Louisiana vs. Delaware
The nightcap of our Wednesday college football doubleheader doesn’t carry the same weight as the first game between Old Dominion and South Florida, a battle of 9-3 teams. But, the 68 Ventures Bowl still means a lot to the two teams involved, as one will finish 6-7 and the other will finish 7-6. Louisiana vs. Delaware in Mobile, AL will mark the second time that the Ragin’ Cajuns will play in this game, but it was the LendingTree Bowl back when they did at the end of the 2019 season.
For Delaware, this is the first bowl game in program history. The Blue Hens transitioned from FCS to FBS and won enough games to be bowl-eligible in their first season as a member of Conference USA. Recently, Delaware has been no stranger to postseason play, making the FCS playoffs in 2022 and 2023, as well as the semifinals in 2020. While a bowl game isn’t exactly the FCS playoffs, it is still an outstanding accomplishment for Ryan Carty’s team.
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68 Ventures Bowl: Louisiana (-3, 60.5) vs. Delaware
Wednesday, Dec. 17, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Like I said, this isn’t quite the Cure Bowl (preview) with two very strong Group of Five programs, but Louisiana enters with a three-game losing streak in bowl season, so you know Michael Desormeaux’s team wants to finish off this season with a win. It would be a major achievement for Delaware to finish with a winning record and do so by emerging victorious in their first bowl appearance.
Also, unlike the Cure Bowl, we aren’t missing two starting quarterbacks. All-name-team member Lunch Winfield was banged up late in the year, but he’s expected to get the start for the Ragin’ Cajuns. He’s completed just under 59% of his throws with a 10/6 TD/INT ratio. He’s also the team’s third-leading rusher with 627 yards and he’s second in carries with 138. Bill Davis and Zylan Perry averaged 5.0 and 5.2 yards per carry, respectively, as Davis had 20 more carries with 148.
Louisiana’s top wide receiver, Shelton Sampson Jr., only had 29 catches and was the only pass-catcher with more than 286 yards. So, expect Louisiana to test the Delaware front seven by trying to run the ball right at them. That was not a strength of the Blue Hens defense, as they allowed 4.75 yards per carry.
What we also see from these FCS turned FBS members is that they get worn down late in the year. Depth is usually the biggest hurdle for teams to overcome when making the jump. The Blue Hens allowed 4.92 yards per carry in five November games and also allowed 13 rushing touchdowns. We’ll see if the downtime can help them stack up a bit better.
While the Ragin’ Cajuns want to run, Delaware wants to throw. QB Nick Minicucci has passed for over 3,500 yards and ranks third in the nation in pass attempts with 482. He posted a 22/7 TD/INT ratio and he was mobile enough to only get sacked 25 times, despite all of those dropbacks. Minicucci only had 2.2 yards per carry on 106 rushes, but he was good in short yardage with 10 TDs.
Jo Silver averaged 5.1 yards per pop and Viron Ellison Jr. had 3.9 on a similar number of carries, as Silver missed time in November before returning against UTEP in the finale with 64 yards. He only played 23 snaps in that game, but made the most of his seven carries and has had 2.5 weeks off.
As you would expect, given the disparity in pass attempts, Delaware was the better team by yards per play on offense with 5.64 to Louisiana’s 5.32, but it should be mentioned that the Blue Hens played the 127th-ranked schedule. Louisiana wasn’t much better at 109th, but they did only lose to James Madison by 10 and won four straight to finish the regular season.
Defensively, Delaware gave up over six yards per play and ranked 116th in the nation during the regular season. Louisiana allowed six yards per play, sitting 109th. That’s why we see a total in the 60s here.
Louisiana vs. Delaware 68 Ventures Bowl Prediction
The weather looks good in Mobile on Wednesday night, so it shouldn’t impact Delaware’s ability to throw the football. However, I like Louisiana here. The Ragin’ Cajuns are a deeper team by default and they’re going to be able to run the football successfully in this one. The Blue Hens only recovered three fumbles this season and only forced six. Expect Delaware to show some fatigue in the second half, allowing that Louisiana running game to keep the chains moving.
Pick: Louisiana -3
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