University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Saturday, October 28
Mobile, Ala.
4 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
5-3 , 2-2
33
at
20
South Alabama
4-4 , 2-2
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Louisiana
0
17
16
0
33
South Alabama
0
0
14
6
20
Defensive Effort Leads Louisiana Past Jags, 33-20
10/28/2023 7:51:00 PM | Football
Cajuns force five turnovers, get five sacks in win over high-octane Jags
MOBILE, Ala. – Zeon Chriss completed 13 of 17 passes for 145 yards and a pair of touchdowns while the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns defense forced five turnovers and recorded five sacks in a 33-20 Sun Belt Conference victory over South Alabama on Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
Cameron Whitfield forced three fumbles and recorded 3.5 sacks while Tyrone Lewis, Jr. intercepted a pair of fourth-quarter passes as Louisiana (5-3, 2-2 SBC) led 17-0 at halftime before scoring twice after USA (4-4, 2-2 SBC) cut the lead to 20-14 on La'Damian Webb's 25-yard run in the third quarter.
Louisiana responded on Webb's TD as the Cajuns drove 75 yards in five plays with Jacob Kibodi scoring a 56-yard run up the middle as part of a career-high 119 yards on the ground. The Ragin' Cajuns would force a Jaguar fumble as Whitfield stripped Carter Bradley of the ball and Kendre' Gant scooped it up and ran 55 yards for a touchdown and a 33-14 lead with 1:07 remaining in the third quarter.
After a scoreless first quarter, Louisiana stuffed the Jaguars for a 1-yard loss on fourth-and-1 at the UL 6 and proceeded to drive 93 yards in 12 plays to take a 7-0 lead.
Louisiana benefitted from an offside penalty on fourth-and-3 at the UL 47 before Chriss connected with Jacob Bernard six plays later on a 33-yard scoring pass.
Whitfield and Nijel McGriff combined for the first of two strip-sacks and fumble recoveries as McGriff recovered Bradley's fumble at the UL 41. Seven plays later, Chriss found Neal Johnson in the end zone for a 3-yard scoring pass with Kenneth Almendares' kick giving Louisiana a 14-0 lead with 8:15 left.
Almendares added a 20-yard field goal with 2:10 remaining after the Ragin' Cajuns forced South Alabama to punt, giving Louisiana a 17-0 lead and keeping the Jaguars off the board for a half for the first time since the 2020 season-finale against Troy.
South Alabama, which outscored its opponents 110-10 in the last two games, got on the board with 11:53 left in the third quarter before Almendares gave Louisiana a 20-7 lead with a 42-yard field goal.
The Jaguars drove 89 yards in three plays with Bradley connecting with Caullin Lacy for a 62-yard pass on second-and-7 from the USA 13.
Louisiana gained 348 yards of total offense, including 203 on the ground. Dre'lyn Washington added 52 yards on the ground for the Ragin' Cajuns while Terrance Carter caught a team-high three passes.
Jalen Clark recorded a career-best 10 tackles to lead the Louisiana defense with Gant adding nine stops. Whitfield, who posted the most sacks by a Ragin' Cajuns defender since Chauncey Manac at Liberty in 2021, had seven tackles for Louisiana with Antoine Baylis adding 1.5 sacks.
Bradley went 29-for-49 for 381 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Jaguars. Jamaal Pritchett caught 11 passes for 168 yards for the Jaguars while Webb gained 96 yards on 16 carries on the ground.
Louisiana returns to action on Saturday (Nov. 4) when it travels to face Arkansas State (4-4, 2-2 SBC) in a 2 p.m. contest at Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro, Ark. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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.
Cameron Whitfield forced three fumbles and recorded 3.5 sacks while Tyrone Lewis, Jr. intercepted a pair of fourth-quarter passes as Louisiana (5-3, 2-2 SBC) led 17-0 at halftime before scoring twice after USA (4-4, 2-2 SBC) cut the lead to 20-14 on La'Damian Webb's 25-yard run in the third quarter.
Louisiana responded on Webb's TD as the Cajuns drove 75 yards in five plays with Jacob Kibodi scoring a 56-yard run up the middle as part of a career-high 119 yards on the ground. The Ragin' Cajuns would force a Jaguar fumble as Whitfield stripped Carter Bradley of the ball and Kendre' Gant scooped it up and ran 55 yards for a touchdown and a 33-14 lead with 1:07 remaining in the third quarter.
