New Orleans Bowl Preview
Game: R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Location: Mercedes Benz Superdome – New Orleans, LA
Date: December 18, 2021 @ 9:15 pm ET
Today we’re previewing an exciting matchup between Group of Five schools, and future Sun Belt Conference foes, Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns and Marshall Thundering Herd. There are a number of potential draft prospects playing in this game. Let’s take a look at a handful that we’ll be keeping our eyes on.
Louisiana
- Max Mitchell
- Percy Butler
- Tayland Humphrey
Offensive tackle Max Mitchell might be the best draft prospect playing in this game. To read our draft report on him, just click on his name. The link will take you to our report!
Percy Butler is a 6’0″ safety from Plaquemine, Louisiana. A hard hitting safety, he made it a habit of forcing fumbles coming into this season. While he hasn’t force any fumbles this season, he had five in the last two seasons. Butler finished the year with 59 tackels, three fumble recoveries, and an interception. Having not watched film on him yet this season, I’ll be interested in seeing if he’s improved on his zone coverage skills. While solid in man coverage, Percy seemed to struggle following quicker receivers through his zones.
Tayland Humphrey is a 6’5″, 349 pound defensive lineman out of Houston, Texas. He finished his redshirt senior year with 31 tackles, a fumble recovery, and three pass breakups. I would’ve have kept my eyes on him. However, the big bodied lineman has actually decided to pass on playing in the bowl game to focus on draft preparations. Next time we’ll get a chance to watch him with be at the East-West Shrine Bowl along with Butler.
Marshall
- Alex Mollette
- Brandon Drayton
- Xavier Gaines
Alex Mollette is a 6’4, 294 pound offensive guard from Suwanee, Georgia. With experience at both left and right guard. Mollette has been a staple on the interior of the Thundering Herd offensive line. The only time he’s missed since being inserted into the starting lineup as a freshman was after a season ending injury. He’s bounced back since then and started 35 consecutives games. After the New Orleans Bowl, we’ll get to see him play in the Hula Bowl.
Brandon Drayton is a 6’3″ safety from Largo, Florida. The rangey sixth year player has had to overcome some off the field issues in his time with Marshall. But he’s been a tackling machine during his tenure. Collecting 264 tackles over the five seasons he’s gotten playing time. That’s 52 tackles a season, on average.
Xavier Gaines is a 6’3″ redshirt senior from Frostproof, Florida. Funny enough, I officiated games for this former four-star dual-threat quarterback when he played for Lake Wales High School. Even though he had offers from bigger schools such as Alabama, Clemson, and Ohio State, Gaines arrived at Marshall and converted to tight end. With 4.5 speed, Xavier has wide receiver type speed, and is a great athlete.