On Dec.15th, Orlando’s Camping World Stadium hosts the fourth-annual AutoNation Cure Bowl. Unlike other college bowl games, the Cure Bowl participants are playing to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Fund (BCRF). In the previous three years, the Orlando Sports Foundation (OSF) has put on the event which has raised upwards of $3.5 million toward research to help patients tackle cancer. This year’s teams are the University of Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns and the Tulane University Green Wave. Representing the Sun Belt and American Athletic Conferences respectively, not only will this match up bring more awareness and support, this “Battle of the Bayou” between two Louisiana programs also has the makings of a quality football contest.

Under the guidance of first-year head coach Billy Napier, the Ragin’ Cajuns feature a spicy offense that averages over 430 yards of offense per game. Senior quarterback Andre Nunez has completed 64% of his passes for 2,136 yards passing in leading his team to the Sun Belt’s West division title and runners-up in the conference championship game where they faced the Appalachian State Mountaineers. Louisiana isn’t just a team that slings the ball all over the field. Their sophomore running back Trey Ragas has eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark while sophomore Elijah Mitchell will do the same if he gains 50 yards in the Cure Bowl.

That’s not to say that the Cajuns won’t have a challenge on their hands facing the Green Wave. Tulane’s head coach Willie Fritz has improved the program by one win in each of his three seasons in the position. During this season, the Green Wave earned a share of the West division title in the American, but missed out on an opportunity to play in the conference championship because of tie-breakers. Their tough defense is led by senior linebacker Zachery Harris and senior defensive back Roderic Teamer Jr.

All players on both teams expressed the honor in being able to play football in the name of a helping a noble cause, but Teamer in particular mentioned he wasn’t aware of the bowl’s significance until he arrived in Orlando. When asked what in particular made him realize the importance, Teamer said, “The biggest statistic that stood out to me was the fact that we lose about 40,000 [people] to [breast cancer] a year. That’s crazy to think about.”

The senior also attributed his team’s success that allowed for the opportunity to play in the Cure Bowl to Coach Fritz. “ . . . We knew [our season] was going to be a battle. Coach Fritz always tells us ‘nothing will be given to you; no team will lay down for you; that it would be a battle’. And we were hyped up to go to battle.”

While Tulane’s toughness can be seen in their defense, the offense shows plenty of heart as well. After losing their senior starting quarterback Johnathon Banks to injury, senior Justin McMillan took over under center to win four out of their final five games. A lot of this is thanks to junior running back Darius Bradwell and junior wide receiver Darnell Mooney, who will likely eclipse 1,000 yards rushing or receiving, respectively. Considering that the Green Wave can attack on different dimensions, the Cajuns junior linebacker Jacques Boudreaux and junior DB Michael Jacquet will have their work cut out for them in slowing their opponents and enabling their school to finish the season strong.

When asked what he thought a win would mean for Louisiana’s program, Coach Napier said, “[We] certainly want to leave a legacy [for the players]. I think we’ve somewhat already established somewhat of a legacy in terms of what we were able to accomplish winning our division and playing in the inaugural Sun Belt Conference Championship Game. This is an opportunity to finish the season the right way. . . I want players to see the benefit of their hard work.”

The hard work for both sides in their 2018 seasons have given them the opportunity to help spread the message of the Cure Bowl in its fight against cancer — Together, we can tackle this.

Kyle Nash, known as The Student of the Game, covers UCF Football for SportsMediaPass.com and is a special contributor for Break the Fourth. He’s a also a writer for the DolphinsWire of USA Today and co-host of the DinnerTime and Default Assault podcasts.