WHAT: Louisiana (5-5, 2-4 Sun Belt) at Troy (8-2, 5-1)

WHEN: 2:30 p.m., Saturday

WHERE: Veterans Memorial Stadium, Troy

SERIES: Louisiana leads 13-10

TV: NFL Network

LINE: Troy by 15.5

THIS GAME WILL DETERMINE: If Troy can win its eighth straight game and stay in line to host the Sun Belt Conference championship game on Dec. 2.

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THREE THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. Can Gunnar Watson continue his nearly flawless play?

There are plenty of reasons that Troy is arguably better this season than last, and chief among them is the play of Watson, the team’s sixth-year senior starting quarterback. He’s been especially excellent in the last month, having gone 163 consecutive passes without an interception and having thrown 10 touchdown passes in his last three games. Watson simply does not make big mistakes, and that makes the Trojans a difficult team to beat.

2. Will Troy’s Solomon, Jibunor continue to shine?

The Trojans’ two edge rushers combined for 7.5 of the team’s season-high nine sacks vs. Louisiana-Monroe last week, and will no doubt be turned loose again vs. Louisiana’s Chandler Fields on Saturday. With the more-mobile Zeon Chriss out for the year, Fields is likely to be a sitting duck in the pocket vs. Troy’s pass-rush, which also includes defensive end T.J. Jackson and the occasional blitzing inside linebacker.

3. Will Louisiana continue its November misery?

The Ragin’ Cajuns briefly surged into the Sun Belt West championship race with a strong October, but back-to-back losses to Arkansas State and Southern Miss have knocked Louisiana out of contention. The Chriss injury obviously was huge, but the Louisiana defense has also been gashed for repeated big plays in the last two weeks. The Trojans are a team on a mission to host the Sun Belt title game again, and it’s unlikely the Ragin’ Cajuns will do much to stand in their way.

KEY MATCHUP

Troy RB Kimani Vidal vs. Louisiana defensive front — Vidal is second in the Sun Belt and fifth nationally with 1,168 yards, part of a season in which he has become Troy’s all-time leading rusher. The Ragin’ Cajuns are in the lower-middle of the pack in the Sun Belt in rushing defense, allowing more than 162 yards per game. If Troy gets an early lead, the second half could be the Kimani Vidal Show.

BY THE NUMBERS

55.5 — Combined career sacks for Troy’s Javon Solomon and Richard Jibunor, including 20 this season. The two have also combined for 82 tackles for loss in their careers.