Recent News | Popular News | Subscribe

FACTS & STATS: Site: FIU Stadium (18,000) -- Miami, Florida. Television: None. Home Record: ULL 3-1, FIU 0-2. Away Record: ULL 1-2, FIU 1-4. Neutral Record: ULL 0-0, FIU 0-0. Conference Record: ULL 2-1, FIU 1-3. Series Record: UL-Lafayette leads, 6-0.

GAME NOTES: The UL-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns will try to continue their dominance over the Florida International Golden Panthers when the two schools collide this Saturday afternoon in a Sun Belt Conference tilt at FIU Stadium.

The Cajuns and Golden Panthers have met six previous times, with ULL walking away with a victory in each matchup. The Cajuns fell to 4-3 this past weekend with a rough, 51-29, setback to Florida Atlantic. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for ULL, which is now 2-1 in Sun Belt action.

As for the Golden Panthers, they have lost six of their first seven games this season, and that includes a 27-10 setback to Arkansas State over the weekend. It was the second consecutive loss for FIU, which is now just 1-3 in league play on the season. Florida International is winless at home in two games this season, and since the start of the 2006 campaign the team is just 4-13 at home.

Consistency has been a problem for the Cajuns offensively this season and it shows in the team's point production (22.7 ppg). The majority of the team's success has come from the ground game, which is churning out 155.3 ypg. However, the Cajuns do not possess a top option in the backfield, so instead the team has relied on a few players, beginning with Undrea Sails, who has rushed for 432 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, Sails has a broken leg and will miss the remainder of the season. Yobes Walker has rushed for 268 yards thus far for ULL, while Brad McGuire has scored a team-best four rushing touchdowns. The passing attack has done very little on the season, as Chris Masson has been far too inconsistent. The quarterback has thrown for just 1,264 yards on the year and comes into this weekend with just seven touchdowns and five interceptions. The last time ULL was in action the team scored 29 points, but it was still not enough to grab a win over FAU. Walker rushed for 105 yards in the loss, but McGuire scored all three of the team's rushing touchdowns and finished the game with 33 yards. Masson threw a touchdown in the contest, but finished with just 209 yards and was also intercepted once.

What has been a sore spot for the Cajuns throughout the season has been the play of the defense, which is being embarrassed for 32.4 ppg. The unit has been unable to stop the run or pass thus far, as teams are churning out 180.3 ypg against ULL, while also torching the defense for 233.4 ypg through the air. Fortunately the team has been able to force 14 turnovers on the season (10 interceptions and four fumbles), but pressuring the quarterback has been a major concern, as the team heads into this game with only three sacks. The last time ULL was in action it seemed as if the defense did not even show up, as the Cajuns were pounded for 51 points on 624 total yards. The defense was gashed for 252 rushing yards, and sadly enough the unit was even worse against the pass, as the Owls torched UL-Lafayette for 372 yards and four touchdowns through the air.

The Golden Panthers are averaging a comfortable 25.0 ppg, but the offense for FIU has been extremely lopsided, as the team relies heavily on the passing attack. The ground game is currently averaging a mere 77.7 ypg, on an equally poor 2.4 yards per attempt, so due to the lack of production out of the backfield Paul McCall has had to step up his efforts. McCall has been mediocre at best however, as the signal caller has thrown for just 1,634 yards and 11 scores against six touchdowns. T.Y. Hilton has been the main target throughout the season for McCall, and comes into the game with 44 receptions, 462 yards and four touchdowns. The Golden Panthers were not so golden in their last game, as the team posted just 10 points on 223 total yards. The ground game once again was bottled up, posting just 32 yards on 1.3 yards per attempt. As for McCall, he threw for 173 yards in the loss, but was intercepted once and sacked twice.

On top of the inconsistent play offensively, the defense for FIU has been dreadful, as the unit is being abused for 34.4 ppg. The defense is allowing 250.6 ypg through the air, but the major problem for this unit has been its inability to stop the run, as the team is being gashed for 239.3 ypg, and out of the 29 touchdowns surrendered by this unit, 20 have come via the run. The team has also lacked big play capability, forcing just 11 turnovers on the year, while collecting just 13 sacks. The team's inability to stop the run continued in the loss to Arkansas State, as the Golden Panthers were punished for 276 yards and two touchdowns on 5.8 yards per carry. Florida International did force two turnovers in the loss and also held ASU to just 4-of-13 on third down attempts, but the defense also allowed the Red Wolves to convert on 5- of-7 red zone chances.

Neither team has performed well defensively, so expect a high-scoring affair. The Cajuns have won all six meetings, and that trend should continue this weekend.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: UL-Lafayette 38, Florida International 35