University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Western Kentucky
WKU Spoils UL's Homecoming Contest
10/24/2010 2:39:00 AM | Football
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns were dealt a 54-21 defeat by Western Kentucky on Saturday in the school's 65th annual Homecoming game.
The Hilltoppers (1-6, 1-2 Sun Belt) built a 27-7 halftime lead over the Ragin' Cajuns (2-5, 2-3 Sun Belt) then after Brad McGuire scored on a 1-yard run on the first possession of the second half scored 27 unanswered points to put the game out of reach.
Kawaun Jakes led the WKU charge hitting on 18-of-22 passes for 262 yards. The Hilltoppers recorded two defensive scores - a 69 yard fumble recovery by Jamarcus Allen and 62 yard interception return by Derrius Brooks.
Chris Masson completed 16-of-34 pass attempts for UL, amassing 223 yards. However, he threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter which sealed the Cajuns fate.
Vernon Wolfe caught four passes for 94 yards and Aaron Spikes added 42 yards rushing and 54 yards receiving.
UL's defense managed to hold WKU's Bobby Rainey - who ranked ninth nationally in rushing with an average of 128.5 yards per game - to 67 yards on 21 carries.
The Cajuns fell behind late in the first quarter. After driving 58 yards on 10 plays, the Hilltoppers were able to connect on a 20-yard field goal for a narrow 3-0 lead with 2:17 remaining in the quarter.
UL moved the ball deep into Western Kentucky territory on the ensuing possession, but Masson fumbled on a sack and it was scooped up by WKU's Jamarcus Allen and returned 69 yards for a score.
Three plays into the next drive, Masson found Aaron Spikes wide open down the sidle line for a 52-yard touchdown. It was the freshman running back's third receiving touchdown for the season and his second over 50 yards.
But the defense was unable to slow down the Hilltoppers as they stretched the deficit to 17-7 with 3:02 remaining before halftime after a Jakes 1-yard run.
The Hilltoppers were given a short field after the Cajuns fumbled a snap on fourth down from their own 20-yard line. Two plays later, WKU scored to take a 24-7 lead with less than two minutes remaining in the half.
Surprisingly, the Cajuns found themselves trailing by 20 points at the half despite holding Bobby Rainey to 33 yards on 17 carries. The difference was the execution of Kawaun Jakes. The WKU quarterback was 14-of-17 for 168 yards in the first 30 minutes of play.
Louisiana drove 60 yards for a touchdown on a 10-play drive to start the third quarter. McGuire capped off the drive with a 1-yard run at 10:25 that dropped the WKU lead to 27-14.
The Hilltoppers responded with a 6 play, 70-yard scoring drive for the first of 27 unanswered points that opened a 54-14 edge by the 9:25 mark of the fourth quarter.
The Ragin' Cajuns embark on a three-game road trip which begins Saturday, Oct. 30 in Athens, Ohio, against the Ohio Bobcats.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
