Game 7 Preview: The ULM Game

LAFAYETTE - The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns will return to action on Saturday after an 11-day layoff when it plays host to in-state rival ULM in the 70th annual Homecoming game at Cajun Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN3.

The game will also be broadcast statewide on the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Radio Network with Jay Walker (pxp), Richie Falgout (color) and Travis Webb (sideline) handing the commentary.

Louisiana (2-4, 1-1 SBC) looks to rebound after a 37-27 loss at Arkansas State on Oct. 20 in a nationally-televised contest.

The Ragin' Cajuns lead the all-time series against ULM (1-6, 0-3 SBC), 26-24, and have won six of last seven meetings, including 34-27 victory in last year's contest in Monroe. ULM rallied for a 31-28 win in the last meeting at Cajun Field (Nov. 30, 2013).

Junior Jalen Nixon became the second quarterback in school history to record both 200 yards rushing and passing in a single game. Nixon completed 17 of 44 passes for a career-high 253 yards and two TDs while rushing for 201 yards on 19 carries. The Carencro native joined Brian Mitchell, who rushed for 271 yards and passed for 205 yards against Colorado State in 1987, as the lone players in Ragin' Cajuns to record 200 yards rushing and passing in the same game.

Nixon's 201 yards on the ground were the ninth-most in school history and fourth all-time among Ragin' Cajuns quarterbacks.

Elijah McGuire tied a career-high with 10 receptions for Louisiana (2-4, 1-1 SBC) while setting a career-best with 134 yards receiving. The junior, who entered the game with 999 yards receiving in his career, took a swing pass from Nixon and gained 13 yards to become the first player in school history to record 2,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in a career.

McGuire became the third player in school history to record 4,000 all-purpose yards in his career following Tyrell Fenroy (5,231 yards from 2005-08) and Darryl Surgent (4,945 from 2010-13).

Game No. 7
October 31, 2015 • 4:05 p.m. CT • Lafayette, La. • Cajun Field (41,426)

-/- LOUISIANA RAGIN' CAJUNS (2-4, 1-1 Sun Belt)
Head Coach: Mark Hudspeth (Delta State, 1992)
Record at Louisiana: 38-20 (5th season), Career Record: 104-41 (12th year)

-/- ULM WARHAWKS (1-6, 0-3 Sun Belt)
Head Coach: Todd Berry (Tulsa, 1983)
Record at ULM: 28-40 (6th season), Career Record: 57-99 (13th season)

* - Rankings listed at Amway Coaches' Poll/AP Poll

Series History: Louisiana leads all-time series, 26-24 ... Ragin' Cajuns have won six of last seven meetings, including 34-27 victory in 2014 contest in Monroe ... ULM rallied for a 31-28 win in the last meeting at Cajun Field (Nov. 30, 2013).

TV/RADIO INFORMATION
ESPN3: Drew Fellios, PxP • Forrest Conoly, Analyst
Ragin' Cajuns Radio Network: Jay Walker, PxP • Richie Falgout, Analyst • Travis Webb, Sideline

In Lafayette: KPEL 1420-AM (Flagship); KHXT 107.9-FM
Affiliates: KTUX 98.9-FM (Shreveport); WGSO 990-AM (New Orleans); KJEF 1290-AM (Jennings); KLCL 1470-AM (Lake Charles); KRJO 1680-AM (Monroe); KTIB 640-AM (Thibodaux)

Live Stats/Audio: RaginCajuns.com
Twitter Updates: @ULRaginCajuns; Facebook: RaginCajunsAthletics;
YouTube: IAm4RaginCajuns; Instagram: ULRaginCajuns

GAMEDAY STORYLINES
• Louisiana is 519-533-34 against all opponents dating back to 1901.
• The ULM series (50 games) is the fourth-oldest in Ragin' Cajuns history.
• Louisiana is 41-26-2 in Homecoming games and has won four straight since 2011.
• The Ragin' Cajuns are 4-4 overall against ULM in Homecoming games in school history.
• Today's date marks the second Homecoming game for Ragin' Cajuns on Oct. 31. The previous game was against ULM (1971) with the Ragin' Cajuns earning 31-7 win.
• Louisiana has earned a school-record five Homecoming wins against Arkansas State (5-1), Louisiana Tech (5-4-1) and Northwestern State (5-5) in its history.

