have the more talented team overall, but you can bet that Louisiana-Lafayette will be excited to be playing in the postseason for the first time in 41 years.
This game has the chance to be pretty entertaining if the Ragin' Cajuns don't get overcome by the national spotlight.
Here's a look at all you need to know about this year's New Orleans Bowl.
The Basic Details
Date: Dec. 17, 2011.
Time: 9:00 pm ET.
Channel: ESPN.
The Spread: San Diego State (-4.5).
Sponsor: R+L Carriers.
Conferences Represented: San Diego State—Mountain West; Louisiana-Lafayette—Sun Belt.
Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
City: New Orleans, Louisiana.
Last Year's Result: Troy 48, Ohio 21.
San Diego State's 2011 Resume
Overall Record: 8-4.
Conference Record: 4-3.
Sagarin Schedule Rank: 86.
Who They Beat: Cal Poly (49-21), Army (23-20), Washington State (42-24), Air Force (41-27), New Mexico (35-7), Colorado State (18-15), UNLV (31-14) and Fresno State (35-28).
Who Beat Them: Michigan (28-7), TCU (27-14), Wyoming (30-27) and Boise State (52-35).
Louisiana-Lafayette's 2011 Resume
Overall Record: 8-4.
Conference Record: 6-2.
Sagarin Schedule Rank: 123.
Who They Beat: Kent State (20-12), Nicholls State (38-21), Florida International (36-31), Florida Atlantic (37-34), Troy (31-17), North Texas (30-10), Middle Tennessee State (45-20) and Louisiana-Monroe (36-35).
Who Beat Them: Oklahoma State (61-34), Western Kentucky (42-23), Arkansas State (30-21) and Arizona (45-37).
San Diego State by the Numbers
Offense
Points Per Game: 29.8
Yards Per Game: 423
Passing Yards Per Game: 194
Rushing Yards Per Game: 229
Yards Per Play: 5.9
Defense
Points Per Game: 24.4
Yards Per Game: 376
Passing Yards Per Game: 199
Rushing Yards Per Game: 177
Yards Per Play: 5.5
Special Teams
Field Goal Percentage: 5/13 (38.5 percent)
Yards Per Punt: 43.3
Yards Per Kick Return: 20.2
Yards Per Punt Return: 5.2
Key Numbers
Turnovers (Gained vs. Lost): 27-16
3rd Down Conversions: 44 percent
Red Zone Percentage: 79 percent
Louisiana-Lafayette by the Numbers
Offense
Points Per Game: 32.3
Yards Per Game: 380
Passing Yards Per Game: 251
Rushing Yards Per Game: 129
Yards Per Play: 5.5
Defense
Points Per Game: 29.8
Yards Per Game: 393
Passing Yards Per Game: 249
Rushing Yards Per Game: 144
Yards Per Play: 5.3
Special Teams
Field Goal Percentage: 16-18 (89 percent)
Yards Per Punt: 40.1
Yards Per Kick Return: 19.5
Yards Per Punt Return: 8
Key Numbers
Turnovers (Gained vs. Lost): 23-22
3rd Down Conversions: 36 percent
Red Zone Percentage: 94 percent
San Diego State's Key Player: RB Ronnie Hillman
Ronnie Hillman doesn't get talked about nearly as much as some of the other great running backs in college football—like Alabama's Trent Richardson and Oregon's LaMichael James—but as far as consistent productivity is concerned, the San Diego State back is right up there with the best of them.
Hillman has finished in the Top 10 nationally in rushing in each of his first two seasons. The super sophomore had his best season this year, finishing third in the country with 135 rushing yards per game and totaling 1,877 yards and 20 touchdowns for the season.
The budding star tailback is the type of shifty and speedy runner who can really make a defense pay if he finds his way into open space.
The Louisiana-Lafayette defensive front-seven will certainly have its hands full trying to contain Hillman if he gets going early.
Louisiana-Lafayette's Key Player: TE Ladarius Green
Ladarius Green isn't just the most talented tight end in the Sun Belt conference, he's one of the most talented tight ends in the country, and he's surely going to have NFL teams interested in his services.
The big 6'6'', 235-pound senior is a true athletic specimen who can cause matchup nightmares for any defense he goes up against.
Green, who hauled in 46 passes for 485 yards and scored seven touchdowns this season, is a deadly weapon in the passing game, and the San Diego State defense better make sure it knows where No. 85 is lined up on every snap.
The Breakdown
Louisiana-Lafayette should truly have the home-field crowd advantage for this one, as the school's home base in Lafayette, Louisiana, is just a few hours from New Orleans.
Obviously, San Diego State fans will have a few more miles to travel, but even though the Ragin' Cajuns will have the stronger fan support, that may not be enough to make up for the big discrepancy in talent.
Michigan coach Brady Hoke, who once coached at San Diego State before making the move to Ann Arbor, did a great job of building up the Aztecs when he was there, and there's still a lot of great talent on both sides of the ball.
QB Ryan Lindley and RB Ronnie Hillman lead the way on offense, while DT Jerome Long and LB Miles Burris hold down the fort on the defensive side of the ball.
Hillman is the best player in this game, but it will be Lindley who has the most to prove down in New Orleans.
There aren't really a ton of great senior NFL quarterback prospects this year, and there's definitely room for Lindley to carve out a name for himself with a great performance on a national stage.
The senior signal-caller could have a battle on his hands, though, because Louisiana-Lafayette QB Blaine Gauiter is no slouch.
Gauiter completed 63 percent of his passes and hit 20 touchdown strikes this year, and he's the type of quarterback who's capable of having a big game on any given day.
Attitude and effort are going to play a big part in this game, and it's going to be interesting to see what kind of intensity San Diego State plays with.
The Aztecs may be the more talented team, but they can't afford to go down into Louisiana Lafayette's territory and sleepwalk through the game.
The Ragin' Cajuns will be amped up and ready to play, but if San Diego State brings the proper intensity, in the end, the Aztecs' talent should ultimately win out.
Prediction: San Diego State 41, Louisiana-Lafayette 28.