Field Goal at Buzzer Lifts Jaguars Past Louisiana, 20-17

LAFAYETTE – Diego Guajardo's 43-yard field as time expired helped South Alabama earn a 20-17 win over the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns in a Sun Belt Conference game on Saturday at Cajun Field.

Nearly a year to the day the left-footed kicker missed a 37-yard field goal with 1:06 remaining in an eventual 20-18 Louisiana win, Guajardo capped off an 8-play, 49-yard drive to hand the Ragin' Cajuns (2-3, 0-2 SBC) their first walk-off setback since a 27-20 setback at Florida on Nov. 10, 2012.

Louisiana trailed 17-7 early in the fourth quarter when Carter Bradley scampered in for a 3-yard touchdown with 12:53 left. The Ragin' Cajuns would drive 41 yards in 12 plays to cut the lead to 17-10 when Kenneth Almendares drilled a career-best 51-yard field goal.

The Ragin' Cajuns defense would force a three-and-out on South Alabama's next possession and would drive 84 yards in 17 plays to knot the game at 17-all.

Ben Wooldridge would engineer the game-tying drive as he connected with Peter LeBlanc on an 18-yard pass to third-and-11 at the UL 38. Chris Smith and Terrence Williams would each convert on third-and-1 opportunities to extend the drive before Wooldridge would connect with Pearse Migl for a 1-yard TD pass with :42 seconds remaining.

South Alabama (4-1, 1-0 SBC), which snapped a six-game losing streak in the series to Louisiana while earning its first-ever win at Cajun Field, converted a pair of third-and-10 situations on its final drive as La'Damien Webb rushed for 21 yards to the USA 46 before Bradley hit Caullin Lacy for 11 yards to the UL 43.

After missing on a scoring opportunity on its first drive, Louisiana would take a 7-0 lead with 7:53 remaining in the first quarter when Eric Garror collected a Jack Brooks punt at the UL 31 and scored his third career touchdown on a punt return to tie Todd Scott for the Ragin' Cajuns all-time record.

The Jaguars would tie the game at 7-7 late in the second quarter when Webb scored from 1-yard out to cap an 11-play, 68-yard drive.

Louisiana would drive to the USA 33 on its ensuing drive where Jaden Voisin picked off Wooldridge deep in USA territory before the Ragin' Cajuns defense would respond when Bralen Trahan picked off Bradley at the UL 13 and returned it 46 yards into USA territory.

Smith led Louisiana with 108 yards on 12 carries, including a season-high 55-yard carry in the first quarter. Wooldridge, who played the majority of snaps in place of Chandler Fields, was 18-for-29 through the air for 90 yards while rushing for 36 yards on nine carries.

Jourdan Quibodeaux led the Ragin' Cajuns with nine tackles in the game with Kris Moncrief adding seven stops with a sack with Trahan recording seven tackles with an interception and tackle for loss.

Louisiana will return to action after a 11-day layoff when it travels to Huntington, W.Va., to face Marshall on Oct. 12 in a nationally-televised contest on ESPN2.

Season tickets for the 2022 campaign are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting Account Manager. For more information call the Louisiana Athletics Box Office at the CAJUNDOME at (337) 265-2104.

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Field Goal at Buzzer Lifts Jaguars Past Louisiana, 20-17

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Team Stats

Ben Wooldridge

Chandler Fields

Players Mentioned

Kenneth Almendares

Chandler Fields

Eric Garror

Peter LeBlanc

Pearse Migl

Kris Moncrief

Jourdan Quibodeaux

Chris Smith

Bralen Trahan

Terrence Williams

Ben Wooldridge

Players Mentioned

Kenneth Almendares

Chandler Fields

Eric Garror

Peter LeBlanc

Pearse Migl

Kris Moncrief

Jourdan Quibodeaux

Chris Smith

Bralen Trahan

Terrence Williams

Ben Wooldridge

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