University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

GAME 10 PREVIEW: at Georgia
11/17/2016 6:00:00 AM | Football
Cajuns step out of conference to face Bulldogs "Between the Hedges"
LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team heads back to the state of Georgia for its second game in nine days on Saturday when it travels to Athens, Ga., to face SEC opponent Georgia at Sanford Stadium.
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Kickoff is scheduled for 11:01 a.m. CST. The game, the final non-conference game for Louisiana (4-5, 3-3 SBC) this season, will be televised live on the SEC Network alternate channel and can be also heard statewide on the Ragin' Cajuns Radio Network.
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Louisiana made its first trip of the season to the Peach State a successful one as the Ragin' Cajuns recorded a 33-26 victory at Georgia Southern on Nov. 10. Anthony Jennings, a native of Marietta, Ga., completed 17 of 26 passes for 210 yards while rushing for a season-high 96 yards and a touchdown.
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The Ragin' Cajuns defense turned in its best performance of the season against the run, holding a potent Eagle rushing attack to 52 yards on 28 carries.
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On the season, Jennings has completed over 62 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,652 yards with nine TDs. Senior Elijah McGuire has rushed for 762 yards and six TDs to lead Louisiana and rank third in the Sun Belt Conference in rushing with Al Riles catching a team-high 44 passes and ranking fourth in the league in receptions per game (4.9).
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Defensively, Tre'maine Lightfoot and Otha Peters have recorded 81 and 71 tackles respectively to rank among the leaders in the Sun Belt Conference. Redshirt freshman Joe Dillon has recorded six sacks on the season with Simeon Thomas recording two interceptions.
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Georgia (6-4, 4-4 SEC), playing the first of three straight games at home, earned a 13-7 win over No. 8 Auburn. Nick Chubb rushed for 101 yards against the Tigers to become the fifth player in school history to reach the 3,000-yard career rushing mark.
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GAME 10
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (4-5, 3-3 SBC) at Georgia Bulldogs (6-4, 4-4 SEC)
Nov. 19, 2016 • 11:01 a.m. CT • Athens, Ga. • Sanford Stadium (92,746)
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RADIO/TV
SEC Network Alternate | WatchESPN • Mark Neely PXP • Dustin Fox Analyst
KPEL 1420 AM (Flagship) • Jay Walker PXP • Richie Falgout Analyst • Travis Webb Sideline
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THE SERIES
Series History: UGA leads, 1-0
In Lafayette: 0-0 | In Athens: UGA leads, 1-0 | Hudspeth vs. UGA: 0-0
First Meeting: No. 23 UGA 55, UL 7 (Sept. 4, 2010 in Athens)
Last Meeting: Same
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THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Mark Hudspeth (Delta State, 1992) • @ULCoachHud
Record at UL: 22-29* (sixth season), Career Record: 88-50* (13th season)
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GEORGIA
Head Coach: Kirby Smart (Georgia, 1998)
Record at Georgia: 6-4 (first season), Career Record: Same
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5 THINGS TO KNOW
THE SERIES
• Today's contest is the second meeting between the schools with Georgia claiming a 55-7 victory in the 2010 opener in Athens.
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THE LAST MEETING - Georgia 55, Louisiana 7, 9/4/2010 at Athens
• No. 23 Georgia proved too much for Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns, defeating UL by a final score of 55-7 at Sanford Stadium.
• A 24-point second quarter by the Bulldogs put them comfortably in the lead at halftime.
• UGA capitalized on an interception by Chris Masson, traveling 28 yards in five plays. Aaron Murray connected with Kris Durham on a three-yard touchdown to give the hosts a 14-0 lead just five seconds into the second quarter.
• Masson finished with 5-of-15 passing for 77 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Tight end Ladarius Green (Mackey Award Watch List) led the offense with four catches for 87 yards.
• A 52-yard field goal by Blair Walsh upped UGA's edge to 17-0 at the 11:21 mark and an 11-yard touchdown pass by Murray to fullback Shaun Chapas made it 24-0 with 3:31 left in the opening half. The TD was set-up by a 41-yard reception deep down the right side by Durham.
• The Cajuns got on the board late in the second quarter thanks to a pair of terrific plays. A brilliant interception by safety Lance Kelley set-up the offense. Durham bobbled the catch and Kelley simply took the ball out of his hands. The next play saw Green break loose down the right side for a 60-yard touchdown pass from Masson.
• Kelley dropped an easy interception on the following series and UGA made the Cajuns pay. Murray scampered into the end zone from 16 yards as time expired to push the Bulldogs lead to 31-7 at the half.
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THREE CAJUNS CELEBRATE HOMECOMING IN THE PEACH STATE
• Today's game in Athens marks the second homecoming in nine days for three current Ragin' Cajuns - quarterback Anthony Jennings (Marietta) and defensive backs Tracy Walker (Brunswick) and Christian Goodlett (Lawrenceville).
• Jennings, who played three years at LSU, threw for 210 yards and rushed for 96 in leading the Ragin' Cajuns to a 33-26 win last week at Georgia Southern.
