2011 New Orleans Bowl Line
The R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl will take place December 17 in the Louisiana Superdome and will feature a Louisiana school this year representing the Sun Belt Conference. It may likely be a home game for Louisiana-Lafayette when it takes on San Diego State of the Mountain West Conference in the third of 35 college-football bowl games.
This is the first time in the 11-year history of the bowl that a home-state team will play in the game. And this will mark the first-ever meeting between the Aztecs and Cajuns.
Our latest college football odds list San Diego State as a 4.5-point favorite, while the total sits at 58.5 points.
San Diego State
The Aztecs finished 4-1 in their last five games to finish 4-3 in the Mountain West, and are coming off a 35-28 home win over Fresno State. The Aztecs are a strong 4-1 away from home, with the only loss coming at Michigan (28-7).
The Aztecs rank 50th in the country in scoring offense (30 points per game), compiling 423 yards per game (229 passing, 194 rushing). Ronnie Hillman anchors the running game with 1,656 yards and 19 touchdowns on 5.8 yards per carry.
Ryan Lindley completes 52 percent of his passes for 2,740 yards and 20 touchdowns with eight interceptions. His offensive line has given up just 10 sacks. Colin Lockett leads the receiving corps with 42 receptions for 885 yards and five TDs, while Gavin Escobar has 47 grabs for 710 yards and seven touchdowns.
SDSU ranks 52nd nationally in scoring defense (24 ppg), surrendering 376 yards per game (199 passing, 177 rushing), while recording 28 sacks and forcing 27 turnovers.
Miles Burris leads the defense with 72 tackles, eight sacks and three fumble recoveries, while Jerome Long adds 69 stops, five sacks and a forced fumble. Larry Parker has a team-best seven INTs and three forced fumbles with 56 tackles and a fumble recovery.
Lockett and Brandon Davis both have kickoff returns for TDs.
Louisiana-Lafayette
The Ragin’ Cajuns come into this game on a low, having dropped their last two regular-season games at Sun Belt champ Arkansas State (30-21) and at Pac-12 member Arizona (45-37), but finished third in the Sun Belt standings (6-2). The team was 5-0 in its home state, scoring at least 30 points in each game and started the season 6-1 overall (the only loss at BCS No. 3 Oklahoma State).
The Cajuns rank 32nd nationally in scoring (32 points per game) while compiling 380 yards per game (251 passing, 129 rushing). Blaine Gautier keys this offense by completing 63 percent of his passes for 2,488 yards and 20 TDs with five interceptions, plus listing second in the run game with 464 yards and three TDs on 4.3 yards per carry. The offensive line has allowed 25 sacks.
When Gautier hands off, his top running mate is Alonzo Harris with 638 yards and eight TDs on 4.3 yards per carry. When Gautier throws, his favorite targets are Javone Lawson with 54 receptions for 899 yards and six TDs and Harry Peoples with 53 for 647 yards and a score.
Defensively, the Cajuns have been opportunistic. They rank just 83rd nationally scoring defense (30 ppg) and surrender 393 yards per game (249 passing, 144 rushing), but record 27 sacks and fore 23 turnovers – with one-third of them (eight) returned for TDs (Jemarlou Moten, Dwight Bentley, Lionel Stokes, Melvin White and Devon Lewis-Buchanan, seven interceptions; white, fumble).
Lance Kelley leads the defense with 107 tackles (29 more than anyone else), three picks and two forced fumbles, adding three sacks. Bernard Smith has 6.5 sacks, 40 tackles and a fumble recovery, while Moten and Bentley each have three picks and a combined 134 tackles, two forced fumbles and a recovery.
