The Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns and Houston Cougars meet Friday in the college football Independence Bowl at Independence Stadium. The Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns have split their last 8 games. The Houston Cougars have won 5 of their last 7 games.

The Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns have lost 4 of their last 6 non-home games. Ben Wooldridge is completing 56.6 percent of his passes for 1,661 yards, 15 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Michael Jefferson and Neal Johnson have combined for 1,087 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns, while John Stephens Jr. has 11 receptions. The Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns ground game is averaging 142.5 yards per contest, and Chris Smith leads the way with 579 yards and 3 touchdowns. Defensively, Louisiana-Lafayette is allowing 22.8 points and 361.6 yards per game. Jourdan Quibodeaux leads the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns with 93 tackles, Zi’Yon Hill-Green has 7 sacks and Bralen Trahan has 4 interceptions.

The Houston Cougars have won 4 of their last 6 non-home games. Clayton Tune is completing 67.4 percent of his passes for 3,845 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Nathaniel Dell and Matthew Golden have combined for 1,911 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns, while KeSean Carter has 35 receptions. The Houston Cougars ground game is averaging 142.8 yards per contest, and Tune leads the way with 491 yards and 5 touchdowns. Defensively, Houston is allowing 33.5 points and 430 yards per game. Donavan Mutin leads the Houston Cougars with 78 tackles, D’Anthony Jones has 6 sacks and Jayce Rogers has 2 interceptions.

The Ragin’ Cajuns are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 bowl games and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games on grass. The Cougars are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 bowl games and 2-5 ATS in their last 7 neutral site games. The under is 5-2 in Ragin’ Cajuns last 7 games on grass. The over is 6-1 in Cougars last 7 games overall.

There’s going to be value with the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns and the points, as this is a home game for them in Shreveport. However, the Ragin’ Cajuns offense isn’t all that great, and it’s concerning when going up against a Houston team that’s seventh in passing offense and 14th in scoring offense. Houston has scored 30 or more points in 7 straight games, and Tune is possibly the most underrated quarterback in the country. Give me Houston and the chalk.