Sun Belt Football Championship - Marshall @ Louisiana: How To Watch, Time/Date, Storylines

Joe Londergan | Dec 6, 2024

Sep 30, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns head coach Michael Desormeaux reacts during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

To cap a hard fought season in the Sun Belt Conference, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns host the Marshall Thundering Herd in the 2024 SBC Championship game. It's a matchup of two experienced, fairly evenly matched teams, with the projected spread being just one touchdown between the West Division champion and the East Division champion.

Here's everything you need to know about the Saturday night showdown.

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Marshall Thundering Herd (9-3, 7-1 Sun Belt Conference) @ Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (10-2, 7-1 Sun Belt Conference)

Date: Saturday, December 7

Time: 7:30 pm ET // 6:30 pm CT

Location: Cajun Field - Lafayette, Louisiana

TV: ESPN

Betting Line: Louisiana -6 on DraftKings

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Storylines

Battle of Strong Backfields

Both Louisiana and Marshall can attribute to much of their success this season to solid production from their respective quarterbacks and running backs.

For the Thundering Herd, Tulsa transfer quarterback Braylon Braxton earned Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year Honors, assuming the starting role several weeks into the season. He's 7-0 in that role. Braxton threw for 1,431 yards with 17 touchdowns and only two interceptions in 2024 with 544 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. Marshall running back A.J. Turner has also had a notable season, averaging a league-best 8.3 yards per rush.

Meanwhile, Louisiana backup quarterback Chandler Fields is still performing admirably in place of injured starter Ben Wooldridge. Fields has passed for 793 yards with five touchdowns and only one interception in the Cajuns' last three games. Fields can also lean on UL's talented stable of running backs, that includes four different backs that have averaged over five yards per carry this season.

Mike Green's Phenomenal Year

Defensive lineman/linebacker Michael Green is enjoying one of the biggest breakout seasons for a defensive player in the FBS this year. Green, a redshirt sophomore who wears #15, is one sack away from tying the single-season program record at 17. He's caused absolute havoc for opposing backfields all season, leading the nation in tackles for loss with 21 in 2024.

Old Traditions or New Traditions

In their third season in the Sun Belt Conference, the Thundering Herd make their first appearance in the league championship game. A win would give Marshall their first conference championship since winning Conference USA under Doc Holliday's direction in 2014.

Meanwhile, the Ragin' Cajuns are into their fifth title game in seven seasons. A win would mark their first SBC title under Michael Desormeaux and their first since 2021.

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