Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette renew their rivalry with a little Tuesday night Fun Belt action.
Both teams are working on winning streaks following some tough out-of-conference scheduling. After dropping games to Tennessee and Miami by a combined 75-39 in Weeks 2 and 3, the Red Wolves took down Utah State in overtime and have won their first two conference games against Louisiana-Monroe and Georgia State by a combined 80-24. In the 52-10 victory over GSU, quarterback Fredi Knighten completed 20 of 26 passes and compiled 323 total yards and four touchdowns.
Louisiana-Lafayette opened the year with a 45-6 win over Southern, but the next three games against Louisiana Tech, Ole Miss and Boise State saw an average margin of defeat of 31.3 points. But like the Red Wolves, the Ragin' Cajuns have righted the ship in conference action. They snuck past Georgia State, 34-31, and then manhandled Texas State, 34-10.
How to watch, listen, and stream
Game time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN2
Radio: Arkansas State; Louisiana-Lafayette
Online streaming: WatchESPN
The numbers
Rankings and records: Arkansas State enters the game at 4-2, and Louisiana-Lafayette is 3-3. Neither team is ranked, but both teams are 2-0 against Sun Belt competition this season. Louisiana-Lafayette holds a 24-21-2 lead in the all-time series.
Vegas: Arkansas State opened as a three-point favorite.
Weather forecast: Mostly clear with a nighttime low of 57 degrees.
Two things at stake
Aside from 4-0 Georgia Southern, Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette are the only teams unbeaten in Sun Belt play, so this game is a big factor in the conference race. Neither team faces the Eagles this year, so the winner will have a great shot at an unbeaten conference campaign.
Arkansas State would like some revenge for last year's loss to Louisiana-Lafayette. Because both teams went 5-2 against conference competition, the Ragin' Cajuns' win gave them the Sun Belt title.
One big matchup
Louisiana-Lafayette rushing offense vs. Arkansas State rushing defense
The Ragin' Cajuns rank fourth in the Sun Belt with 5.2 yards per carry, and they've focused heavily on the ground game in conference play. In their last two games, they've run 90 times for 483 yards and five touchdowns. That ground attack is going up against a stout Arkansas State defense that has allowed just 2.4 yards per carry against Sun Belt foes, and the Red Wolves average eight tackles for loss per conference game.
Further reading
For more on Group of 5 teams like Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette, check out Underdog Dynasty.