DID YOU KNEAUX?
1 - Senior Dominique Tovell has started 38 games in his career for the Ragin' Cajuns, including 32 straight.
2 - Senior Octravian Anderson has started 32 consecutive games at right tackle.
3 - Louisiana is 12-5 overall in games in the month of October since the arrival of head coach Mark Hudspeth.
4 - Louisiana is 25-8 in Sun Belt Conference games since 2011.
5 - Elijah McGuire is one of four active players with 2,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving.

WHAT'S ON TAP
• Louisiana will travel to Atlanta on Nov. 7 to face Georgia State in a 1 p.m. CST game at the Georgia Dome. The game will be televised on ESPN3 and is the Sun Belt Network designated selection.

THE LAST MEETING
Louisiana 34, ULM 27 • November 15, 2014 • Monroe, La.

MONROE, La. – Terrance Broadway tossed a pair of touchdowns and rushed for another, Alonzo Harris rushed for 133 yards and the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns defense recorded seven sacks, forced three turnovers and set a single-game school record for rushing defense as it held off ULM, 34-27, in a Sun Belt Conference game at JPS Field at Malone Stadium

Head coach Mark Hudspeth earned his 100th career victory at the NCAA level as Louisiana (7-3, 6-0 Sun Belt)built a 17-7 lead in the first quarter before scoring a pair of touchdowns to withstand a rally by ULM (3-7, 2-4 Sun Belt).

Harris, who entered the game needing 19 yards to join Tyrell Fenroy and Brian Mitchell as the only players in school history to rush for over 3,000 yards, needed one carry to eclipse the mark when his 54-yard run on the game's third play from scrimmage put the ball at the ULM 5. The drive would stall and Hunter Stover would boot a 22-yard field goal to cap a seven-play, 70-yard drive to give the Ragin' Cajuns a 3-0 lead.

The Cajuns would score again on their next possession after ULM failed to convert a fourth-and-7 play at the UL 39. McGuire scored on a 1-yard plunge that capped a five-play, 61-yard drive for a 10-0 lead at 7:03 of the first quarter.

After a Pete Thomas five-yard scoring pass to Kenzee Jackson cut the lead to 10-7 at the 2:24 mark, Louisiana drove 65 yards in four plays to push its lead to 17-7 before the opening quarter expired.

The Cajuns added a 38-yard field goal from Stover with 6:51 remaining in the second quarter for a 20-10 lead before ULM's Justin Manton kicked a 47-yard field goal at the buzzer to cut the lead to 20-13.

After a scoreless third quarter, Broadway (12-yard run) and Thomas (two-yard run) swapped scores and it was 27-20 in favor of the Cajuns with 6:46 left in the fourth quarter.

Louisiana took a two-score lead when Broadway flipped a shovel pass to Gabe Fuselier who tip-toed down the right sideline with 2:53 remaining for a 34-20 advantage.

NOTES FROM THE ARKANSAS STATE GAME
• Captains were Karmichael Dunbar (DL), Elijah McGuire (RB), Effrem Reed (RB) and Darzil Washington (LB).
• Reed saw action in his first game of the season after missing the first five games to a leg injury.
• Jalen Nixon's 201 yards on the ground were the ninth-most in school history and fourth all-time among Ragin' Cajuns quarterbacks.
• Grant Horst made his first career start at left guard after making starts in the Ragin' Cajuns first four games at left tackle and the Texas State game at center. Eddie Gordon returned to the starting center position after starting at left guard against Texas State while D'Aquin Withrow made his second career start at left tackle.
• Elijah McGuire's 32 yards rushing marked the seventh-fewest yards gained in a game and the second-lowest in a Sun Belt Conference contest (three carries, 13 yards at South Alabama, 12/7/2013).

