No. 16 Louisiana-Lafayette vs Marshall in New Orleans Bowl

No. 16 Louisiana-Lafayette (12-1, Sun Belt; No. 24 CFP) vs. Marshall (7-5, Conference USA), Dec. 18, 9:15 p.m. ET

LOCATION: New Orleans

TOP PLAYERS

Louisiana-Lafayette: QB Levi Lewis, 2,647 yards passing, 19 touchdowns.

Marshall: RB Rasheen Ali, 1,239 yards rushing, 20 touchdowns.

NOTABLE

Louisiana-Lafayette: The Ragin' Cajuns come in with 12 straight victories and their first-ever outright Sun Belt Conference title. They also come in with new coach Michael Desormeaux, their former offensive coordinator hired to replace Billy Napier after he left for Florida.

Marshall: The Thundering Herd will play their second-ever game in the Superdome after beating Tulane there in 2009. They were supposed to play the Green Wave there in 2005, but that game was moved due to Hurricane Katrina.

LAST TIME

This is the first meeting between these teams.

BOWL HISTORY

Louisiana-Lafayette: Sixth appearance in the New Orleans Bowl, ninth bowl appearance in school history.

Marshall: First appearance in the New Orleans Bowl, 18th bowl appearance overall and fifth in a row.

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