Cajuns Fall to 1-1 in SBC

Saturday, Oct. 2, 2004

Statistical Recap

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns struggled on defense for the second straight game, but contrary to last week, UL Lafayette could not find enough offense to muster a victory.

New Mexico State rolled up 484 yards of total offense en route to a 35-32 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette.

The difference in the game came in the third quarter, as the Aggies scored 22 unanswered points to turn a 21-13 halftime deficit into a 35-21 lead. In the quarter, NMS posted 177 yards of total offense, while the Cajuns had 100 yards and turned the ball over via a fumble on both possessions of the quarter.

The Cajuns made it a game late in the fourth quarter.

Sean Comiskey's 41-yard field goal at the 8:16 mark of the fourth quarter cut the deficit to 35-24.

The Cajuns had a chance to cut the lead to eight points, but Comiskey missed his 53-yard field goal attempt.

Jerry Babb directed a quick 84-yard drive in 1:23 to cut the NMS lead to 35-32 with 1:54 to play. Babb completed 5-of-6 passes for 78 yards, putting the Cajuns into the endzone on a 34-yard strike to Bill Sampy. Dwight Lindon rushed for the two-point conversion make it a three-point game.

The Aggies recovered the on-side kick, but the Cajuns had the ball in the final seconds. Both of Babb's desperation passes fell incomplete.

The loss is the first for the Cajuns when leading at the half under head coach Rickey Bustle.

Travis Smothers gave the Cajuns a lead in the fastest method possible. Smothers returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown to give UL a 7-0 edge just 15 seconds into the game.

The kickoff return for a touchdown was the first for the Cajuns since Nov. 21, 1998. UL had returned 259 kickoffs over 63 games without a score.

Despite moving the ball early, New Mexico State's offense need three tries to get on the board.

The Cajuns stopped the Aggies first drive at the UL 28 on a fourth down incompletion. Stanley Smith forced one of his two first quarter fumbles to stop the Aggies second drive.

NMS tied the game at 7-7 following an 82-yard drive capped by a 26-yard touchdown run by Muammar Ali.

The Aggies finished the first quarter with the ball on the Cajuns 23 yard-line, leading in total offensive yards 169-27.

The hosts used a 14-yard touchdown pass from Buck Pierce to Paul Dombrowski to take a 13-7 lead with 13:01 left in the first half. Ryan Guardia missed the extra point wide right.

The Cajuns came back with a nine-play, 73-yard drive that ended in a 12-yard touchdown pass from Babb to Sampy. Babb led the Cajuns down the field, completing all five of his passes for 35 yards, while adding a 20-yard scramble.

NMS continued to enjoy offensive success by spreading the Cajuns defense. The Aggies marched 67 yards on seven plays down to the UL 13. On the eighth play, Justine Buries rushed two yards and lost the football at the hands of Chris Klock, who forced the fumble and recovered the ball.

UL then flexed some offensive muscle of their own.

The Cajuns traveled 89 yards on 14 plays, using 5:27 of the 5:57 remaining in the half. Lindon scored his team-leading fourth rushing touchdown of the season on a two-yard plunge with 30 seconds remaining in the second quarter to give the Cajuns a 21-13 lead at the half.

Louisiana did most of their damage on the ground, racking up 71 yards rushing on the drive. Lindon, Babb, Travis Cones, Chester Johnson and Abdule Levier each had 10-20 yards rushing.

Offense continued to come easy for the Aggies in the third quarter. The hosts moved 60 yards in just over three minutes, needing seven plays to hit pay dirt. Ali scored his second touchdown of the game on a four-yard run, giving the sophomore running back 112 yards on 17 carries to that point. He entered the game with 117 yards on 43 carries the entire season.

NMS took the lead after a Johnson fumble was recovered and returned nine yards to the UL 24 by Matt Griebel. The Aggies needed five plays to find the endzone, scoring on a one-yard dive by Buries.

Momentum was completely in favor of the hosts, even after a lucky break went in favor of the Cajuns.

Smothers fumbled the ensuing kickoff at the UL 15 and the ball was recovered by the Aggies, but the officials ruled an inadvertent whistle stopped the play. The Cajuns drove 78 yards down to the Aggies seven yard-line, but Cones fumbled the ball back to NMS.

The unstoppable Aggies offense took the field and drove through the Cajuns defense 93 yards on seven plays. On third-and-eight from the NMS 9, Pierce hit a wide-open Andy Mooney with a 48-yard pass into Cajuns territory. Buries scored his second touchdown with a three-yard run. The Aggies converted their second two-point conversion to take a 35-21 lead after three quarters.

The Cajuns lost the ball on their next possession, marking the third straight series with a fumble. Ricky Thomas recorded his second interception of the year to get the ball back for the Cajuns.

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