The 2021 New Orleans Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 18, 2021, with kickoff at 9:15 p.m. EST (8:15 p.m. local CST) and broadcast on ESPN.[3] It was the 21st edition of the New Orleans Bowl, and was one of the 2021–22 bowl games concluding the 2021 FBS football season. Sponsored by freight shipping company R+L Carriers, the game was officially known as the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.

2021 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
21st New Orleans Bowl
1234 Total
Louisiana 106020 36
Marshall 7770 21
DateDecember 18, 2021
Season2021
StadiumCaesars Superdome
LocationNew Orleans, Louisiana
MVPLevi Lewis (QB, Louisiana)[1]
FavoriteLouisiana by 6
RefereeMike Cuttone (Mountain West) [2]
Attendance21,642
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN
AnnouncersAnish Shroff (play-by-play), Mike Golic Jr. (analyst), and Taylor McGregor (sideline)
New Orleans Bowl
 < 2020  2022

Teams

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The bowl matched Louisiana of the Sun Belt Conference against Marshall of Conference USA (C-USA). This was the first meeting of the two programs.[4] Marshall previously announced that they plan to join the Sun Belt for the 2023 season.

Louisiana

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The Cajuns (12–1, 8–0 in Sun Belt play) entered the contest with a 12-game win streak, ranked 23rd in the nation, two consecutive bowl victories (2020 LendingTree and 2020 First Responder), four consecutive divisional championship, two consecutive conference championship, and a new head coach in Michael Desormeaux following Billy Napier's sudden departure to Florida. This was the Cajuns sixth time in the New Orleans Bowl (2011–2014, 2015), with an overall record of 2–1 following two vacated victories in the 2011 and 2013 matchups. The Cajuns' overall bowl record was 7–3, with its most recent bowl game, the 2020 First Responder Bowl, resulting in a win over UTSA.

Marshall

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The Thundering Herd finished the 2021 regular season with a 7–5 (5–3 C-USA) record to finish in a tie for second place in the East Division. This game was the team's first appearance in the New Orleans Bowl and 18th overall bowl. This was Marshall's first bowl game against a team from the Sun Belt Conference since the 2011 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, a win over FIU.

Game summary

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2021 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 23 Louisiana 10 6 02036
Marshall 7 7 7021

at Caesars SuperdomeNew Orleans, Louisiana

Game information
First quarter
  • 9:26 UL – Kyren Lacy 9-yard pass from Levi Lewis, Nate Snyder kick good. Drive: 13 plays, 81 yards, 5:34. Louisiana 7–0
  • 1:29 UL – Nate Snyder 42-yard field goal. Drive: 13 plays, 40 yards, 6:35. Louisiana 10–0
  • 0:50 MRSH – Rasheen Ali 63-yard run, Shane Ciucci kick good. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:39. Louisiana 10–7
Second quarter
  • 10:32 MRSH – Rasheen Ali 14-yard run, Shane Ciucci kick good. Drive: 3 plays, 58 yards, 1:10. Marshall 14–10
  • 1:28 UL – Nate Snyder 25-yard field goal. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:27. Marshall 14–13
  • 0:00 UL – Nate Snyder 24-yard field goal. Drive: 5 plays, 39 yards, 0:43. Louisiana 16–14
Third quarter
  • 1:01 MRSH – Rasheen Ali 9-yard run, Shane Ciucci kick good. Drive: 13 plays, 63 yards, 4:20. Marshall 21–16
Fourth quarter
  • 8:20 UL – Emani Bailey 4-yard run, conversion pass failed. Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 3:34. Louisiana 22–21
  • 3:54 UL – Montrell Johnson 3-yard run, Nate Snyder kick good. Drive: 6 plays, 73 yards, 2:34. Louisiana 29–21
  • 1:41 UL – Emani Bailey 2-yard run, Nate Snyder kick good. Drive: 6 plays, 52 yards, 1:45. Louisiana 36–21

Statistics

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Statistics UL MRSH
First downs 22 13
Plays–yards 83–498 56–278
Rushes–yards 51–220 30–179
Passing yards 278 99
Passing: compattint 20–32–0 15–26–2
Time of possession 37:26 22:34
Team Category Player Statistics
Louisiana Passing Levi Lewis 19/31, 270 yards, TD
Rushing Emani Bailey 17 carries, 94 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Michael Jefferson 3 receptions, 108 yards
Marshall Passing Grant Wells 15/26, 99 yards, INT
Rushing Rasheen Ali 20 carries, 160 yards, 3 TD
Receiving Corey Gammage 9 receptions, 50 yards

References

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  1. ^ @ScottMimic (December 19, 2021). "Louisiana quarterback Levi Lewis named New Orleans Bowl MVP" (Tweet). Retrieved December 19, 2021 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ "2021-22 bowl officiating assignments". footballzebras.com. December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  3. ^ "2021 College Football Bowl Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  4. ^ "Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns vs. Marshall Thundering Herd football series history". winsipedia.com. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
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