The Sun Belt Championship Game will come down to the Appalachian State Mountaineers and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns on Saturday in Boone, NC.
Some may have thought that all was lost for the Appalachian State Mountaineers when star do-it-all running back Jalin Moore was lost for the season due to injury. However, this team has proven time and again they are more than just one star player. Now they’ll have to prove it once more as they welcome the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns to Boone for the Sun Belt Championship Game on Saturday.
Even without Moore, the Appalachian State offense has remained impressive. Not only is that due to quarterback Zac Thomas, who has been a dual-threat monster all season, but running back Darrynton Evans has broken out in relief of Moore following the injury. These two can single-handedly swing a game in favor of the Mountaineers.
Meanwhile, the Louisiana offense has been their saving grace this season. The Ragin’ Cajuns defense has put this team in some tough spots throughout the year, but the offense led by Trey Ragas and Andre Nunez has consistently done enough to get them into this conference championship game.
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Having said that, the App State defense has been one of the best in the country this season, allowing a mere 15.4 points per game. If the Mountaineers can bring that kind of effort on that side of the ball on Saturday, it could be a long day for the Ragin’ Cajuns.
TV and Live Stream Info, Betting Odds (via Odds Shark)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018
Start Time: Noon ET
Location: Boone, NC
Stadium: Kidd Brewer Stadium
TV Info: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Point Spread: Appalachian State -17
Moneyline: Appalachian State -840, Louisiana +660
Over/Under: 58
Though it seems that the Mountaineers are the better team in this matchup, it’s hard to see them covering this spread. Not only are they not a team that doesn’t run away from good opponents, but they also only beat the Ragin’ Cajuns by 10 points in their regular season meeting. It’ll be App State coming out as the Sun Belt champs, but not in a hugely emphatic manner.
Final Predicted Score: Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns 13, Appalachian State Mountaineers 24