University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Middle Tennessee
Blue Raiders Spoil Cajuns Homecoming
10/28/2006 4:00:00 AM | Football
Four Louisiana-Lafayette turnovers in the first half led to a 14-point Blue Raiders lead that would never be in jeopardy. With two interceptions in the fourth quarter, UL finished the game with six turnovers. The Cajuns entered the game with just seven turnovers lost in six games.
The win improves Middle Tennessee to 5-3 (4-0), while the loss drops Louisiana to 4-3 (1-1). The Cajuns six game conference winning streak, the sixth longest conference winning streak in the nation, comes to an end.
UL had trouble containing MT quarterback Clint Marks, who finished with 19-of-26 passing for 244 yards and had a passing and a rushing touchdown.
Trailing by 14, the Cajuns moved 86 yards in 13 plays on their opening possession of the second half. However, UL had to settle for a 25-yard field goal by Drew Edmiston to trim the MT lead to 24-13 with 4:50 remaining in the third quarter.
The Blue Raiders countered with a Colby Smith field goal at the 9:30 mark of the fourth quarter to push their lead back up to 14 points.
The game was sealed with a six-yard touchdown run by Eugene Gross at 5:53, completing a three-play, 41-yard drive.
The Cajuns responded with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Jerry Babb to Corey Fredrick with 4:09 remaining. The score was Louisiana's first offensive touchdown in 116:53.
After Kyle Ward recovered the onside kick for Louisiana, the Cajuns moved to the MT 31-yard line but Babb was intercepted by Damon Nickson ? his third interception of the game.
Nickson added his fourth interception of the game with 2:26 remaining.
Tyrell Fenroy led the Cajuns with 90 yards rushing on 16 carries.
Fenroy's fumble on the Cajuns first series gave the Blue Raiders the ball at the Cajuns 38-yard line. MT moved 13 yards into scoring position on their first play thanks to a pass from Marks to Bobby Williams.
Marks' next pass was jumped in front of by Michael Adams for his fourth career interception. Adams would not be touched as he raced 79 yards for a touchdown.
The Cajuns second offensive possession also ended in a turnover. Louisiana had moved 28 yards near midfield until Babb's pass was tipped and then intercepted by Nickson at the MT 35-yard line.
Middle Tennessee didn't waste their second opportunity, marching 65 yards in 10 plays to tie the game with a 22-yard scoring pass from Marks to Desmond Gee.
UL's third offensive possession was not the charm - ending in a third turnover on the drive's second play. Derrick Smith caught a Babb pass at the UL 46 and was stripped of the ball.
The Blue Raiders made it to the Cajuns seven-yard line, but had to settle for a 31-yard field goal by Smith. The drive's key defensive play came on a Joe Bradley sack of Marks for a seven-yard loss.
Smith's field goal gave MT a 10-7 lead with 13:25 remaining in the second quarter.
The Cajuns responded with a trip into the MT red zone. Unfortunately, a two-yard loss and then a 10-yard holding penalty pushed UL back, leading to a 47-yard field goal attempt by Drew Edmiston. The kick was good, tying the score at 10-10, and keeping Edmiston a perfect 6-for-6 on the season from 40-49 yards.
The Blue Raiders scored on their next drive to reclaim the lead. A 37-yard kickoff return started things and Marks did the rest. The senior quarterback was 4-of-5 passing for 62 yards, leading the visitors to the one-yard line before scoring on a one-yard plunge on fourth-and-goal.
The Cajuns next series started with an offside penalty by MT before Babb's pass was intercepted again by Nickson and returned 28 yards for a score. The second MT score in a 37-second span upped the Blue Raiders lead to 24-10 with 5:08 left in the first half.
