No. 24 Louisiana, freshly ranked, aims to prove status vs. Georgia St.
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[November 02, 2021] Now
that Louisiana has become more widely recognized for its
achievements, the Ragin' Cajuns will try to build on that.
Louisiana entered the national rankings at No. 24 this week, just in
time for a quick turnaround to face visiting Georgia State on
Thursday night in Lafayette, La.
"Rankings are good," Louisiana coach Billy Napier said. "I also
think, 'Let's not lose sight of how we got here.'"
It could be a tricky test for the Ragin' Cajuns (7-1, 5-0 Sun Belt
Conference) against the surging Panthers (4-4, 3-1).
"I think it's important that you do a lot of pre-planning," Napier
said of playing games on a short week. "Lot of research in the
offseason and within the season when you get the opportunity. You
have a limited amount of time with the staff to get the players
ready."
Louisiana has been up to the challenges. And once again, a special
season could be brewing.
"This is where you can separate yourself if you get ownership from
the players and they're willing to do extra," Napier said.
Quarterback Levi Lewis became Louisiana's all-time leader in
touchdown passes during a 45-0 rout of visiting Texas State on
Saturday.
Lewis threw for three touchdowns, putting him at 65 touchdown throws
in his career. He passed Jake Delhomme, who went on to an NFL
career. In the most recent game, 12 different Louisiana players
caught at least one pass.
The Ragin' Cajuns have won seven games in a row since opening with a
loss to then-No. 21 Texas to open the season. Along the way,
Louisiana has one-, two- and three-point victories.
Most impressive was the 41-13 blowout of visiting Appalachian State
on Oct. 12. The Mountaineers responded by topping previously
undefeated Coastal Carolina, so that result probably gave Louisiana
a boost in the polls.
The Panthers are on the move up, topping Georgia Southern 21-14 on
Saturday. They own a three-game winning streak overall, putting them
in a three-way tie for first place in the Sun Belt's East Division.
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Georgia State took its licks early, falling in
September to Army, North Carolina and Auburn before beginning
October with a 45-16 loss to Appalachian State.
One of the heroes of the Georgia Southern game was senior Jamyest
Williams, who ran 23 yards for the winning points with 26 seconds
left. He finished with a career-high 97 rushing yards on 12 carries.
Williams has a team-leading five touchdowns.
"It brings out what your team is made of," Georgia
State coach Shawn Elliott said of putting together a winning drive
after gaining possession with 1:39 remaining. "Our offense believed
we were going to go down and score."
Georgia State's three-game win streak has featured 287 rushing yards
per game. Tucker Gregg leads the team with 552 yards on the ground
this season.
Quarterback Darren Grainger has been steering the offense. He has
thrown for 11 touchdowns against just three interceptions.
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This is the middle game in a three-week stretch of road games for
the Panthers, who will face another currently ranked team, Coastal
Carolina, next week.
Considering that North Carolina and Auburn were ranked when the
Panthers tangled with them in road games, Georgia State can make a
claim to possessing a rugged schedule.
Georgia State is 0-10 against ranked teams on the Football Bowl
Subdivision level.
The Thursday matchup figures to be a taxing assignment for the
Panthers. Meanwhile, Louisiana was in such a good position against
Texas State that the Ragin' Cajuns could turn for reserves down the
stretch of that game.
For instance, running back Chris Smith had 238 rushing yards the
week before, but he gained 70 on just nine carries last week.
It was Louisiana's first shutout in more than nine years.
The upcoming game is a rematch of last year's 34-31 overtime victory
for Louisiana, which will be playing in its fourth midweek game of
the season.
--Field Level Media
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