Georgia Southern vs Louisiana Tech: R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl prediction and game preview.
Georgia Southern vs Louisiana Tech: R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Broadcast
Date: Wednesday, December 23
Game Time: 3:30 pm ET
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Network: ESPN
– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions
Georgia Southern (7-6) vs Louisiana Tech (10-3) Game Preview
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Three Reasons Why You Should Watch The R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Louisiana Tech has been amazing in bowl games under head coach Skip Holtz. The program wasn’t a regular on the bowl circuit before him, but this is the seventh under his watch going a perfect 6-0 before this, including a shocking 14-0 win over Miami in last year’s Independence Bowl.
Georgia Southern plays an interesting brand of football. Forget about the passing game – especially with QB Shai Werts hurting with a shoulder injury – the option offense runs, runs some more, and controls the clock and the tempo. It has managed to play a whole slew of tight games with nine of the 12 games decided by a touchdown or less.
As much as it could possibly be, there should be an interesting atmosphere in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. This is supposed to be the landing spot for the Sun Belt champion, but that’s not happening this year, and Louisiana Tech is relatively close to home.
Overall, this hasn’t been all that great a bowl over the last several years – only one game in the last six was decided by a fewer than 13 points, but this should change that.
Why Georgia Southern, Louisiana Tech Will Win
What’s Going to Happen, Prediction, History
NEXT: Why Georgia Southern Will Win, Why Louisiana Tech Will Win, Georgia Southern vs Louisiana Tech Prediction
Why Georgia Southern Will Win
– The running game should get rolling from the start. The Eagles run, and they run some more. The running backs are deep, the O line should be fine, and the system is the system. The Eagles were able to run for 200 yards or more against everyone but Army, Coastal Carolina and Louisiana.
Get to 250 yards, and the team is 7-1. Louisiana Tech has allowed over 330 rushing yards in two of the last three games.
– Georgia Southern plays a little defense, too. The Eagles are terrific against the run – Army is the only team to get past 200 yards on the ground – and they led the Sun Belt in third down stops. Great at forcing takeaways, they came up with two or more in each of the last six games and in seven of the last eight. On the flip side …
– Louisiana Tech can’t keep things moving. There’s no running game, there’s no downfield passing attack, and the team is miserable at coming up with third down conversions. This isn’t a team built for comebacks. If Georgia Southern gets up early and starts controlling the clock, this could be over. However …
Why Louisiana Tech Will Win
– Georgia Southern starting QB Shai Werts is questionable, at best and backup Justin Tomlin is out. Miller Mosley was an option quarterback for Wofford’s attack, but he’s still a backup who might be thrown into the mix to make the O go. He got in a little bit of work against Appalachian State, but Werts not being healthy is a big problem.
– Louisiana Tech might not have a whole lot of big stats or great wins, but the losses came to BYU, Marshall and TCU. Okay … at UTSA, but that was on the road in a close fight. The Bulldogs managed to beat eventual Conference USA champion UAB and battled well enough to get through a rebuilding season. It has been tested.
– The Georgia Southern defense has been strong, but the pass rush isn’t there to be much of a problem. The Louisiana Tech offensive line has struggled all season long, and now it gets a wee bit of a break. The backfield needs time to work, and it’ll get it.
NEXT: What’s Going To Happen, Georgia Southern vs Louisiana Tech Prediction, R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl History
What’s Going To Happen
Georgia Southern is the better team.
It has the better defense, it’s been able to fight well against a stronger schedule, and Louisiana Tech has struggled too much throughout the season.
Really? You’re going to pick against Skip Holtz in a bowl game he and Louisiana Tech have been great in these things? Throw in that it might be against a third-string quarterback, and …
Georgia Southern has been okay in bowl games, too. It’s 2-1 all-time and 1-1 under Chad Lunsford in two close games, but can the running game work?
Yeah. The Eagle running game will work just enough to overcome a big day from the Louisiana Tech passing attack that keeps this close.
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Georgia Southern vs Louisiana Tech Prediction, Line
Georgia Southern 27, Louisiana Tech 24
Bet on Georgia Southern vs Louisiana Tech with BetMGM
Georgia Southern -6, o/u: 48.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1
Must See Rating: 3
5: New Year’s Day on the couch
1: New Year’s Eve going out
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl History
Dec. 21, 2019 Appalachian State 31, UAB 17
Dec. 15, 2018 Appalachian State 45, Middle Tennessee 13
Dec. 16, 2017 Troy 50, North Texas 30
Dec. 17, 2016 Southern Miss 28, Louisiana-Lafayette 21
Dec. 19, 2015 Louisiana Tech 47 Arkansas State 28
Dec. 20, 2014 Louisiana-Lafayette 16 Nevada 3
Dec. 21, 2013 Louisiana-Lafayette 24 Tulane 21
Dec. 22, 2012 Louisiana-Lafayette 43 East Carolina 34
Dec. 17, 2011 Louisiana-Lafayette 32 San Diego State 30
Dec. 18, 2010 Troy 48 Ohio 21
Dec. 20, 2009 Middle Tennessee 42 Southern Miss 32
Dec. 20, 2008 Southern Miss 30 Troy 27 (OT)
Dec. 21, 2007 FAU 44 Memphis 27
Dec. 22, 2006 Troy 41 Rice 17
Dec. 20, 2005 Southern Miss 31 Arkansas State 19
Dec. 14, 2004 Southern Miss 31 North Texas 10
Dec. 16, 2003 Memphis 27 North Texas 17
Dec. 17, 2002 North Texas 25 Cincinnati 19
Dec. 18, 2001 Colorado State 45 North Texas 20
