University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Saturday, October 2
Mobile, Ala.
7 P.M.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
4-1 , 2-0
20
at
18
South Alabama
3-1 , 0-1
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| South Alabama | 0 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 |
Louisiana Football Staves Off South Alabama, 20-18
10/3/2021 12:57:00 AM | Football
Jaguars miss go-ahead 37-yard field goal as Ragin’ Cajuns move to 2-0 in Sun Belt play
MOBILE, Ala. – After recording a critical stop in its own territory, Louisiana watched a go-ahead 37-yard field goal off the foot of South Alabama's kicker sail wide right to give the Ragin' Cajuns a thrilling 20-18 road victory over the Jaguars on a rainy Saturday night.
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In addition to the late miss, the visiting Ragin' Cajuns (4-1, 2-0 Sun Belt) were aided by a blocked PAT by Kendall Wilkerson and another missed PAT from Jags' kicker.
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With the dreary conditions playing a huge factor in the game, Louisiana turned to the run game and picked up 225 yards on the ground, the team's second-highest rushing output of the season.
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Running back Emani Bailey led the charge with seven carries for 81 yards and a touchdown, his second of the season, while fellow back Chris Smith carried the ball nine times for 42 yards and score.
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Levi Lewis got it done on the ground as well, recording a team-high 10 carries for 61 yards and his first rushing score of the year. Lewis also completed nine passes for 49 yards.
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Defensively, Chauncey Manac led the way with seven tackles, 2.0 tackles-for-loss, and 1.0 sack, with Zi'Yon Hill also adding 2.0 tackles-for-loss and a sack of his own. Ferrod Gardner matched Manac's tackle total with seven.
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Smith got the game going with an 87-yard kickoff return and then found the end zone three plays later, bouncing around the outside and leaping over the pile from 10 yards out to put Louisiana ahead 7-0 58 seconds into the game.
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Following a strong defensive series, Lewis capped off a four-play, 57-yard drive on the team's next possession with a 22-yard touchdown scamper to double the advantage. Bailey pushed the score to 20-0 with 11:23 in the second quarter, taking a handoff from Lewis and driving through the hole for the touchdown.
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Louisiana looked to be in firm control, but South Alabama (3-1, 0-1 Sun Belt) running back Bryan Hill scored with 1:33 in the first half and 4:20 in the third quarter to trim the Ragin' Cajun lead to 20-12.
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Jaguar quarterback Jake Bentley, who finished the night 19-of-29 for 243 yards through the air, scored with his legs early in the fourth quarter to trim the lead once again, but the two-point conversion failed to keep the visitor's lead intact at 20-18.
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From there, the Ragin' Cajuns' defense stifled any scoring attempt until the Jaguars' unsuccessful field-goal attempt on the final drive.
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Louisiana now shifts its attention to its Sun Belt Conference home opener against Appalachian State on Tuesday, Oct. 12. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
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Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (@RaginCajunsFB) to stay up-to-date on Louisiana Football.
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In addition to the late miss, the visiting Ragin' Cajuns (4-1, 2-0 Sun Belt) were aided by a blocked PAT by Kendall Wilkerson and another missed PAT from Jags' kicker.
Â
With the dreary conditions playing a huge factor in the game, Louisiana turned to the run game and picked up 225 yards on the ground, the team's second-highest rushing output of the season.
Â
Running back Emani Bailey led the charge with seven carries for 81 yards and a touchdown, his second of the season, while fellow back Chris Smith carried the ball nine times for 42 yards and score.
Â
Levi Lewis got it done on the ground as well, recording a team-high 10 carries for 61 yards and his first rushing score of the year. Lewis also completed nine passes for 49 yards.
Â
Defensively, Chauncey Manac led the way with seven tackles, 2.0 tackles-for-loss, and 1.0 sack, with Zi'Yon Hill also adding 2.0 tackles-for-loss and a sack of his own. Ferrod Gardner matched Manac's tackle total with seven.
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Smith got the game going with an 87-yard kickoff return and then found the end zone three plays later, bouncing around the outside and leaping over the pile from 10 yards out to put Louisiana ahead 7-0 58 seconds into the game.
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Following a strong defensive series, Lewis capped off a four-play, 57-yard drive on the team's next possession with a 22-yard touchdown scamper to double the advantage. Bailey pushed the score to 20-0 with 11:23 in the second quarter, taking a handoff from Lewis and driving through the hole for the touchdown.
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Louisiana looked to be in firm control, but South Alabama (3-1, 0-1 Sun Belt) running back Bryan Hill scored with 1:33 in the first half and 4:20 in the third quarter to trim the Ragin' Cajun lead to 20-12.
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Jaguar quarterback Jake Bentley, who finished the night 19-of-29 for 243 yards through the air, scored with his legs early in the fourth quarter to trim the lead once again, but the two-point conversion failed to keep the visitor's lead intact at 20-18.
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From there, the Ragin' Cajuns' defense stifled any scoring attempt until the Jaguars' unsuccessful field-goal attempt on the final drive.
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Louisiana now shifts its attention to its Sun Belt Conference home opener against Appalachian State on Tuesday, Oct. 12. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
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Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (@RaginCajunsFB) to stay up-to-date on Louisiana Football.
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Team Stats
LA
USA
Total Yards
283
387
Pass Yards
58
243
Rushing Yards
225
144
Penalty Yards
30
57
1st Downs
17
15
3rd Downs
2
6
4th Downs
1
3
TOP
23:13
36:47
1st Quarter
LA 7, USA 0
LA - Smith, Chris 10 yd run (Snyder, Nate kick), 3 plays, 13 yards, TOP 0:58
LA 14, USA 0
LA - Lewis, Levi 22 yd run (Snyder, Nate kick), 4 plays, 57 yards, TOP 1:24
2nd Quarter
LA 20, USA 0
LA - Bailey, Emani 15 yd run (Snyder, Nate kickfailed), 2 plays, 31 yards, TOP 0:42
LA 20, USA 6
USA - Hill, Bryan 1 yd run (Guajardo, Diego kickblocked), 11 plays, 60 yards, TOP 5:09
3rd Quarter
LA 20, USA 12
USA - Hill, Bryan 2 yd run (Guajardo, Diego kickfailed), 8 plays, 79 yards, TOP 4:33
4th Quarter
LA 20, USA 18
USA - Bentley, Jake 1 yd run (Bentley, Jake passfailed), 10 plays, 55 yards, TOP 4:47
Game Leaders
CMP
9
TD
0
YDS
49
INT
0
CMP
1
TD
0
YDS
9
INT
0
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DL
/ FootballQB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
DL
/ FootballSaturday, April 25
Saturday, April 25
Saturday, April 25
Saturday, April 25
