Louisiana Football Game 5 Preview: at Minnesota

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns close out its 2023 non-conference schedule on Saturday when it travels to face Big 10 Conference member Minnesota at Huntington Bank Stadium.

Kickoff is slated for an 11 a.m. start with the game televised on the Big 10 Network. Fans in the Lafayette area can listen to the game on Hot 107.9 FM, 103.3 The Goat, KPEL 1420 AM or worldwide on the Varsity Network app.

Louisiana (3-1) claimed a 45-38 victory over Mid-American Conference member Buffalo last week at Cajun Field as the Ragin' Cajuns racked up a season-high 518 yards of total offense and withstood a late Bulls rally.

The Ragin' Cajuns have rushed for 12 touchdowns on the season, with eight coming in the last two games. Redshirt freshman quarterback Zeon Chriss has rushed for four TDs in the last two games for Louisiana with Jacob Kibodi rushing for three scores and leading the team with 315 yards on the ground.

Three players – Jacob Bernard, Robert Williams and Harvey Broussard – have caught a team-high 12 passes for Louisiana with Neal Johnson (11) and Peter LeBlanc (10) reaching double digits in receptions.

K.C. Ossai has paced a Ragin' Cajuns defense with 28 tackles on the season with Jordan Lawson producing four of Louisiana's national leading 18 sacks. Tyree Skipper, who has 20 tackles on the season, has picked off passes in each of his last two games while Patrick Mensah and Tyler Guidry have one each.

Minnesota (2-2) opened the season with wins over Nebraska and Eastern Michigan before dropping games at North Carolina and Northwestern. The Golden Gophers have won all three meetings in the series against Louisiana, including a 2003 contest at Minneapolis' Metrodome.

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.

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GAME 5 PREVIEW – Louisiana (3-1) at Minnesota (2-2)
Stadium/Location: Huntington Bank Stadium (50,805); Minneapolis, Minn.
Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 30 at 11 a.m.

TV/RADIO
TV: Big 10 Network
Talent: Chris Vosters (PXP), Brock Vereen (Analyst), Dannie Rogers (Reporter)

Local Radio: Hot 107.9-FM, The GOAT 103.3, KPEL 1420 AM, Varsity Network
Talent: Jay Walker (play-by-play), Gerald Broussard (analyst), Cody Junot (sideline)

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Minnesota leads, 3-0
In Lafayette: Minnesota leads, 1-0
In Minneapolis: Minnesota leads, 2-0
Streak: Minnesota +3
First Meeting: Minnesota, 44-14 – 9/8/2001 in Minneapolis
Last Meeting: Minnesota, 48-14 – 9/20/2003 in Minneapolis

LOUISIANA CLOSES OUT NON-CONFERENCE PLAY AT MINNESOTA
• The Ragin' Cajuns take their two-game winning streak on the road as they square off against Minnesota at 11 a.m. in their final non-conference game on the 2023 season.
• Saturday's contest is the fourth meeting all-time between the teams with the Golden Gophers holding a 3-0 advantage.
• Louisiana is looking for its first win over an Autonomy 5 program since 2020 when it upset No. 23 Iowa State in Ames, 31-17, to begin the season.

A LOOK AT THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
• Through the first four games, Louisiana's defensive has been a force on opposing quarterbacks, as the Cajuns have recorded 18 sacks, the most in FBS this season.
• Jordan Lawson has been a catalyst for the defense, accounting for 4.0 sacks, which ranks tied for eighth nationally.
• Louisiana's offense has been equally as impressive as it has scored 155 points this season, the fourth-most all-time in program history through the first four games. The Ragin' Cajuns average 38.8 points per game, which ranks second in the Sun Belt and 21st nationally.
• Jacob Kibodi was put on scholarship following the win at UAB and in the last two games has rushed for 208 yards on 14 carries with three touchdowns.
• Zeon Chriss, who replaced Ben Wooldridge after four plays at UAB due to an injury, has stepped up to the challenge and has rushed for 173 yards and four touchdowns while also hurting defenses with his arm, throwing for 423 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 73.5% (36-for-49) of his passes.
• Kendre' Gant, who entered week four as the highest-graded linebacker (min. 75 snaps played) by PFF College, has been a menace the last two games as he has registered 11 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks to go along with a pass breakup and a QB hurry.
• Robert Williams, Harvey Broussard, Tavion Smith, Terrance Carter and Elijah 'Bill' Davis have registered their first career touchdowns this season while Jacob Kibodi scored his first touchdown in a Ragin' Cajuns uniform against ODU.
• Kenneth Almendares has continued his stellar play from a year ago as he enters Saturday's contest 5-for-5 on his field goal attempts, extending his consecutive field goals made to 17.
• Zylan Perry has excelled in the kickoff return game as he is averaging 25.4 yards on his nine returns, which ranks third nationally among players with 10-or-more returns.
• In his first season handling punting duties, Thomas Leo ranks tied for 28th nationally and second in the Sun Belt with a 43.0 average.

Louisiana Football Game 5 Preview: at Minnesota

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Players Mentioned

Kenneth Almendares

Jacob Bernard

Harvey Broussard

Terrance Carter

Zeon Chriss

Kendre' Gant

Tyler Guidry

Neal Johnson

Jacob Kibodi

Jordan Lawson

Peter LeBlanc

Thomas Leo

Patrick Mensah

K.C. Ossai

Zylan Perry

Tyree Skipper

Tavion Smith

Robert Williams

Ben Wooldridge

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