GUIDRY TO BE INDUCTED INTO UL ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
• Former Ragin' Cajuns pitcher and New York Yankees All-Star Ron Guidry will be inducted into the UL Lafayette Athletics Hall of Fame during halftime of Saturday's game. Guidry, after a standout career at UL Lafayette, was chosen in the third round of the Major League Baseball draft in 1971. He spent several years in the minor leagues, then, in 1975, began a brilliant, 14-year playing career with the Yankees.
• He earned the Cy Young Award in 1978 as the top pitcher in the American League, posting a 25-3 record and helping the Yankees to the World Series title.
• Guidry, whose blazing fastball earned him the nickname "Louisiana Lightning," posted a career record of 170-91, and 1,778 strikeouts. He retired in 1988, and later spent several years as a pitching coach for the Yankees. In 2003, the team retired his No. 49 jersey.

NIXON SECOND MEMBER TO JOIN 200-200 CLUB
• Junior Jalen Nixon became the second quarterback in school history to record both 200 yards rushing and passing in a single game in the Ragin' Cajuns Oct. 20 at Arkansas State. Nixon completed 17 of 44 passes for a career-high 253 yards and two TDs while rushing for 201 yards on 19 carries.
• The Carencro native joined Brian Mitchell, who rushed for 271 yards and passed for 205 yards against Colorado State in 1987, as the lone players in Ragin' Cajuns to record 200 yards rushing and passing in the same game.
• Nixon's 201 yards on the ground were the ninth-most in school history and fourth all-time among Ragin' Cajuns quarterbacks.

QUAVE SIDELINED FOR THE SEASON; CHANGES MADE ON THE O-LINE
• The most consistent area for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team during the past three seasons saw its first mid-season change after senior left guard Mykhael Quave was lost for the season with a torn rotator cuff.
• Quave, a two-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection and two-time Lombardi Award nominee, injured his rotator cuff early in the first quarter in Louisiana's Oct. 3 game at Louisiana Tech.
• The loss of Quave, who started all 43 games in his Ragin' Cajuns career, saw the first mid-season change within the offensive line since 2012. Grant Horst, who started four games at left tackle for the Ragin' Cajuns moved to center for the Texas State game before moving to left guard for Arkansas State. Eddie Gordon, the team's starting center for the first four games, moved to left guard for Texas State before moving back to center against A-State. D'Aquin Withrow has started the last two games for the Ragin' Cajuns at left tackle.
• Octravian Anderson, a two-year starter, has started the last 32 games for Louisiana with Donovan Williams, who moved over to right guard replacing 52-game starter Daniel Quave, starting in 19 straight games after playing every game last season at left guard.

THE BOOK OF ELI
• Junior running back Elijah McGuire entered the 2015 season as one of the most decorated players to wear a Ragin' Cajuns uniform and after six games, has continued his assault on the record book.
• In his third season in a Ragin' Cajuns uniform, McGuire has rushed for 2744 yards, ranking fifth on the school's all-time list. McGuire became the fourth player in school history (joining Tyrell Fenroy and former quarterbacks Brian Mitchell and Michael Desormeaux) to rush for over 1,000 yard in a season when he gained 1,264 yards in 2014.
• McGuire, the 2015 Preseason Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year, was the 2013 SBC Freshman of the Year and the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year.
• This season, McGuire is a candidate for the Doak Walker Award, the Maxwell Award, the Paul Hornung Award and the Walter Camp Player of the Year.

MR. ALL-PURPOSE
In the Ragin' Cajuns Oct. 20 game at Arkansas State, Elijah McGuire became the third player in school history to record 4,000 all-purpose yards in his career. Below are the top three players in all-purpose yards in Ragin' Cajuns history.

