Cajuns Host ULM With Sun Belt Title Within Reach

Contact: Brian McCann

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Game 11: ULM (5-6, 3-3) at Louisiana (8-2, 5-0)
When:        Saturday, Nov. 30, 2013, 6:00 p.m. CST
Site:        Cajun Field (ProGrass, 31,000)
TV:        Sun Belt Network (Tom Dore, Cole Cubelic & Emily Gagnon)
Radio:        Ragin' Cajuns Radio Network
(Jay Walker, Gerald Broussard & Steve Peloquin)
Participating Stations
KPEL (1420 AM, Lafayette) Flagship
KXHT (107.9 FM, Lafayette)
WGSO (990 AM, New Orleans)
KTUX (98.9 FM, Shreveport)
KLCL (1470 AM, Lake Charles)
KJEF (1290 AM, Jennings)
KRJO (1680 AM, Monroe)
Series:        Louisiana leads, 25-23
Last Meeting: Louisiana 40, ULM 24 (11/3/12 at ULM)
Coaches:
Louisiana
Mark Hudspeth (Delta State, '92)
Record at Louisiana: 25-10 (3rd year)
Overall Record: 91-31 (10th year)

ULM
Todd Berry (Tulsa, '83)
Record at ULM: 22-26 (4th year)
Overall Record: 51-86 (12th year)

Tickets: $25 Reserved, $20 General Admission
Season tickets available at RaginCajuns.com and by calling (337) 265-2357

THE STORYLINE: After enjoying their second bye weekend of the season, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns will return to the gridiron to host ULM on Saturday, Nov. 30 beginning at 6:00 p.m. CST. . . the game will be televised by the Sun Belt Network with Tom Dore, Cole Cubelic and Emily Gagnon providing the commentary. . . with two games left in the regular season, the Cajuns are on the precipice of claiming their second Sun Belt Conference title, needing just one win or one Arkansas State loss to clinch a share of the title for the first time since 2005. . . Louisiana received six votes in this week's USA Today poll, good for 29th place. . . the Cajuns used a 35-21 win at Georgia State on Nov. 16 to tie the school record with their eighth straight win. . . Elijah McGuire turned in another record-setting performance at Georgia State, becoming the first player in school history to rush for more than 100 yards (11-107) and catch passes for more than 100 yards (3-125, 2 TD). . . Justin Anderson made eight tackles to raise his season total to 103, his second straight year with more than 100 tackles. . . Saturday's game will be the final home appearance in the careers of 16 Louisiana seniors. . . after dropping a 36-14 decision at South Alabama last week, ULM carries a 5-6 overall and 3-3 league mark into the game.

WE ARE LOUISIANA: There is confusion among the national sports organizations as how to refer to the Ragin' Cajuns. Our official name is the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, but much like our opponents around the country, we simply go by Louisiana when referring to our athletic programs. It is the same situation at the Universities of Texas (at Austin), Tennessee (at Knoxville) and California (at Berkeley), but years of use and understanding by the sports media has led to each of those schools to have their athletic monikers being simplified and accepted nationally. Although we proudly refer to our University with its full title for academic purposes, we ask that you use Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns or some combination of those terms, when talking about our athletic teams.

HUDSPETH RANKED FIFTH AMONG FBS COACHES: Third-year Louisiana head coach Mark Hudspeth has made his mark nationally in a short time coaching, entering the week ranked fifth among active FBS coaches with a .748 winning percentage (92-31).

CAJUNS EXCEL AT CAJUN FIELD: The win over Troy on Nov. 7 extended Louisiana's current win streak in the facility to six and improved the Cajuns to 14-1 at home in three seasons under head coach Mark Hudspeth. Included in that record were wins in Hudspeth's first eight games, the third-longest in facility history.

. . . AND CAJUNS GO FOR SECOND PERFECT HOME MARK: A victory over ULM on Saturday would improve the Cajuns to 5-0 at home and give them their fifth undefeated season in Cajun Field, and second in three years, since it opened in 1971. Louisiana enters the week with six straight home wins, the fourth-longest streak in stadium history. The record is 11 games when Louisiana won all seven home games in 1976 and first four in 1977. The Cajuns also won nine straight from 1987-88 and the first eight games under Mark Hudspeth in 2011-12.

