Sun Belt: Louisiana-Monroe vs Louisiana-Lafayette 9/24/22 College Football Picks, Predictions, Odds

The UL Monroe Warhawks and Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns do battle Saturday in week 4 Sun Belt college football action at Malone Stadium. The Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns look to build on their 2-1 record. The UL Monroe Warhawks look to get back to a .500 record.

The Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns have won 5 of their last 6 road games. Chandler Fields is completing 54.5 percent of his passes for 352 yards, 6 touchdowns and 1 interception. Michael Jefferson and John Stephens Jr. have combined for 257 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns, while Johnny Lumpkin has 7 receptions. The Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns ground game is averaging 112.7 yards per contest, and Chris Smith leads the way with 116 yards and 2 touchdowns. Defensively, Louisiana-Lafayette is allowing 20.3 points and 358.7 yards per game. K.C. Ossai leads the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns with 23 tackles, Marcus Wiser has 2 sacks and Nijel McGriff has 1 interception.

The UL Monroe Warhawks have won 5 of their last 7 home games. Chandler Rogers is completing 69.2 percent of his passes for 457 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Jevin Frett and Alred Luke have combined for 226 receiving yards and 1 touchdown, while Fred Lloyd Jr. has 2 receptions. The UL Monroe Warhawks ground game is averaging 115.7 yards per contest, and Malik Jackson leads the way with 110 yards and 2 touchdowns. Defensively, UL Monroe is allowing 40.7 points and 400.7 yards per game. Tristan Driggers leads the UL Monroe Warhawks with 12 tackles, Cooper Webb has 1 sack and Deuce Mayberry has 1 interception.

The Ragin’ Cajuns are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games on grass and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Warhawks are 11-24-1 ATS in their last 36 games on grass and 2-5 ATS in their last 7 conference games. The under is 25-11-1 in Ragin’ Cajuns last 37 games overall. The under is 6-1 in Warhawks last 7 games overall. The Ragin’ Cajuns are 9-1-1 ATS in their last 11 meetings in UL Monroe. The road team is 18-3-1 ATS in their last 22 meetings.

Neither of these teams have shown us a lot through the first few weeks, and I’m not thrilled to back either side. However, it’s fair to say the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns are the more talented team here, and they have a clear edge on the defensive side. The UL Monroe Warhawks have gotten their boots smoked whenever playing even a decent team, and they’ve had no covering success dating back the last couple of years. The oddsmakers are telling you how bad UL Monroe is with this line. Give me the Ragin’ Cajuns and the chalk if forced to pick.