New Orleans Bowl 2016: Southern Miss vs. LA-Lafayette TV Schedule, Time, Odds
The 2016 New Orleans Bowl features teams with noticeably large amounts of momentum going into bowl season when the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles and Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns get together.
Southern Miss, 6-6, will have quarterback Nick Mullens back under center, a major boon given the potency of the passing attack when he can stay healthy.
Louisiana-Lafayette, also 6-6, hit on a strong tear to end the season, winning four of its last six games while trotting out a strong defense and rushing attack.
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Given each school's proximity to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Saturday's late game that helps kick off bowl season should be a fun one, if not one coming out of nowhere to provide some of the best action of the bowl season overall.
New Orleans Bowl 2016
Date: Saturday, Dec. 17
Time (ET): 9 p.m.
Location: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Louisiana
Watch: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Over/Under: 57
Spread: Southern Miss (-2)
Team Injury Reports
| Parker Shaunfield | PK | Ques Sat |
| Parker Adamson | QB | Ques Sat |
| Derrick Dixon | DL | Ques Sat |
| Jarvis Jeffries | DL | Prob Sat |
| Michael Jacquet | WR | Prob Sat |
| Darius Hoggins | RB | Prob Sat |
| Jared Johnson | WR | Prob Sat |
| Raymond Calais | RB | Out Sat |
Injury reports courtesy of USA Today.
Healthy at the Right Time
About Mullens.
The senior had Southern Miss at a 4-1 mark going into a contest against UTSA in mid-October. He suffered a dislocated bone in his throwing thumb and couldn't get the team a win there. At the start of November, he suffered a concussion in a loss to Charlotte, then missed the next two games, both losses.
Now, though, Mullens is back. Despite the absences, he has completed 63.4 percent of passes with 22 touchdowns to 10 interceptions on the year, and the Golden Eagles closed the season with a win against Louisiana Tech while he casually tossed three scores on an 87.9 completion percentage.
Patrick Magee of the Sun Herald explained Mullens' importance:
"When Mullens has received the start and played the majority of the game over the last four years, Southern Miss is 19-19.
In games where Mullens has either not started or left with an injury in the first quarter, USM is 0-11.
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Southern Miss will need one last major game from Mullens if it is to overcome a strong Louisiana-Lafayette defense and begin the transition to new leadership under center in the coming years in a strong manner.
When it All Comes Together
Saturday, Louisiana-Lafayette can enter the fray with confidence after getting hot at the right time.
The Ragin' Cajuns offered plenty of intrigue before the season with former LSU quarterback Anthony Jennings under center. This notion fell flat, though, because the team lost four of its first six games, two of those in multiple-overtime affairs.
As mentioned, Jennings has come around and helped Louisiana-Lafayette win four of six, and it's something head coach Mark Hudspeth hasn't been shy in praising, according to Stats LLC (via ESPN.com):
"This is an exciting time for our team, especially since we feel we're peaking and playing our best ball of the year. Anthony Jennings has been up and down, but I like the way he's kept working and kept a good attitude and the way he's progressed. You've certainly seen the last four or five weeks what it would have looked like if he had a spring or a summer with our guys.
"
Through the air and on the ground, Jennings has now accounted for 18 total touchdowns this year and is flanked by lead back Elijah McGuire, who ran for 1,028 yards and seven touchdowns on a 4.8 per-carry average.
Defensively, the Ragin' Cajuns have looked solid all year and limited their last two opponents to 19 points or fewer. Silencing Mullens in front of what should be a 50-50 crowd would be a triumphant way to start building on an improvement next season.
Prediction
Las Vegas gives the slight nod to Southern Miss here, and it's rather hard to argue.
Mullens, when healthy, changes the complexion of an entire program. He's effective and has the talent to overcome an opposing offense that is just finding its stride this year.
So long as the Southern Miss defense can keep Jennings and McGuire in check on the ground, it seems a given Mullens will post enough points to squeak out a win.
In his farewell game, Mullens will have the entire team playing for him at a high level, so look for a close game to become rather lopsided near the end.
Prediction: Southern Miss 27, Louisiana-Lafayette 17
Statistics courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified. All betting information courtesy of OddsShark.
Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.
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