ATHLETICS TAKING RESERVATIONS FOR BOWL TICKETS: With the Cajuns owning he league's best record with two games to go, the Ragin' Cajuns athletic department has begun taking reservations for tickets to upcoming bowl games. RCAF members, season ticket holders, alumni association members and the general public can each reserve tickets to the three current bowl possibilities for this year — the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 21), the Advocare V100 Bowl (Dec. 31 in Shreveport, La.) and the GoDaddy Bowl (Jan. 5 in Mobile, Ala.) — by downloading the form available on the Bowl Central page on RaginCajuns.com and follow the directions on the form before returning it the Cajundome Ticket Office. Ticket reservations are only good for the bowl that the Cajuns are selected to play in. More information about potential bowl games will be posted on Bowl Central as it becomes available.

THE QUEST FOR THE CROWN: The Cajuns enter the ULM game needing just one win to assure itself of their second Sun Belt Conference title. With a 5-0 record, Louisiana is the only undefeated school left in the Sun Belt with second place Arkansas State (5-1) the only school left with just one loss. Louisiana can clinch the outright title with wins in each of its last two games or clinch a share of the crown with either one win or one Arkansas State loss.

SETTING A STANDARD: In addition to the first-ever, back-to-back seasons appearing in a bowl game, Mark Hudspeth has helped Louisiana to tie the school record for wins in a season with nine. Prior to the 9-4 mark in 2011, the Cajuns set the school record for wins with a 9-2 record in both 1921 and 1976. The 18 wins in Hudspeth's first two years, and the 26 victories in the first three, are the most in a two and three-year period in school history.

CAJUNS ARE BOWL ELIGIBLE AGAIN: With an 8-2 record heading into the week, the Cajuns are eligible to receive a bowl bid for the third straight year. The last time that Louisiana had six or more wins in three straight seasons came from 1993-95 when Nelson Stokley guided the Cajuns to three straight winning seasons, including a pair of Big West Conference titles.

. . . AND CAJUNS TIE LONGEST WIN STREAK: The win over Georgia State on Nov. 16 allowed the Cajuns to tie the school record for consecutive victories with eight. It is the third time that Louisiana has won eight straight games, joining the 1976 squad that won its first eight contests, and the 1916-17 teams that won the final seven games of 1916 and the first contest in 1917. The win was also the ninth straight Sun Belt win for Louisiana, an ongoing school record.

McGUIRE EQUALS RUSH-RECEIVING FETE: When Elijah McGuire rushed for 107 yards and caught passes for 125 yards at Georgia State on Nov. 15, he became one of three players in the country this year (and the first in school history) to post the unusual 100-100 game. McGuire started the game by taking a forward handoff from Terrance Broadway and out-running the defense for an 80-yard touchdown catch. He later added a 36-yard touchdown on a screen pass and a 39-yard run. McGuire joins Sun Belt rivals Antonio Andrews from WKU and Georgia State's Albert Wilson as the only FBS players to accomplish the fete this year.

SENIORS BREAK WIN RECORD: When the Cajuns seniors are feted before Saturday's home game against ULM, they will be honored as the winningest senior class in school history. The win over Georgia State on Nov. 16 improved the senior class to 29-19 over their Ragin' Cajuns career, one win more than the 28-14 record posted by the Class of 1970. After a 3-9 season in 2010, this group of seniors have come back to record back-to-back 9-4 seasons in 2011 and 2012 and are 8-2 so far in 2013.

BROADWAY APPROACHES MILESTONE: Junior quarterback Terrance Broadway begins the week needing just 60 yards passing to become the third quarterback in school history to throw for 5,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a career. Broadway has completed 347-of-535 passes for 4,940 yards and 35 touchdowns while also rushing 226 times for 1,147 yards and 16 scores. Broadway will join Brian Mitchell (5,447 yards passing, 3,335 rushing from 1986-89) and Jerry Babb (6,241 pass, 1,489 rush from 2003-06). Broadway is one of five Cajuns quarterbacks all-time to rush for 1,000 yards and he will become the fifth to throw for 5,000 yards as well.

