After defeating Texas State 45-0 in its 2021 homecoming game, No. 24 Louisiana Football will welcome Georgia State to Cajun Field at 6:30 p.m. Thursday for a nationally televised contest on ESPN.
With a victory, Louisiana will clinch the Sun Belt West Division title for the fourth-straight year.
Under head coach Billy Napier, the Ragin Cajuns have performed well in Thursday night contests, holding a perfect 4-0 record.
The Ragin Cajun's are also a perfect 4-0 in the all-time series against the Panthers. Last year, Louisiana prevailed in a 34-31 overtime thriller. A 12-yard touchdown run by Elijah Mitchell lifted the Ragin' Cajuns to victory.
Georgia State enters the game with a 4-4 record including a 3-1 mark against Sun Belt opponents. The Panthers are on a three-game winning streak following victories over ULM, Texas State and Georgia Southern.
Who: No. 24 Louisiana (7-1, 5-0 Sun Belt) vs. Georgia State (4-4, 3-1 Sun Belt)
Where: Cajun Field – Lafayette, La.
When: Thursday, Nov. 4 at 6:30 p.m. (CST)
Watch: ESPN
On the Call: Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst), Alex Chappell (sideline)
Listen: ESPN1420
On the Call: Jay Walker (play-by-play), Gerald Broussard (analyst), Cody Junot (sideline)
All-Time Series: Louisiana leads, 4-0
Last Meeting: W, 34-31 (09/19/20)
Game Notes:
Head to the Polls
• Louisiana returned to the national rankings this week, checking in at No. 24 in the AP Top 25. The team opened the season ranked No. 23 in both the AP Top 25 and the USA Today/AFCA Coaches Poll.
A Class of Their Own
• Louisiana is 28-5 (.848) since the start of the 2019 season. Only five programs, Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Cincinnati and Georgia feature a higher win percentage during that time.
No. 1 in Record Books
• With three touchdown passes against Texas State on Oct. 30, Levi Lewis set the program record for career passing scores with 65. The previous record of 64 was held by Ragin' Cajun legend Jake Delhomme.
• Against Arkansas State, Lewis passed Terrance Broadway to move into second place on Louisiana's career passing yards leaderboard.
Goin' Bowling
• With its Week 7 victory over Arkansas State, Louisiana clinched bowl eligibility for the fourth consecutive season.
Fun in the Sun
• Louisiana owns a 24-7 record against Sun Belt opposition under Coach Napier, including a perfect 15-0 mark against Sun Belt West programs.
Shut it Down
• The Cajun defense recorded its first shutout since the 2012 season and now ranks 20th nationally in scoring defense, holding opponents to 19.2 points per game.
Clutch Gene
• The Ragin' Cajuns own a 13-3 record in one-possession games since the start of the 2018 season.
• Louisiana is 13-for-16 on 4th Down this year, good for second in the Sun Belt and fourth nationally.
The Mothership
• The Ragin' Cajuns are 7-0 when appearing on ESPN's family of networks this season.
Run it Back
• Per ESPN's Bill Connelly, Louisiana returned a nation-high 96 percent of its production from a season ago, including 93 percent of its offensive production and 98 percent of its defensive production.