New Orleans Bowl 2014: Preview, Predictions for Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Nevada
The 2014-15 college football bowl season features 39 games, including the three games that will determine a national champion, but the one that kicks the whole thing off is the New Orleans Bowl between the SunBelt representative Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns and the Nevada Wolf Pack.
This game has become old hat for Louisiana-Lafayette, and not only because it's so close to home in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. This is the team's fourth consecutive appearance in the New Orleans Bowl, having won the last three.
Nevada was taken as the second participant in the game, as expected. Tim Buckley of The Advertiser listed the Wolf Pack, along with Utah State and Fresno State, as the most likely candidates if the organizers went with a Mountain West team.
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| Dec. 20, 2014 | Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Nevada | 11 a.m. | ESPN |
Game Preview
Louisiana-Lafayette was pegged for this spot before the bowl games were officially announced. Head coach Mark Hudspeth said after his team accepted the bid Dec. 3 that they are always honored to be part of this game, via the school's official athletic website:
"We are very excited to be heading back to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. It has become home to us the last three years. The New Orleans Bowl provides such a great overall experience, not only for our players but also for our fans. We've been very successful there, and we are looking forward to heading back to New Orleans once again.
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The Ragin' Cajuns turned their season around once they got into conference play. After a 1-3 start, which included losses to Mississippi and Boise State, they went on to win their next six games to secure another winning season.
Even though he doesn't get much national attention, running back Elijah McGuire is one of the best in the country. The sophomore has 1,165 yards and 14 touchdowns on 150 attempts and was also a huge factor in the return game, per the school's official Twitter account:
McGuire isn't the only player who can light up a stat sheet in this game. Nevada has a dynamic quarterback in Cody Fajardo, who leads the team in rushing with 997 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. He also has 2,374 passing yards and 18 touchdowns through the air.
According to Travis Webb of KATC, Fajardo's career numbers compare favorably to those of current San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick:
The statistical matchup between the Ragin' Cajuns and Wolf Pack is nearly identical, as this graphic from StatMilk shows:
Nevada has been battle-tested so far this season, losing by one touchdown against Arizona and five points against Boise State, so this stage won't be anything new to the team. There's little separation between the two teams, so looking at who they have played provides a better idea of where they are.
The Wolf Pack have that spread-option attack that's so difficult to contain. Fajardo has been a one-man wrecking crew with at least 100 rushing yards in his last three games. He went 5-of-13 in Nevada's last game against UNLV yet finished with three touchdown passes.
Everything points to a close game, but you have to go with the most dynamic player on the field to find a way to win.
Nevada 34, Louisiana-Lafayette 28
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