Tulane Green Wave

Tulane, Louisiana-Lafayette eye strong finish in Cure Bowl

Published Dec. 14, 2018 12:27 p.m. ET

Cure Bowl: Tulane (6-6) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (7-6), Dec. 15, 1:30 p.m. Eastern (CBSSN)

Line: Tulane by 3 ½.

Series Record: Tulane leads 22-6.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

Tulane won four of five down the stretch to become bowl eligible and is looking for its first postseason win since 2002. Louisiana-Lafayette is completing its first year under coach Billy Napier. A win would give the Sun Belt Conference runnersup their first winning season since going 7-4 in 2014.

KEY MATCHUP

Green Wave RBs Darius Bradwell and Corey Dauphine against a Louisiana defense that allowed 225 yards rushing during an 11-point loss to Appalachian State in the Sun Belt championship game. Bradwell is 16 yards shy of 1,000 yards for the season, and Dauphine is closing in on 800. They've teamed to score 16 touchdowns on the ground.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Tulane: Graduate transfer QB Justin McMillan is 4-1 since becoming starter, throwing for 1,159 yards and accounting for 13 TDs — nine passing, four rushing — vs. three interceptions. WR Darnell Mooney has eight TD receptions and needs 13 yards receiving to reach 1,000.

Louisiana: Ragin' Cajuns have a nice one-two rushing punch themselves in RBs Trey Ragas and Elijah Mitchell. Ragas has seven 100-yard games and averaged nearly six yards per carry while gaining 1,141 yards and scoring eight TDs rushing this season. Mitchell needs 41 yards to give the team a pair of 1,000-yard runners and has 12 TDs rushing and three more receiving.

FACTS & FIGURES

Tulane is 4-7 all-time in bowl games. The Green Wave last faced Louisiana-Lafayette in 2016, winning 41-39 in four overtimes. The schools also met in the 2013 New Orleans Bowl, which the Ragin' Cajuns won 24-21. ... The series dates to 1911. ... The Ragin' Cajuns are playing in a bowl outside the state of Louisiana for just the second time. They also played in the 1944 Oil Bowl in Houston. ... Tulane hasn't won a bowl game since the 2002 Hawaii Bowl.

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