UL Lafayette vs. Middle Tennessee
Ragin' Cajuns -5 vs. Blue Raiders
A lot is at stake in tonight's Sun Belt battle between Middle Tennessee State and Louisiana-Lafayette as a potential bowl game is on the line. Chances are good that the winner of this game may gain a bowl berth because other conferences are lacking a plethora of bowl eligible teams.
Middle Tennessee State (5-6, 3-3) comes into this game the winner of three straight. Their most recent win came against North Texas, a 52-13 crushing victory. The Blue Raiders' star was clearly running back Phillip Tanner who scored an incredible six touchdowns with 159 yards on only 14 carries. The junior set a conference record with his six scores. On the other hand, the Rajin' Cajuns dropped their third straight game in embarrassing fashion 48-3 to Troy. During Louisiana-Lafayette's slide, they have allowed an average of 41.7 points and 463.3 yards per contest.
If Middle Tennessee quarterback Joe Craddock can achieve at least 315 passing yards, he will break the school record. Craddock has had an incredibly accurate senior year by passing for 2435 yards with 13 touchdowns and only six picks.
UL Lafayette has had less accurate quarterback play through the air, but boast a very potent signal caller. Michael Desormeaux has only thrown for 1633 yards on nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions. But the senior has been dominant on the ground by gaining 993 rushing yards. By gaining a mere seven yards, Desormeaux and running back Tyrell Fenroy will become the first quarterback/running back combination in NCAA history to both rush for 1000 yards in back-to-back seasons.
Fenroy has gained 1292 yards and 17 touchdowns. The senior has capped a remarkable college career as he became only the seventh running back to rush for 1000 yards in four consecutive seasons. Fenroy is a Doak Walker Award semifinalist and is the career rushing leader in both ULL and the Sun Belt Conference.
The Cajuns lead the series 5-4 and won the last contest last season. UL Lafayette has won four of the past five.
