UL Lafayette @ Miami (Ohio) preview

LENDINGTREE BOWL STORYLINES

1. All-American offensive lineman Kevin Dotson will lead Louisiana and its highly-rated rushing attack into the Lendingtree Bowl, where it will play Miami (Ohio) Jan. 6 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. Dotson has earned All-American honors from several different publications, including the AP and USA Today, for the Ragin' Cajuns, who will try to earn their first bowl win since 2014 at the expense of the RedHawks - the Mid-American Conference champions. Miami will answer with MAC Freshman of the Year Brett Gabbert, a quarterback who has guided the team to victory in six of its last seven games.

2. Dotson, the highest rated guard in the nation by Pro Football Focus, and fellow All-Sun Belt Conference first team offensive lineman Robert Hunt have helped pave the way for the Ragin' Cajuns to rush for 265.3 yards per game (seventh in FBS) and score 41 touchdowns on the ground (third). Louisiana had a player rush for 1,000 yards for the second straight season and fifth in the last six as Elijah Mitchell (1,092) was one of three players to run for at least 796 yards for Sun Belt Coach of the Year Billy Napier. The trio of Mitchell, Raymond Calais and Trey Ragas churned out 2,755 yards and 32 touchdowns for the Ragin' Cajuns, who possess the No. 11 scoring offense (38.8) in the nation.

3. The RedHawks, who defeated Central Michigan 26-21 in the MAC Championship Game, will need to control the clock and take advantage of each of their red zone opportunities, something that could be tough against Louisiana's 10th-ranked red zone defense (71.8 percent). Chuck Martin's team is not equipped to win a high-scoring game as it didn't allow more than 24 points in any of its victories, but surrendered 35 or more points in each of its losses. Gabbert will need to be more efficient than he was during the regular season, when he completed 53.7 percent of his passes for 2,163 yards and 11 touchdowns as opposed to eight interceptions, and running backs Jaylon Bester and Tyre Shelton - who combined for 1,217 yards and 14 touchdowns - will need to be highly productive for the RedHawks (24.7 points per game).

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Louisiana -14

ABOUT LOUISIANA (10-3): The Ragin' Cajuns may have lost to Appalachian State in the Sun Belt Championship Game - their second defeat at the hands of the Mountaineers this season - but they are riding high after earning 10 wins in a season for the first time in program history. Defensive lineman Zi'Yon Hill, linebacker Joe Dillon and defensive back Michael Jacquet III each earned All-Sun Belt second team honors for a defense that ranked 21st in points allowed (19.9 per game) and 19th in passing yards allowed per game (193.8) in the nation. Dillon had seven of the team's 30 sacks and Jacquet had two interceptions along with five pass breakups.

ABOUT MIAMI (8-5): The RedHawks were one of the better teams in the nation in getting after the opposing quarterback, ranking in the top 20 with 38 sacks, and harassing Louisiana quarterback Levi Lewis - sacked 15 times this season while throwing 24 touchdown passes - will be critical. Ivan Pace Jr. led the team with seven sacks but four others, including Kameron Butler and Doug Costin, have at least four sacks for a defense that forced 20 turnovers. Butler and Costin combined for 26 tackles-for-loss, Travion Banks had a team-leading five interceptions (topped by only six players in the FBS) and Mike Brown had three picks for the RedHawks, who haven't won a bowl game since taking the GoDaddy.com Bowl in 2010 over Middle Tennessee.



PREDICTION: Louisiana 38, Miami 17