1. Tyrell Fenroy (2005-08) - 5,231
2. Darryl Surgent (2010-13) - 4,945
3. Elijah McGuire (2013-) - 4,044

MCGUIRE JOINS THE 2,000-1,000 CLUB
With a 13-yard reception in the second quarter against Arkansas State on Oct. 20, Elijah McGuire became the fourth active player in NCAA history to record 2,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving. McGuire caught a career-high tying 10 passes against the Red Wolves while recording a career-best 134 yards receiving. McGuire, who is officially the top running back in the group, is joined in the active leaders D.J. Foster (now a WR) of Arizona State, Josh Ferguson of Illinois and Storm Woods of Oregon State.

D.J. Foster, Arizona State – 2,265 rush / 2,152 rec
Elijah McGuire, Louisiana – 2,744 rush / 1,133 rec
Josh Ferguson, Illinois – 2,259 rush / 1,305 rec
Storm Woods, Oregon State – 2,534 rush / 1,079 rec

SLOW STARTS, FAST FINISHES
• The Ragin' Cajuns have usually set the tone early in ball games, but the 2015 season has been the opposite as they have been outscored, 125-76, in the first half in six games this season.
• Opponents are outscoring Louisiana, 48-28, in the first quarter before extending their advantage to 77-48 in the second.
• Louisiana has set the tone in the second half, outscoring the competition, 105-74, in the final 30 minutes. The Ragin' Cajuns have scored their most points (59) in the third quarter while holding opponents to 27 points in the fourth for their top defensive effort.

CAJUNS HAVE ENJOYED BOWLING IN PAST FOUR SEASONS
• Louisiana is one of five schools nationally to have won a bowl/postseason game in each of the past four seasons.
• The Cajuns, with four victories in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, are part of a list that includes Michigan State (Outback, Buffalo Wild Wings, Rose, Cotton), Oregon (Rose, Fiesta, Alamo, Rose), South Carolina (Capitol One, Outback, Capitol One, Independence) and Texas A&M (Meinke Car Care, Cotton, Chick-Fil-A, Music City).
• With a 16-3 win over Nevada in the 2014 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, Louisiana became the first school in NCAA history to win the same bowl game four consecutive years.

"NEW KICKS" IMPRESSIVE IN RAGIN' CAJUNS DEBUT
• After losing both Hunter Stover and Daniel Cadona to graduation, the Ragin' Cajuns introduced a new kicking combo of true freshmen Stevie Artigue and Steven Coutts.
• Artigue, a four-time all-district and three-time Class 5A All-State selection at nearby Lafayette High School, has converted on 21 of 22 extra point attempts for the Ragin' Cajuns while going 2-for-4 in field goals.
• Coutts, the second Australian to sign with the Ragin' Cajuns in the past three years after following in the footsteps of Cadona, is 15th nationally and second among freshman punters, averaging 45.0 per attempt.

MR. ROBINSON IS BACK IN HIS NEIGHBORHOOD
• After being limited to four games last season due to knee and foot injuries, senior Jamal Robinson has made a successful return to the lineup, catching 16 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns.
• Against Texas State on Oct. 10, Robinson recorded his first touchdown in over a year when he grabbed a 17-yard pass from Jalen Nixon in the final minute of the first half. The duo hooked up again in the third period with a go-ahead 31-yard TD strike, marking the fifth multi-TD game of Robinson's career.
• His 58-yard reception against Northwestern State was the third-longest of his career, following grabs of 86 yards (vs. Lamar) and 81 (at ULM) in 2012.
• The 2014 Biletnikoff Watch List candidate caught 15 passes with four touchdowns in four games last season before being sidelined for the remainder of the season with a foot injury at Texas State.
• The 2015 Preseason Second-Team All-Sun Belt Conference candidate ranks ninth in school history with 118 receptions and is seventh overall in receiving yards (2,074). With three yards receiving, Robinson would pass Wayde Butler (2,076 yards from 1989-92) for sixth-place on the school's all-time list and is 34 yards shy of surpassing Javone Lawson (2,107, 2009-12) for fifth.

