Jags Jungle Panel Picks: South Alabama at Louisiana

A meeting with Sun Belt West leader Louisiana Tech did not turn into the season-defining moment that Jaguar fans were hoping for and instead leaves South Alabama trying to find two more wins on the schedule to get them to six and bowl eligibility.

Their first attempt at getting one of those two is this weekend against the Ragin' Cajuns. The Jags Jungle panel has thoughts:

Doug Konkel

After two straight losses and the sudden ineffectiveness of their offense, particularly in the second half of those games, I started writing this fully expecting to predict a South Alabama loss in this one. Louisiana-Lafayette (yes, I will never stop referring to them as this) has always been a tough opponent for USA and QB Lunch Winfield ate the Jaguars when they met in the past. However, looking a little deeper tells me that this is not a classic ULL team that sports future NFL players on the offensive line and at running back. As a matter of fact, it's actually Winfield that leads this team in rushing with 470 yards, although as a team they do average a healthy 190 yards per game. But then they played Southern Mississippi. In that game they gave up 450 yards (well above their 317.2 average) and 35 points (even more well above their average of 21.3) in the four-point loss. This following a blowout over Troy makes this a team that's a little hard to pin down. They don't rush the passer extremely well with 12 sacks in eight games this season, but they are tops in the league in defensive efficiency against the pass and on offense Winfield has thrown five interceptions against only six touchdowns this year.

If the Jags are going to have a chance in this game, the offense has to run the ball effectively and, more importantly, handle the blitz when it inevitably comes. Todd Orlando's defense has to keep its upward trajectory going and minimize Winfield's impact, a tall order for a guy with his mobility. Of the four remaining games on the schedule, this is the toughest and, while winnable, I just can't bring myself to call for a USA win. I think they'll make a good go of it, but I anticipate a loss in the neighborhood of 31-21.

Tres Harrison

We're looking at an incredibly tough opponent with ULL. Their offense is incredibly dangerous and even more versatile. If the Jags are going to win, we're going to have to make some pretty substantial changes on offense. It's become apparent that we've had some trouble against the pass rush these past two weeks. Our run game is great in short bursts, but we've just been coming up short on extending drives and getting points.

The Ragin' Cajuns are a tough squad with a record to show for it. They'll no doubt be looking to get right after their loss to Southern Miss, but this is also an opportunity for the Jags to get right. If we're going to win this game, we'll have to be unexpected and fly around on both sides of the ball. If the defense can put up a performance that nets us a turnover or two and some stops, I think we'll be fine. But the biggest point of importance is doing SOMETHING on offense. If South Alabama is going to win, we are going to have to challenge the middle and attack the perimeter with something that isn't some quick screen after a failed first down run up the middle. I would not be shocked to see both quarterbacks coming in at some point. Bishop's mobility and short game play may open up some passing opportunities and allow for some deeper shots with Hollins. I am going to continue being optimistic and say the Jags will make necessary changes and somehow manage to squeak out a win. 35-31 Go Jags!

Caleb Seaver

First the good news, the offense played really well last week. That is about all the good news, as South Alabama loses their second in a row, has only a slight chance to make the conference championship game and will have an uphill battle to make a bowl game.

Looking back at last week, the run game was very effective, South Alabama with over 200 yards on the ground. The passing game is where South Alabama ran into issues. Hollins again was very inaccurate, had a number of turnovers and had a very similar performance to the Marshall game. The Jags just could not capitalize on their opportunities or frankly at all in the second half. South Alabama was held scoreless in the second half for the first time this season. The defense, while not awful, was a problem. The Jags gave up 315 yards but struggled to stop explosive plays. South Alabama finished the game with over 82 yards more than Louisiana Tech in what was just a frustrating game for Jag fans.

As for this week, South hits the road to take on a good on paper Louisiana team. The Cajuns were off last week, but after a strong start to the year had a very puzzling loss to Southern Miss two weeks ago. The Cajuns have a good dual-threat quarterback who is responsible for most of their offensive production. Lunch Winfield averages 60 yards rushing and 181 yards passing per game. The Cajuns have a decent running back room but share the load a lot. Louisiana's defense is solid but not elite. They have been inconsistent in the last few weeks, solid performances against Troy and Arkansas State, abysmal against Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech. The Cajun defense does a good job of stopping the run but struggles against the pass, though Southern Miss was able to exploit the run defense a couple weeks ago.

This is a tricky one to predict. South Alabama is reeling right now and desperately needs a win to get the season back on track. Louisiana meanwhile is a tough team to predict, and how will they respond following a bad loss two weeks ago. This is a tough matchup for the Jags and a tough matchup to predict, so unfortunately I will agree with the people in Vegas. I unfortunately predict South Alabama loses, again, 31-23.

South Alabama and Louisiana will kick off from Lafayette at 4 p.m. CT on Saturday. This game will be carried by ESPN+, but unless you want to hear the Cajun voices of their media team, the South Alabama broadcast on the Jags Radio Network with JT Crabtree, Pat Greenwood and the rest of the crew is the way to go for this one.

Radio — Varsity Network App, Hot 94.1 FM, JOX 660 AM, 104.1-HD3 FM

Sirius XM Channel 994 (channel will change weekly)

Website — http://usajags.co/ListenLive