After a scoreless first quarter, Louisiana stuffed the Jaguars for a 1-yard loss on fourth-and-1 at the UL 6 and proceeded to drive 93 yards in 12 plays to take a 7-0 lead.
Louisiana benefitted from an offside penalty on fourth-and-3 at the UL 47 before Chriss connected with Jacob Bernard six plays later on a 33-yard scoring pass.
Whitfield and Nijel McGriff combined for the first of two strip-sacks and fumble recoveries as McGriff recovered Bradley's fumble at the UL 41. Seven plays later, Chriss found Neal Johnson in the end zone for a 3-yard scoring pass with Kenneth Almendares' kick giving Louisiana a 14-0 lead with 8:15 left.
Almendares added a 20-yard field goal with 2:10 remaining after the Ragin' Cajuns forced South Alabama to punt, giving Louisiana a 17-0 lead and keeping the Jaguars off the board for a half for the first time since the 2020 season-finale against Troy.
South Alabama, which outscored its opponents 110-10 in the last two games, got on the board with 11:53 left in the third quarter before Almendares gave Louisiana a 20-7 lead with a 42-yard field goal.
The Jaguars drove 89 yards in three plays with Bradley connecting with Caullin Lacy for a 62-yard pass on second-and-7 from the USA 13.
Louisiana gained 348 yards of total offense, including 203 on the ground. Dre'lyn Washington added 52 yards on the ground for the Ragin' Cajuns while Terrance Carter caught a team-high three passes.
Jalen Clark recorded a career-best 10 tackles to lead the Louisiana defense with Gant adding nine stops. Whitfield, who posted the most sacks by a Ragin' Cajuns defender since Chauncey Manac at Liberty in 2021, had seven tackles for Louisiana with Antoine Baylis adding 1.5 sacks.
Bradley went 29-for-49 for 381 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Jaguars. Jamaal Pritchett caught 11 passes for 168 yards for the Jaguars while Webb gained 96 yards on 16 carries on the ground.
Louisiana returns to action on Saturday (Nov. 4) when it travels to face Arkansas State (4-4, 2-2 SBC) in a 2 p.m. contest at Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro, Ark. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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.
Team Stats
LA
USA
Total Yards
348
498
Pass Yards
145
381
Rushing Yards
203
117
Penalty Yards
40
71
1st Downs
19
25
3rd Downs
6
6
4th Downs
0
2
TOP
34:44
25:16
2nd Quarter
LA 7, USA 0
LA - Bernard,Jacob 33 yd pass from Chriss,Zeon (Almendares,Kenneth kick) 12 plays, 93 yards, TOP 06:44
LA 14, USA 0
LA - Johnson,Neal 3 yd pass from Chriss,Zeon (Almendares,Kenneth kick) 7 plays, 41 yards, TOP 03:32
LA 17, USA 0
LA - Almendares,Kenneth 20 yd field goal 9 plays, 34 yards, TOP 04:03
3rd Quarter
LA 17, USA 7
USA - Pritchett,Jamaal 6 yd pass from Bradley,Carter (Guajardo,Diego kick) 9 plays, 80 yards, TOP 03:00
LA 20, USA 7
LA - Almendares,Kenneth 42 yd field goal 9 plays, 50 yards, TOP 04:21
LA 20, USA 14
USA - Webb,La'Damian 25 yd run (Guajardo,Diego kick), 3 plays, 89 yards, TOP 01:19
LA 26, USA 14
LA - Kibodi,Jacob 56 yd run (), 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:52
LA 33, USA 14
LA - Gant,Kendre' 55 yd fumble recovery (Almendares,Kenneth kick)
4th Quarter
LA 33, USA 20
USA - Pritchett,Jamaal 39 yd pass from Bradley,Carter () 6 plays, 58 yards, TOP 00:58
Game Leaders
CMP
13
TD
2
YDS
145
INT
0
Players Mentioned
K
/ Football
DL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
TE
/ FootballQB
/ Football
CB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
TE
/ Football
RB
/ Football
S
/ Football
DL
/ Football
RB
/ Football
LB
/ FootballMichael Desormeaux Media Availability (Oct 6, 2025)
Monday, October 06
Michael Desormeaux Media Availability (Sep 29, 2025)
Monday, September 29
Collin Jacob Media Availability (Sep 27, 2025)
Sunday, September 28
Lunch Winfield Media Availability (Sep 27, 2025)
Sunday, September 28