TOVELL TAKES OVER: Sophomore Dominique Tovell is quietly putting together a solid season for the Cajuns and should be in the running for All-Sun Belt recognition when the team is announced in two weeks. He ranks second on the team with 54 tackles (33 solo), including five or more tackles in six of the last seven games. He leads the team and ranks third in the Sun Belt with 11.5 tackles for loss totalling -39 yards and is second with a pair of quarterback sacks.

HARRIS HAS A RECORD DAY: When Alonzo Harris broke free for a 30-yard touchdown run with 52 seconds left against New Mexico State on Nov. 2, it allowed the junior to equal the school record with five rushing touchdowns in the game. Brian Mitchell originally set the record vs. Lamar in 1989. Harris leads the Sun Belt with 13 touchdowns this year and he has 31 rushing touchdowns in his career. He ranks fifth on the single season rushing touchdowns list and third for his career.

McGUIRE VIES FOR SUN BELT FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Running back Elijah McGuire is making a strong case for Sun Belt Freshman of the Year honors this season. The only non-kicker freshman ranked in the top five in any of the major Sun Belt stat categories, McGuire enters the week ranked fourth in the conference averaging 68.6 rushing yards per game. The Houma, La. native has carried 75 times for 686 yards, a league-best 9.1 average and six touchdowns while catching eight passes for 240 yards and three scores. He gained a career-high 137 yards with three touchdowns against Nicholls State and added 110 yards, including a career-long 70 yard rush, on 10 carries at Arkansas State. He posted his third 100-yard game at Georgia State, picking up 107 yards on 11 carries. In Sun Belt games, McGuire has rushed 44 times for 428 yards, a 9.7 average and 85.6 yards per game.

. . . AND McGUIRE RAISES HIS AVERAGE: The statistic that stands out the most about Elijah McGuire's season is that the freshman is averaging 9.1 yards per carry, the second-highest average in the country this year. McGuire trails only Auburn's Corey Grant, who has carried 56 times for 557 yards (9.9 avg.). McGuire has carried 75 times for 686 yards this year and his average is ahead of the current school record of 7.7 yards per carry, which was set by F.G. Mixon in 1951. The modern school record is 7.2 yards per carry set by Michael Desormeaux (144-1,035-7.2) in 2008.

McGUIRE LIKES CAJUN FIELD: Elijah McGuire is especially comfortable playing at Cajun Field, carrying 29 times for 349 yards, a 12.0 average and six touchdowns in the four games to date. He wowed the Cajun Field crowd against Nicholls State (Sept. 14), becoming the ninth true-freshman in school history to rush for 100 yards in a game. He carried nine times for 137 yards and three touchdowns, including a scintillating 42-yard scamper on which he dragged Nicholls defensive back Treavon Evans for almost 10 yards and then had to fight off another defender to get into the endzone. McGuire came back to carry seven times for 58 yards and a touchdown against Texas State, six times for 72 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown, against New Mexico State and seven times for 82 yards and a 38-yard TD vs. Troy.

McGUIRE & THE BIG PLAY: Freshman Elijah McGuire scored touchdowns on catches of 36 and 80 yards at Georgia State while adding a 39-yard carry, giving him 13 plays of 20 yards or more this season. He has nine runs of 20+ yards, including touchdowns of 51, 42 and 38 yards and five 20+ yard receptions, including touchdown grabs of 36, 60 and 80 yards. He has touched the ball on offense 83 times this year, accumulating 936 yards and a 11.3 average.

CAJUNS GET WIN #500: The 70-7 win over Nicholls State on Sept. 14 was the 500th in the 113-year history of the Louisiana football program. The Cajuns have gone to win seven more to begin the week with a 507-523-34 record.

