Louisiana Primetime Matchup on ESPN highlights week 3 schedule

Published 3:41 pm Wednesday, September 15, 2021

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Louisiana will open Week 3 play in primetime on Thursday night, as it hosts Ohio at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN. The Ragin’ Cajuns aim to maintain Billy Napier’s unblemished record in non-conference home games in the matchup. No. 16/18 Coastal Carolina will also appear on national television when it visits Buffalo at 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPN2.

Georgia Southern will make it three-straight weeks that a Sun Belt program has squared off against a Top 25-ranked opponent when it takes on No. 20/24 Arkansas at 3 p.m. Saturday on SEC Network.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

  • PRIMETIME MATCHUP – Following a 27-24 victory over Nicholls in its home opener on Sept. 11, Louisiana will host Ohio at 7 p.m. Thursday on ESPN. The Ragin’ Cajuns defeated the Bobcats in their most recent meeting, a 45-25 rout in Athens, Ohio, that halted a program-record 10-game home winning streak for Ohio. A victory would move Louisiana to 5-0 in non-conference home games under head coach Billy Napier.
  • SHUFFLE OFF TO BUFFALO – No. 16/18 Coastal Carolina will face its first road test of the 2021 season when it visits Buffalo at 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPN2. The first-ever matchup between the two programs will pit two Chanticleer streaks against one another. Coastal Carolina owns a five-game winning streak in true road contests, but is 0-6 all-time against teams from the state of New York and 0-2 in games played in The Empire State. Ironically, the Chanticleers are coming off a 49-22 victory over former Bulls head coach Lance Leipold, who is now the head coach at Kansas. Leipold left Buffalo to take over the Kansas program in April 2021 after six years at the helm for the Bulls, including a 24-10 mark and three bowl appearances in his final three seasons.
  • THE NATURAL STATE – Georgia Southern will look for its first-ever victory in the state of Arkansas when it visits No. 20/24 Arkansas at 3 p.m. Saturday on SEC Network. The Razorbacks are coming off a 40-21 win over No. 15/15 Texas, while the Eagles will attempt to rebound from a 38-6 loss to Florida Atlantic. Georgia Southern is 0-2 all-time in The Natural State, with both losses coming to conference foe Arkansas State (2016, 2019). Despite their infamous 26-20 victory over Florida on Nov. 23, 2013, the Eagles are still looking for their first victory over an SEC opponent since joining the Sun Belt Conference in 2014.
  • PACK NOT PAC – Arkansas State will visit Washington at 3:15 p.m. Saturday on Pac-12 Network. The first-ever meeting between the two programs will be the Red Wolves third all-time matchup against a member of the Pac-12. The Red Wolves are 0-2 in those prior matchups, which have each come on the road against a Top 10-ranked team—a 57-34 loss at No. 5 Oregon in 2012 and a 55-6 loss at No. 8 USC in 2015. A victory would mark the second-straight season that the Red Wolves have defeated a Power Five opponent, following a 35-31 win at Kansas State in 2020.
  • IRON MAN – Super senior left guard Shamarious Gilmore will establish a new program record when he plays in and starts his 50th game in a Georgia State uniform Saturday, when the Panthers host Charlotte at 6 p.m. on ESPN+. Gilmore is the first four-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection in Georgia State history—Honorable Mention (2017, 2018), Third Team (2019) and First Team (2020)—and was a Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference First Team pick in 2021.

WHERE TO WATCH

 Date  Game  Time  Broadcast
 Thursday, Sept. 16  Ohio at Louisiana | Game Notes  7 p.m.  ESPN
 Saturday, Sept. 18  No. 16/18 Coastal Carolina at Buffalo | Game Notes  11 a.m.  ESPN2
 Saturday, Sept. 18  Elon at App State | Game Notes  2:30 p.m.  ESPN+
 Saturday, Sept. 18  Georgia Southern at No. 20/24 Arkansas | Game Notes  3 p.m.  SEC Network
 Saturday, Sept. 18  Arkansas State at Washington | Game Notes  3:15 p.m.  Pac-12 Network
 Saturday, Sept. 18  Charlotte at Georgia State | Game Notes  6 p.m.  ESPN+
 Saturday, Sept. 18  Incarnate Word at Texas State | Game Notes  6 p.m.  ESPN3
 Saturday, Sept. 18  Troy at Southern Miss | Game Notes  6 p.m.  ESPN+
 Saturday, Sept. 18  Jackson State at ULM | Game Notes  7 p.m.  ESPN3
 Saturday, Sept. 18  Alcorn State at South Alabama | Game Notes  7 p.m.  ESPN3

All Times CT

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