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The Georgia Southern Eagles have been on the wrong side of a one-way rivalry with the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and are hoping to record their first win since Nov. 25 of 2017. Georgia Southern and Louisiana will face off in a Sun Belt battle at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday at Cajun Field. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W.'
The Eagles entered their matchup against the South Alabama Jaguars on Saturday without any home losses -- but there's a first time for everything. Georgia Southern came up short against South Alabama, falling 38-31. Georgia Southern was up 21-7 at the end of the first quarter but couldn't hold on to the lead. Their loss shouldn't obscure the performances of RB Jalen White, who punched in one rushing touchdown, and WR Derwin Burgess Jr., who caught eight passes for one TD and 96 yards. That touchdown -- a 54-yard rush in the first quarter -- was one of the highlights of the game.
The Eagles' defense was a presence as well, as it got past the Jaguars' offensive line to sack QB Carter Bradley four times for a total loss of 27 yards. Leading the way was DL Da'Shawn Davis and his two sacks. Those were the first sacks for Davis through nine games.
Meanwhile, the Ragin' Cajuns were within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Saturday as they fell 23-17 to the Troy Trojans. Louisiana's defeat came about despite a quality game from QB Ben Wooldridge, who accumulated 112 passing yards in addition to rushing for two TDs and 34 yards.
The Eagles are expected to lose this next one by 3. Those burned by picking them against the spread on Saturday might want to keep in mind that the squad has not yet dropped back-to-back games against the spread this season.
The losses put Georgia Southern at 5-4 and Louisiana at a reciprocal 4-5. Two defensive numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: Georgia Southern enters the contest having picked the ball off ten times, good for 20th in the nation. But Louisiana is even better: they enter the contest having picked the ball off 14 times, good for third in the nation. We'll see if that edge gives Louisiana a route to victory.