NEW FACILITIES FOR RAGIN' CAJUNS FOOTBALL
• The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team officially moved into its new 100,000-square foot Student-Athlete Performance Center on September 13-14. The new building, which is part of the University's $115 million Athletics Facilities Master Plan that was unveiled in March of 2013, will house new offices and locker rooms for the Ragin' Cajuns football team, as well as a state-of-the-art Athletic Training Room, new weight room, new equipment room and 150-seat auditorium that will benefit all Ragin' Cajuns student-athletes.
• Ground was broken on the project in August of 2014 and is part of Tier 1 projects that included the expansion of Cajun Field. Upgrades at Cajun Field, which were completed prior to the 2014 season included the addition of seats in the South End Zone, raising capacity to 41,426, plus a new concession stands and restrooms in the South End Zone facility.
• Also included in Tier 1 were upgrades to the Ragin' Cajuns Soccer/Track Facility, that includes new locker rooms and coaches' offices for both the soccer and track and field programs, a new pressbox, restrooms, a concession stand and retail area.

RAGIN' CAJUNS REPEAT AS SUN BELT ACADEMIC CHAMPS
• The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team earned the best cumulative grade point average among Sun Belt Conference schools for the second consecutive year as the league announced its Team GPA Awards for the 2014-15 academic year.
• Louisiana posted a 2.81 team GPA during the 2014-15 academic year to lead all football schools competing in the Sun Belt.
• During the Fall 2014 semester, the Ragin' Cajuns recorded their highest GPA in team history (2.923) and posted its sixth consecutive semester of 2.6 or higher. Fifty-two percent of the student-athletes on the roster earned a 3.0 GPA or higher during the fall with six players earning a 4.0, and 11 receiving their degree during Fall Commencement ceremonies.

SUN BELT RECEIVES FIFTH POSSIBLE BOWL DESTINATION
• The Arizona Sports and Entertainment Commission announced the creation of the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl. The bowl game will debut on Dec. 29, 2015 and will match two teams from the Mountain West Conference, Conference USA and the Sun Belt Conference. The game will be played at the University of Arizona's Stadium in Tucson, Ariz.
• The NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl is the first-ever bowl game to have a digitally-focused broadcast strategy to be orchestrated by primary digital media partner Campus Insiders. Details and technology partnerships along with the television broadcast partner will be announced at a later date.
• The Sun Belt Conference has grown from having just one primary bowl game from 2001 through 2010 to now having four primary postseason bowl game tie-ins. The Cure Bowl, which will debut in 2015, the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, the GoDaddy Bowl and the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl are the Sun Belt's primary bowl tie-ins. In addition the Sun Belt Conference is also part of a coalition that will send teams to the Miami Beach Bowl and the Bahamas Bowl on a rotating basis.

SUN BELT BOWL TIE-INS
• Louisiana and the Sun Belt Conference will have the possibility of five bowl tie-ins for the 2015 season:

College Football Playoff
Opportunity to select Sun Belt Champion for one of six bowls or CFP semifinals

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
First Selection (vs. C-USA)
New Orleans, La. - Dec. 19 - 8 p.m. (ESPN)

GoDaddy Bowl
Second Selection (vs. MAC)
Mobile, Ala. - Dec. 23 - 7 p.m. (ESPN)

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl
Third Selection (vs. MAC)
Montgomery, Ala. - Dec. 19 - 4:30 p.m. (ESPN)

AutoNation Cure Bowl
Fourth Selection (vs. American)
Orlando, Fla. - Dec. 19 - 6 p.m. (CBSSN)

NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl
Possible Fifth (vs. MWC or C-USA)
Tucson, Ariz, - Dec. 29 - 6:30 p.m. (TBA)

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Octravian Anderson

Stevie Artigue

Terrance Broadway

Daniel Cadona

Steven Coutts

Karmichael Dunbar

Gabe Fuselier

Eddie Gordon

Alonzo Harris

Grant Horst

Elijah McGuire

Jalen Nixon

Daniel Quave

Mykhael Quave

Effrem Reed

Jamal Robinson

Hunter Stover

Dominique Tovell

Darzil Washington

Donovan Williams

D'Aquin Withrow

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