2015 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana Tech vs. Arkansas State

Written by Charlie Beuttel 

The New Orleans Bowl has always been one of the earliest scheduled bowl games every December since it was certified by the NCAA as an official bowl game in 2001. The bowl game has been played in the Mercedes Super Dome every year except 2005 when it was temporarily moved to the University of Louisiana-Lafayette Cajun Field following Hurricane Katrina.

The last four years the Ragin Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette have won this bowl game but unfortunately did not make it this season. However, this year will feature an exciting matchup as Arkansas State (9-3) battles Louisiana Tech (8-4).

The Red Wolves of Arkansas State are 9-3 and come into this game on an eight-game winning streak as they went unbeaten in Sun Belt Conference play. Their two biggest wins of the season came when they beat Louisiana-Lafayette 37-27 and when they won at Appalachian State 40-27.

Arkansas State’s offense scores 41 points per game on average and scores in two minutes or less on sixty 60 percent of their touchdown drives. Senior running Michael Gordon leads the team with 1,072 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Another leader is senior quarterback Fredi Knighten who has thrown for 1,698 yards and 19 touchdowns. The leading receiver for the Red Wolves is senior Tres Houston who has caught 33 passes for 568 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Opponents score just 28 points against Arkansas State and the Red Wolves lead the nation in turnovers gained this season with 34. The leading tackler is sophomore linebacker Khari Lain who has 74 tackles including six for a loss and two sacks. Sophomore defensive end Ja’Von Rolland-Jones leads the team with nine sacks and has 33 total tackles including 12 for a loss. Senior defensive back Rocky Hayes leads the team with six interceptions and has 44 total tackles.

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs are 8-4 and finished 6-2 in Conference USA play. A 58-24 loss in their regular season finale against Southern Miss prevented the Bulldogs from playing in the Conference USA Championship Game. Their biggest win of the season came against UT-San Antonio (34-31) on Oct. 10.

Louisiana Tech scores 37 points a game and is led by senior running back Kenneth Dixon. Dixon has 968 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns this season and has 4,378 yards in his career at Louisiana Tech. Senior quarterback Jeff Driskel, a transfer from University of Florida, has thrown for 3,575 yards and 24 touchdowns. The leading receiver on the team is junior Trent Taylor who has caught 89 passes for 1,133 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Bulldogs defense gives up 27 points per contest and looks to rebound after giving up 58 points to Southern Miss. Senior linebacker Beau Fitte leads the team with 97 tackles including six for a loss and also has two interceptions. Freshman defensive end Jaylon Ferguson has 34 tackles including 14 for a loss and leads the team with six sacks. Senior cornerback Bryson Abraham leads the team with three interceptions and has 52 total tackles this year.

Key Matchups

Can the Louisiana Tech defense slow down the Red Wolves? Arkansas State scores in two minutes or less on 60 percent of their touchdown drives. A couple more astounding facts about the Red Wolves offense is they have posted over 400 total yards of offense in their last six games and in all nine of their victories they have won by at least 10 points. If the Bulldogs want to win their second consecutive bowl game they must figure out how to contain Arkansas State’s offense.

The other matchup to keep an eye on is how Louisiana Tech’s offense matchups up against Arkansas State’s defense. The Bulldogs are averaging 466 yards of total offense a game and have their eyes set on a victory after just barely missing out on playing for a conference championship. The two leaders of the offense, Jeff Driskel and Kenneth Dixon, will be playing their last game for Louisiana Tech. Expect Driskel and Dixon to put on one more great performance in hopes of leading the Bulldogs to a bowl win for the second consecutive year. Dixon averages just under 100 yards rushing a game while Driskel averages just under 300 passing yards and two touchdowns per contest.

Final Analysis

Both these offenses have the ability to put up great numbers so this game could potentially become a shootout as Arkansas State plays with an up-tempo offense and Louisiana Tech has the talent to put up big offensive numbers. It will be exciting to see which defense can step up to make big plays and limit their opponent’s offensive attack.

Prediction: Louisiana Tech 34, Arkansas State 31

Game Information

Kickoff: 8 p.m. CT

Location: New Orleans, LA

Coverage: ESPN

Line: Louisiana Tech -2

Photo credit: collegefootballdude.com; Louisiana Tech RB Kenneth Dixon runs up the middle against Southern Miss.