CAJUNS MOVE UP TO 19th IN RUSHING: With the majority of the rushing attack back this year, the Cajuns have taken another jump in the rushing stats. Through 10 games, Louisiana has gained 2,255 yards on 450 carries for a healthy 5.0 yards per carry. The Cajuns lead the Sun Belt and rank 19th in the nation averaging 225.5 yards per game. (and 234.4 in five Sun Belt games) Those numbers were expected this season as the Cajuns returned every player who gained rushing yards last year except quarterback Blaine Gautier (17 carries, 93 yards) and wide receiver Harry Peoples (14-72) from a team that ranked second in the Sun Belt and 34th in the nation averaging 193.5 yards per game.

CAJUN FIELD SCORING RECORD IN JEOPARDY: Having scored 40 points or more in all four home games this season, the Cajuns are within eight points of breaking the school and Cajun Field record for points scored at home in a single season. In four home games, Louisiana has scored 208 points, eight shy of the record 216 points that were scored in five games in 1995. The 208 points is only the third time that the Cajuns have scored over 200 points at home in a single season, the third coming in 1923 when Louisiana tallied 206 points in five games. Averaging 52.0 points a game at home this year, the Cajuns are well ahead of the record average of 43.2 set in 1995.

. . . SINGLE & MULTIPLE GAME RECORDS FALL AS WELL: The 70-point explosion against Nicholls State on Sept. 14 shattered the previous Cajun Field record of 56 points set by the Cajuns in a 56-21 win over UAB on Sept. 9, 1995. When you add a 52-point effort in the 2012 home finale against South Alabama, the third-highest single game scoring total in Cajun Field, and the 122 points in consecutive home games easily sets the stadium record. Add in the 48 points vs. Texas State and the 170 points is the three-game record and the 49 points vs. New Mexico State would make the four-game record 171 points.

. . . AND LOOKING AT THE GAMES INDIVIDUALLY: Louisiana has played 230 games in Cajun Field since it opened in 1971 with the four games played to date in 2013 each ranking among the top 23 point totals in stadium history. The 70 points vs. Nicholls State is the current stadium record with the 49-point effort vs. New Mexico State ranking third, the 48 points against Texas State ranked seventh and the 41 points against Troy being tied for 23rd.

MORE SCORING: The 10 touchdowns against Nicholls State tied the school record, originally set against Troy in 1946. The 70 points was the most by Louisiana since a 75-0 win over Lake Charles AAF on Nov. 3, 1943 and the 63-point margin of victory was the highest since topping Troy, 64-0 on Nov. 8, 1946.

BRAUCHLE SETTLES IN: It hasn't been easy for sophomore Stephen Brauchle to replace Cajuns' legend Brett Baer, but he has done a good job this season. Brauchle has had three double-figure scoring games, including an 11-point game at Arkansas State on Oct. 22 when he made a career-high three field goals. In his Louisiana home debut on Sept. 14, he set a school record with 10 extra points made and tied the mark with 10 extra points attempted. He begins the week ranked fourth in the Sun Belt in scoring, averaging 7.1 points a game. He is second in the Sun Belt in kick scoring with 71 points and with at least two games to go, already ranks third in extra points made (47) and fourth in attempts (49). He is eight-for-12 on field goal attempts.

McGUIRE'S LONG RUN: When Elijah McGuire broke free for a career-long 70-yard run to set up a three-yard touchdown run by Alonzo Harris in the second quarter at Arkansas State on Oct. 22, it marked the longest non-scoring play of the season for the Cajuns and the longest since Jamal Robinson and Blaine Gautier teamed up on an 86-yard pass in the 2012 season opener. Although the Louisiana records are incomplete, they do show that there have been at least three non-scoring runs of 80 yards or more, including a record 90-yard effort by Reggie Dupre at Southeastern Louisiana in 1971.

HARRIS & McGUIRE TOP THE 100-YARD MARK: The Oct. 22 win at Arkansas State featured a unique accomplishment by the Cajuns backfield as running backs Alonzo Harris and Elijah McGuire became just the seventh running back duo, and first since 1998, to rush for 100 yards in the same game. Harris was the work horse, carrying 29 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns while McGuire was aided by a 70-yard burst, rushing just 10 times for a game-high 110 yards. It was the 21st time in program history that two runners each had 100 yards rushing in a game, but in 13 of those games, a quarterback was one of the two. John Bernard (129 yards) and Darren Brister (106) were the last running back duo to accomplish the feat, doing it at ULM in 1998.

