San Diego State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette: Breaking Down the 2011 New Orleans Bowl

San Diego State and Louisiana-Lafayette will meet in the nightcap of the first day of bowl games, when the two teams clash down in the New Orleans Bowl on Saturday night.

The two teams may not have much national appeal, but that doesn't mean that this one isn't worth tuning in for.

San Diego State RB Ronnie Hillman is reason enough to watch, as he's one of the best backs in the entire country.

It will also be interesting to see how Louisiana-Lafayette fares in the team's first postseason appearance in 41 years.

Here's a breakdown of how both of these teams stack up in the key areas of the game.

Offense

San Diego State RB Ronnie Hillman doesn't receive a ton of national publicity, but that doesn't mean the budding star sophomore isn't one of the premier players in all of college football.

Hillman will be the X-factor in Saturday night's game, and if he can play up to his potential, the Aztecs will have a huge advantage on offense.

Hillman is joined in the backfield by QB Ryan Lindley, one of the most intriguing senior quarterback prospects in the country.

Lindley will have a national spotlight game to showcase his skills to the entire country, and it will be interesting to see how he utilizes such a stage.

Louisiana-Lafayette has a dangerous offense in its own right, led by QB Blaine Gautier, but when you look at the type of competition that both teams faced this year, it's easy to see that San Diego State is the more battle tested of the two teams.

Edge: San Diego State

Defense

Louisiana-Lafayette may possess the type of offense that can put points up on the board, but one of the Ragin' Cajuns' main weaknesses is that they give up far too many scores, as they rank 83rd in the country in scoring defense, giving up an average of almost 30 points per game.

San Diego State, on the other hand, has a defense that's led by Miles Burris, one of the most talented linebackers in the country, and Burris is the type of impact player who can shift the balance of the game with his standout ability.

The Aztecs may not have a particular strong suit on defense, but they're balanced on all three levels of the defense, and they've got the type of athletic advantage that should be a big benefit.

Edge: San Diego State

Special Teams

Here's a look at the key special-teams numbers for both teams.

San Diego State

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

Louisiana-Lafayette

Field Goal Percentage: 16-18 (89 percent)
Yards Per Punt: 40.1.
Yards Per Kick Return: 19.5
Yards Per Punt Return: 8

Edge: Louisiana-Lafayette

Intangibles

Discipline is an underrated part of football, and foolish penalties can often times squander a team's chances of winning a game.

In this kind of game, one crucial penalty could sway the momentum in either direction, and when looking at how disciplined San Diego State has been in that department this season (the Aztecs average just 4.7 penalties per game, which ranks 15th in the country), compared to Louisiana-Lafayette's penalty woes (the Ragin' Cajuns average 7.5 penalties per game, which ranks 109th in the country), it's easy to see that the Aztecs are the more disciplined team.

Edge: San Diego State

Coaching

This game will be a battle between two head coaches, who are both in their first year at the helm of their respective programs.

San Diego State's Rocky Long and Louisiana-Lafayette's Mark Hudspeth have both done a solid job of leading their teams to eight-win seasons this year.

But it's the 61-year-old Long who is the more experienced of the two, and he's the one who has five bowl trips under his belt from his time at New Mexico.

Edge: San Diego State

Prediction

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