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(THE STATE OF) GEORGIA IS DEFINITELY ON THE CAJUNS MIND
• Louisiana will not face Sun Belt Conference opponent Georgia State until at least 2018 on the gridiron, but the Ragin' Cajuns will not have a shortage of teams from the Peach State on the 2016 schedule.
• With scheduled games against Georgia Southern and Georgia coming in a nine-day span, the Ragin' Cajuns play two schools from the state of Georgia for the first time ever in the same season.
• The meeting with UGA will be the second between the schools with the Bulldogs claiming a 55-7 win in the 2010 season opener.
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NOTES FROM THE GEORGIA SOUTHERN GAME
• Captains were DB Christian Goodlett (Lawrenceville, Ga.), DB Tracy Walker (Brunswick, Ga.), OL D'Aquin Withrow and OL Eddie Gordon.
• Over 40 members of Walker's family, including his mother seeing him play in person for the first time since arriving at UL, were in attendance at the game.
• The 52 rushing yards allowed by UL in the game were the fewest given up since ULM was held to minus-39 yards in 2014.
• Craig Smith made his first start of the season at right tackle in place of Grant Horst.
• The Ragin' Cajuns defense held its fourth opponent of the season to under 100 yards rushing (McNeese State, South Alabama, Texas State, Georgia Southern).
• Elijah McGuire's 1-yard TD run in the first quarter was the 50th career touchdown of his career, moving him past Tyrell Fenroy for the Ragin' Cajuns school record.
• Georgia Southern won the toss and elected to receive. UL now 4-5 on coin flips in 2016.
• In his second career appearance, quarterback Dion Ray rushed for 71 yards on eight carries and recorded his first career touchdown on a 16-yard run in the second quarter.
• Al Riles' 48-yard TD pass to Keenan Barnes in the third quarter was the first pass of his collegiate career.
• Stevie Artigue's 34-yard field goal in the third quarter was his 15th of the season, tying him for fifth-place on the school's single-season list.
• Otha Peters' PAT return in the third quarter, which gave the Ragin' Cajuns a 33-19 lead, was the second two-point return for Louisiana and the first since Corey Trim against New Mexico State in 2014.
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Kickoff is scheduled for 11:01 a.m. CST. The game, the final non-conference game for Louisiana (4-5, 3-3 SBC) this season, will be televised live on the SEC Network alternate channel and can be also heard statewide on the Ragin' Cajuns Radio Network.
Â
Louisiana made its first trip of the season to the Peach State a successful one as the Ragin' Cajuns recorded a 33-26 victory at Georgia Southern on Nov. 10. Anthony Jennings, a native of Marietta, Ga., completed 17 of 26 passes for 210 yards while rushing for a season-high 96 yards and a touchdown.
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The Ragin' Cajuns defense turned in its best performance of the season against the run, holding a potent Eagle rushing attack to 52 yards on 28 carries.
Â
On the season, Jennings has completed over 62 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,652 yards with nine TDs. Senior Elijah McGuire has rushed for 762 yards and six TDs to lead Louisiana and rank third in the Sun Belt Conference in rushing with Al Riles catching a team-high 44 passes and ranking fourth in the league in receptions per game (4.9).
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Defensively, Tre'maine Lightfoot and Otha Peters have recorded 81 and 71 tackles respectively to rank among the leaders in the Sun Belt Conference. Redshirt freshman Joe Dillon has recorded six sacks on the season with Simeon Thomas recording two interceptions.
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Georgia (6-4, 4-4 SEC), playing the first of three straight games at home, earned a 13-7 win over No. 8 Auburn. Nick Chubb rushed for 101 yards against the Tigers to become the fifth player in school history to reach the 3,000-yard career rushing mark.
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GAME 10
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (4-5, 3-3 SBC) at Georgia Bulldogs (6-4, 4-4 SEC)
Nov. 19, 2016 • 11:01 a.m. CT • Athens, Ga. • Sanford Stadium (92,746)
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RADIO/TV
SEC Network Alternate | WatchESPN • Mark Neely PXP • Dustin Fox Analyst
KPEL 1420 AM (Flagship) • Jay Walker PXP • Richie Falgout Analyst • Travis Webb Sideline
Â
THE SERIES
Series History: UGA leads, 1-0
In Lafayette: 0-0 | In Athens: UGA leads, 1-0 | Hudspeth vs. UGA: 0-0
First Meeting: No. 23 UGA 55, UL 7 (Sept. 4, 2010 in Athens)
Last Meeting: Same
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THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Mark Hudspeth (Delta State, 1992) • @ULCoachHud
Record at UL: 22-29* (sixth season), Career Record: 88-50* (13th season)
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GEORGIA
Head Coach: Kirby Smart (Georgia, 1998)
Record at Georgia: 6-4 (first season), Career Record: Same
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5 THINGS TO KNOW
- Starting quarterback Anthony Jennings (Marietta), and defensive backs Tracy Walker (Brunswick) and Christian Goodlett (Lawrenceville) all hail from the state of Georgia. Jennings is the son of former Georgia defensive lineman Willie Jennings (1999-91).