A WORTHY DEFENDER: When Rodney Gillis went down with a season-ending leg injury against Texas State, it created an opportunity for T.J. Worthy to return to the starting lineup, which the sophomore has taken advantage of. He has averaged 8.0 tackles in the four games since. He started the stretch with seven tackles (five solo) and an interception at WKU on Oct. 15 and came back to match his career-high with 11 tackles (6 solo) at Arkansas State. Against New Mexico State, five of his nine tackles were solo. He begins the week tied for third on the team with 45 tackles and leading the squad with a pair of interceptions. A starter at safety in three games last year, Worthy finished sixth on the team with 47 tackles.

ANDERSON PASSES 100-TACKLE MARK: Justin Anderson has made a strong case for Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year this year, entering the week leading the league and ranking 12th in the nation averaging 10.3 tackles a game. With eight tackles at Georgia State on Nov. 16, he raised his season total to 103 tackles to surpass the 100-tackle mark for the second time in his career. Anderson also shares the league lead in fumbles recovered (2), is second in fumbles caused (3) and ninth in tackles for loss (9). Anderson has had five games of 10 tackles or more, including 15 vs. Kansas State (Sept. 7) and 14 vs. both Arkansas (Aug. 30) and New Mexico State (Nov. 2). He was named the SBC Defensive Player of the Week after the WKU game, a career-high 16 tackle effort that saw him force and recover two fumbles and make two TFL. Anderson now has 11 double-figure tackle games in his career.

RILES TURNS IN THE PLAY OF THE YEAR: With the Cajuns trailing WKU 10-0 and the Hilltoppers facing a fourth-and-goal from the 1 that could have put them ahead 17-0 in the Oct. 15 meeting, sophomore safety Al Riles turned in the biggest play of the year to date. Riles intercepted a Brandon Doughty pass just outside the goal line and returned it 99 yards for a touchdown to turn the Cajuns fortunes around. The interception, the first of Riles career, was the second returned for a touchdown by the Cajuns this year (Justin Anderson vs. Nicholls State).

10 CAJUNS EARN MID-SEASON ALL-SBC HONORS: Ten Louisiana players received mention when Phil Steele released his mid-season All-Sun Belt Conference team on Oct. 14. The Cajuns placed five players on the first team, Jamal Robinson (WR), Andre Huval (C), Daniel Quave (RG), Mykhael Quave (LT) and Justin Anderson (LB), while Terrance Broadway (QB), Alonzo Harris (RB), Jacob Maxwell (TE), Sean Thomas (FS), Dominique Tovell (DL) earned second team mention. Louisiana and Arkansas State shared the lead with 10 players honored.

SURGENT EYES SECOND KICKOFF RECORD: Senior Darryl Surgent begins the week needing 95 yards to break the Louisiana career record for kickoff return yards in a career. Surgent, who already owns the school mark with 121 career kickoff returns, has 2,548 kickoff yards in his career. Joe Redding, who played from 1985-88, returned 114 kicks of a school-best 2,642 yards. Earlier in the year, Surgent set a record by returning a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown at Kansas State, the longest return in school history.

BROADWAY NEARS 5,000 YARD MARK: A 234-yard passing afternoon at Georgia State has moved junior Terrance Broadway within 60 yards of becoming the fifth player in school history to throw for 5,000 yards in a career. In 23 career games (19 starts), Broadway has completed 347 of 535 passes for 4,940 yards and 35 touchdowns. He ranks first in passing yards per game (214.8), fourth in touchdowns, fifth in yards, seven in completions and eighth in attempts.

NEXT UP: The Ragin' Cajuns will close the 2013 regular season when they travel to Mobile, Ala. to face South Alabama on Saturday, Dec. 7 in Ladd-Peebles Stadium (33,471).

Cajuns Host ULM With Sun Belt Title Within Reach

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