The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns will head on the road to play the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on Thursday. In our continued college football odds series, with eyes on Ben Wooldridge, we’ll be making our Louisiana-Souther Miss prediction.
Louisiana (4-3) has won two straight. The Ragin’ Cajuns beat Arkansas State 38-18 last weekend and Marshall 23-13 the week prior. Those wins helped boost their confidence after losing three straight to South Alabama, UL Monroe and Rice. The Louisiana season has been defined by three streaks, a two-game win streak, three-game losing streak and the most recent win streak. It is 1-2 on the road and 2-2 in the Sun Belt Conference.
Southern Miss is 2-1 at home. It beat Northwestern State 64-10 and Arkansas State 20-19, with a season-opening loss to Liberty in overtime. Southern Miss (4-3, 2-1) has an impressive road win over Tulane this season.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Roberts Stadium.
CFB Odds: Louisiana-Southern Miss Odds
Ben Wooldridge a Dual Threat for Louisiana
Ben Wooldridge has been the lone quarterback used by Louisiana in the past two games. He has seven touchdowns and no interceptions in those games. Chandler Fields started the season before Wooldridge took over.
The Ragin’ Cajuns have put five players over 100 rushing yards this season, with Wooldridge a much more dual-threat option. RB Chris Smith leads the team with 258 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. However, it is RB Terrence Williams who leads the team with 55 carries.
The Ragin’ Cajuns consistently win the turnover battle, averaging just 1.1 per game and forcing 2.4 per game. They have quick, ball-hawking cornerbacks who have 10 interceptions on the season, three by safety Bralen Trahan. The defense allows just 19.0 points per game, which ranks 21st of the 131 FBS programs. Head coach Michael Desormeaux is in his first full season and has continued to make strides with a less-talented roster.
Frank Gore Jr. Leads Southern Miss Offense
The Golden Eagles have been awful as a passing team, but running back Frank Gore Jr. has gained 568 yards on the ground with four touchdowns. The 20-year-old, who is the son of former NFL great Frank Gore, has been the vital offensive threat for a team averaging 23.5 points per game at home against FBS opponents.
The main difficulty facing Southern Miss is its turnover-prone nature of play. Three different quarterbacks have thrown an interception. QB Zach Wilcke has eight interceptions with just seven touchdowns, and QB Ty Keyes has two interceptions with just three touchdowns on 17 passing attempts. They average just 208 yards through the air and 125 on the ground.
Ultimately, Southern Miss has won with defense, ranking 36th in the nation in opponents points per game, allowing just 21.9. Its strength is against the run, allowing just 111.9 yards per game and 3.0 yards per carry. The Golden Eagles have nine interceptions this season, and defensive lineman Dominic Quewon has a team-high eight tackles for loss and seven sacks.
Final Louisiana-Southern Miss Prediction and Pick
Louisiana is 5-2 against the spread (ATS) this season and covered its lone game as a road underdog (against Marshall).
It has a quarterback playing at a high level and a more capable defense that can force Southern Miss (also 5-2 ATS) into turnovers. The turnover battle is a key reason to back the Ragin’ Cajuns, with the additional note that they’ve been playing well of late.
Final Louisiana-Southern Miss Pick: Ragin’ Cajuns +1.0 (-107) at PointsBet | Playable to +1.5 (-115)