- Today's game is the second trip to the Peach State in nine days for the Ragin' Cajuns after a 33-26 win at Georgia Southern on Nov. 10.
- Al Riles has caught a pass in 25 consecutive games dating back to the 2014 season.
- The 52 rushing yards allowed by the Ragin' Cajuns against Georgia Southern were the fewest allowed since ULM finished with -39 yards on the ground in 2014.
- Punter Steven Coutts is 19th nationally among FBS players with a 44.3 average.
THE SERIES
• Today's contest is the second meeting between the schools with Georgia claiming a 55-7 victory in the 2010 opener in Athens.
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THE LAST MEETING - Georgia 55, Louisiana 7, 9/4/2010 at Athens
• No. 23 Georgia proved too much for Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns, defeating UL by a final score of 55-7 at Sanford Stadium.
• A 24-point second quarter by the Bulldogs put them comfortably in the lead at halftime.
• UGA capitalized on an interception by Chris Masson, traveling 28 yards in five plays. Aaron Murray connected with Kris Durham on a three-yard touchdown to give the hosts a 14-0 lead just five seconds into the second quarter.
• Masson finished with 5-of-15 passing for 77 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Tight end Ladarius Green (Mackey Award Watch List) led the offense with four catches for 87 yards.
• A 52-yard field goal by Blair Walsh upped UGA's edge to 17-0 at the 11:21 mark and an 11-yard touchdown pass by Murray to fullback Shaun Chapas made it 24-0 with 3:31 left in the opening half. The TD was set-up by a 41-yard reception deep down the right side by Durham.
• The Cajuns got on the board late in the second quarter thanks to a pair of terrific plays. A brilliant interception by safety Lance Kelley set-up the offense. Durham bobbled the catch and Kelley simply took the ball out of his hands. The next play saw Green break loose down the right side for a 60-yard touchdown pass from Masson.
• Kelley dropped an easy interception on the following series and UGA made the Cajuns pay. Murray scampered into the end zone from 16 yards as time expired to push the Bulldogs lead to 31-7 at the half.
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THREE CAJUNS CELEBRATE HOMECOMING IN THE PEACH STATE
• Today's game in Athens marks the second homecoming in nine days for three current Ragin' Cajuns - quarterback Anthony Jennings (Marietta) and defensive backs Tracy Walker (Brunswick) and Christian Goodlett (Lawrenceville).
• Jennings, who played three years at LSU, threw for 210 yards and rushed for 96 in leading the Ragin' Cajuns to a 33-26 win last week at Georgia Southern.
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(THE STATE OF) GEORGIA IS DEFINITELY ON THE CAJUNS MIND
• Louisiana will not face Sun Belt Conference opponent Georgia State until at least 2018 on the gridiron, but the Ragin' Cajuns will not have a shortage of teams from the Peach State on the 2016 schedule.
• With scheduled games against Georgia Southern and Georgia coming in a nine-day span, the Ragin' Cajuns play two schools from the state of Georgia for the first time ever in the same season.
• The meeting with UGA will be the second between the schools with the Bulldogs claiming a 55-7 win in the 2010 season opener.
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NOTES FROM THE GEORGIA SOUTHERN GAME
• Captains were DB Christian Goodlett (Lawrenceville, Ga.), DB Tracy Walker (Brunswick, Ga.), OL D'Aquin Withrow and OL Eddie Gordon.
• Over 40 members of Walker's family, including his mother seeing him play in person for the first time since arriving at UL, were in attendance at the game.
• The 52 rushing yards allowed by UL in the game were the fewest given up since ULM was held to minus-39 yards in 2014.
• Craig Smith made his first start of the season at right tackle in place of Grant Horst.
• The Ragin' Cajuns defense held its fourth opponent of the season to under 100 yards rushing (McNeese State, South Alabama, Texas State, Georgia Southern).
• Elijah McGuire's 1-yard TD run in the first quarter was the 50th career touchdown of his career, moving him past Tyrell Fenroy for the Ragin' Cajuns school record.
• Georgia Southern won the toss and elected to receive. UL now 4-5 on coin flips in 2016.
• In his second career appearance, quarterback Dion Ray rushed for 71 yards on eight carries and recorded his first career touchdown on a 16-yard run in the second quarter.
• Al Riles' 48-yard TD pass to Keenan Barnes in the third quarter was the first pass of his collegiate career.
• Stevie Artigue's 34-yard field goal in the third quarter was his 15th of the season, tying him for fifth-place on the school's single-season list.
• Otha Peters' PAT return in the third quarter, which gave the Ragin' Cajuns a 33-19 lead, was the second two-point return for Louisiana and the first since Corey Trim against New Mexico State in 2014.
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Players Mentioned
Michael Desormeaux Media Availability (Sep 15, 2025)
Monday, September 15
Michael Desormeaux Media Availability (Sep 8, 2025)
Monday, September 08
Bill Davis Media Availability (Sept 6, 2025)
Sunday, September 07
Jalen Clark Media Availability (Sept 6, 2025)
Sunday, September 07