App State Football: 3 takeaways from Sun Belt win over Louisiana

2. Field goals didn’t cut it for Louisiana in a close game against App State

Louisiana did an incredible job keeping things close on their trip to Boone for the inaugural Sun Belt championship game. The West Division champions came through with a solid day from their running game, finishing with 216 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The returns by Calais set up great field position, while a key fourth-down stop by the Ragin’ Cajuns opened the door for a drive deep inside Mountaineers territory.

But too often the Appalachian State defense came through on the ensuing drives with big stops that forced field goals. On three occasions the Ragin’ Cajuns were forced to kick field goals from the red zone, as they missed the opportunity to put touchdowns on the scoreboard. Kyle Pfau was perfect on his four field-goal attempts, finishing the game with 13 points for Louisiana.

But a game where the kicker was the top scorer was never going to cut it for Louisiana, especially against an Appalachian State team that was happy to keep sacrificing placekicking opportunities for strikes to the end zone. Neophyte head coach Billy Napier did a great job prepping Louisiana for the showdown on the road, but his squad’s inability to finish off drives with touchdowns proved costly in the long run.