Date: Saturday, December 21, 2013
Where: New Orleans, Louisiana
When: 9:00 PM Eastern Time
TV: ESPN
Line: Pick 'Em, Over/Under: No Line
Tulane Green Wave (7-5 Overall, 5-3 in C-USA, Finished 4th in West Division)
It has been 11 years since Tulane played in a bowl game. It was a modest start to the season for Tulane. They started 2-2 with wins over Jackson State and Louisiana Tech. Tulane went on to win the next four games to get to bowl eligibility at 6-2. However, they would finish the season 1-3 as their offense sputtered in the 3 losses averaging 12.3 points per game. Here are Tulane's stats for the 2013 season:
Last Bowl Game: 2002 Hawaii Bowl vs. Hawaii (36-28 Win)
Passing Offense: 176.1 yards per game (104th in the FBS)
Rushing Offense: 128.1 yards per game (102nd)
Points Scored per Game: 25.1 points per game (89th)
Passing Defense: 234.4 yards per game (72nd)
Rushing Defense: 120 yards per game (16th)
Points Allowed per Game: 21.2 points per game (19th)
Player to Watch: Wide Receiver Ryan Grant. He has accounted for 926 of the 2113 receiving yards racked up this year. He is the go to guy for Nick Montana (yes, Nick Montana is the son of Joe Montana).
Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (8-4 Overall, 5-2 in Sun Belt, Finished T-1st)
The Ragin' Cajuns ended the seaons way they started it, with back-to-back losses. They opened with losses at Arkansas and at Kansas State before winning 8 games in a row. They finished the season with losses to Louisiana-Monroe and at South Alabama. It is important to note that UL-Lafayette lost their start QB Terrance Broadway in the UL-Monroe game and his status for the bowl game in uncertain. This is UL-Lafayette's 3rd straight trip to the New Orleans Bowl. Here are UL-Lafayette's stats for the 2013 season:
Last Bowl Game: 2012 New Orleans Bowl vs. East Carolina (43-34 Win)
Passing Offense: 216.8 yards per game (78th in the FBS)
Rushing Offense: 207.6 yards per game (26th)
Points Scored per Game: 34.6 points per game (31st)
Passing Defense: 239.3 yards per game (81st)
Rushing Defense: 154.8 yards per game (52nd)
Points Allowed per Game: 26.9 points per game (68th)
Players to Watch: Running Backs Alonzo Harris and Elijah McGuire. With Terrance Broadway likely out, there will be a shift on these two guys to handle the load. Harris has 868 yards and 13 touchdowns on 186 carries (4.7 yards per carry average). McGuire has 818 yards and 7 touchdowns on 92 carries (8.9 yards per carry average).
Prediction
Do not underestimate the loss of Terrance Broadway and how much it hurts UL-Lafayette. His experience and ability to run the ball will be missed, as evidenced by their 30-8 loss in the season finale against South Alabama. UL-Lafayette struggled as they only managed 212 yards of total offense in that game. Tulane also has their own offensive problems this season. This is a tough matchup, but let's go with the team that is 2 for 2 in this bowl game. UL-Lafayette 17-14.