Game 2 Preview: The Eastern Michigan Game

LAFAYETTE – Coming off a season-opening victory in its last week's contest against Southeastern Louisiana, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Football team will make its debut on NFL Network when it hosts Mid-American Conference member Eastern Michigan on Saturday at Cajun Field.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Fans will able to listen to the game worldwide on the Varsity Network, Hot 107.9 FM and ESPN 1420 AM. Fan can receive additional information by visiting the Gameday Central page.

Louisiana (1-0), which looks to improve to 2-0 for the fourth time in the past 14 seasons, opened the 2022 campaign with a 24-7 win over Southeastern Louisiana. Chandler Fields, in his first career start, passed for 173 yards for Louisiana and connected with tight end Johnny Lumpkin for a pair of scores while Eric Garror returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown as the Ragin' Cajuns built a 17-0 lead.

Eastern Michigan (1-0), which finished 7-6 last season and earned a spot in the 2021 LendingTree Bowl, opened its 2022 slate last Friday with a 42-34 win over Eastern Kentucky. Taylor Powell tossed three TD passes and threw for 273 yards as the Eagles eclipsed the 40-point mark in a season-opener for the third time in seven years and the ninth time in its 131-year history.

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.

Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.

Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (@RaginCajuns) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Athletics.

GAME 2 INFORMATION
Who: Louisiana (1-0) vs. Eastern Michigan (1-0)
Where: Cajun Field (41,426); Lafayette, La.
When: Saturday, Sept. 10 at 6 p.m.
Watch: NFL Network
On the Call: Doug Sherman (play-by-play), Tyoka Jackson (analyst)
Listen: Varsity Network, Hot 107.9 FM, ESPN 1420 AM
On the Call: Jay Walker (play-by-play), Gerald Broussard (analyst), Cody Junot (sideline)
All-Time Series: Tied, 1-1
Last Meeting: W, 33-14 (9/30/2006 at Lafayette)

LOUISIANA HOSTS EASTERN MICHIGAN ON NFL NETWORK
Louisiana looks to improve to 2-0 for the fourth time in the last 14 years when it plays host to Mid-American Conference member Eastern Michigan at Cajun Field. The game is the third meeting all-time between the schools and will mark the first contest for the Ragin' Cajuns to air on NFL Network.

TEAM NOTES
• Over the last four seasons, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns have won four Sun Belt Conference West Division titles, won the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Championship, were the 2020 Sun Belt Co-Champions and have been victorious in three bowl games (LendingTree Bowl [2020) and SERVPRO First Responder Bowl (2021), R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl [2021]).
• Louisiana has won its last 10 games at home - one shy of matching the school-record set during the 1976-77 seasons.
• Louisiana's roster has 94 players on its roster (68.1 percent) who hail from within the Pelican State - the most of any of the five FBS programs in the state (Louisiana, LSU, Louisiana Tech, Tulane, ULM).
• Louisiana is 14-10 all-time against schools from the Mid-American Conference and have won its last three games against MAC schools (2x vs. Ohio, vs. Miami [Ohio]).
• Louisiana has recorded a 2-0 start to the season 11 times since moving to Division I in 1972 and three times in the past 14 seasons (2009, 2012, 2020).
• Head coach Michael Desormeaux is the first Ragin' Cajuns coach to start his career 2-0 since Sam Robertson in 1980 and can join A.L. "Red" Swanson (1950) as the first coach in school history to start his career with three straight wins.
• Seven players for Louisiana (QB - Chandler Fields, OL - Nathan Thomas, OL - Jax Harrington, CB - Amir McDaniel, S - Brandon Bishop, DE - Jordan Lawson, DL - Marcus Wiser) recorded their first career starts for the Ragin' Cajuns.
• Louisiana owns a perfect 16-0 record against Sun Belt West Division opponents and is 26-7 overall against Sun Belt opposition over the last four seasons.
• Louisiana earned five Preseason All-Conference selections, four of which were First Team performers. Zi'Yon Hill-Green (DL), Eric Garror (DB), Rhys Byrns (P) and Chris Smith (AP) were all named to the First Team, while Andre Jones (LB) garnered Second Team recognition.
• The Ragin' Cajuns defense returns five players who started in at least 50 percent of the team's games, with Andre Jones and Eric Garror starting in all 14 of the team's contests.
• Last year's defense ranked first in the Sun Belt and 11th nationally in scoring defense (18.5), while leading the league and ranking 22nd in the nation in total offense (404.8).
• Louisiana's secondary looks to continue its impressive play after the Cajuns ranked first in the Sun Belt and 14th in Division I in passing yards allowed (190.1).
• The Ragin' Cajuns return 69.5 percent of their takeaways from a season ago, including 80 percent of their interceptions. Eric Garror led the unit with two picks in 2021.

Game 2 Preview: The Eastern Michigan Game

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Players Mentioned

Brandon Bishop

Rhys Byrns

Chandler Fields

Eric Garror

Jax Harrington

Zi'Yon Hill-Green

Andre Jones

Jordan Lawson

Johnny Lumpkin

Amir McDaniel

Chris Smith

Nathan Thomas

Marcus Wiser

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