University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Falls To TCU In Isleta New Mexico Bowl, 34-3
12/28/2024 6:16:00 PM | Football
Ragin' Cajuns finish 10-4; will open Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium on Aug. 30
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Josh Hoover completed 20 of 32 passes for 252 yards and four touchdowns while TCU scored on its first four possessions and defeated Louisiana, 34-3, in the 19th annual Isleta New Mexico Bowl on Saturday at University Stadium.
Hoover tossed TD passes for Eric McAlister, JP Richardson, DJ Rogers and Blake Nowell as TCU (9-4) gained 367 yards of total offense while holding Louisiana (10-4) to 209 yards overall. The quarterback connected with Rogers on a 3-yard scoring pass on the Horned Frogs' opening drive before hitting McAlister in the back of the end zone for a 1-yard scoring pass for a 14-0 lead.
Kyle Lemmerman added field goals of 45 and 22 yards to give TCU a 20-0 lead in the second quarter before Hoover and Richardson connected on a 20-yard TD pass near the end of the half.
Louisiana, making its 14th bowl appearance in school history, missed on a scoring chance on its opening possession when Kenneth Almendares' 54-yard field goal attempt bounced off the right upright. The Ragin' Cajuns would get on the board in the fourth quarter when Almendares booted a 24-yard attempt.
Ben Wooldridge, who made his return to the lineup after suffering an upper body injury on Nov. 16, was limited to 7-for-20 through the air for 61 yards and an interception. Dalen Cambre, earning his first career start in his 64th career game, had a career-high three receptions for Louisiana with Zylan Perry rushing for a game-high 49 yards on 11 attempts.
Keyon Martin, Jordan Lawson and Tyrone Lewis led Louisiana with six tackles each with Lawson recording his first career interception in the third quarter. Antoine Baylis and Amir McDaniel each recorded sacks for the Ragin' Cajuns with Terrence Williams, Kyron Mims and K.C. Ossai recording five stops each.
Louisiana will open the 2025 season on Aug. 30 when it plays host to Rice in the newly-renovated Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.
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 (@RaginCajunsFB) to stay up-to-date on Louisiana Football.
GAME NOTES
• Game captains were QB Ben Wooldridge, QB Chandler Fields, OG Jax Harrington and K.C. Ossai.
• Louisiana won the coin toss (8-6 on the season) and deferred.
• Weather conditions at kickoff were – 50 degrees, clear skies, wind (ENE 1).
• The game was Louisiana's first in the Mountain Time Zone since 2016 when it faced New Mexico State in Las Cruces, N.M.
• Louisiana wore its uniform combination of red helmet, white jersey and red pants for the second time this season. The Ragin' Cajuns wore the same combo at Southern Miss.
• Attendance for the Isleta New Mexico Bowl was 22,827 – the eighth largest for the Ragin' Cajuns in 14 bowl appearances.
• Louisiana's starting offensive line of George Jackson (LT), Kaden Moreau (LG), Landon Burton (C), Jax Harrington (RG), and Mackey Maillho (RT) was its sixth different lineup of the season.
PLAYER NOTES
• Mackey Maillho (right tackle), Dalen Cambre (wide receiver) and Key'Savalyn Barnes (safety) each made their first career starts.
• Cambre, making his final appearance in a UL uniform, appeared in his 64th career game tying him with Rhys Byrns for sixth in school history.
• Cambre's three receptions were a career-high.
• Jordan Lawson's third-quarter interception was the first of his career.
• Kenneth Almendares' missed field goal from 54 yards on Louisiana's opening possession snapped a streak of 15 consecutive field goals made.
• Almendares' 24-yard field goal in the fourth quarter was his fifth in the postseason, tying him with Brett Baer (2010-12) for the most in Louisiana bowl appearances.
• Terrence Williams' start at linebacker was his first at the position and his third start overall (two starts at running back in 2022).
• Steven Blanco (RB), Teddy Gawlik (TE), Zxavier Brown (OL), Na'Tori Brown (LB), Zay Alexander (OL) and Lester Jones (OLB), each made their collegiate debuts.
• Lunch Winfield made his season-debut in the second quarter with a 5-yard run.
• Tylon Citizen's 36-yard run in the fourth quarter was a career-best.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES (compiled by New Mexico Bowl)
• This was the first New Mexico Bowl to be played after Christmas.
• TCU's 14 first quarter points were the most since Hawai'i scored 14 in the 2020 New Mexico Bowl, which was played in Frisco, Texas due to the COVID shutdown of New Mexico.
• The 27-0 halftime score was only the second opening half shutout in Isleta New Mexico Bowl history. Houston did not score in 2020 as Hawai'i led 21-0. New Mexico had the only other halftime shutout, leading Nevada 20-0 at the half on the way to the only shutout in the game's history, a 23-0 win in 2007.
• The 22,827 in attendance was the second-best attendance in the last six years.
• The 31-point margin was the third-largest margin of victory in an Isleta New Mexico Bowl
39 – Utah State 52, North Texas 13 – 12/15/18
37 – San Diego State 48, Central Michigan 11 – 12/19/19
31 – TCU 34, Louisiana 3 – 12/28/24
• Louisiana's three points were the second-fewest in an Isleta New Mexico Bowl. New Mexico shutout Nevada 23-0 in 2006. Louisiana's 209 total yards was the second-fewest, behind New Mexico State's 200 in the 2023 game.
MVPs were as follows:
Offensive Most Outstanding Player: Josh Hoover, TCU
Defensive Most Outstanding Player: Devean Deal, TCU
TCU NOTES
• TCU's opening drive touchdown marked the sixth straight game in which the Horned Frogs scored on their opening possession, dating back to October 26 (five touchdowns and one field goal).
• Josh Hoover had his ninth multi-TD passing game of the season. His four touchdowns marked the fourth time in his career that he recorded four passing TDs in a game.
• Josh Hoover broke the TCU single-season passing yards mark with his 20 yard touchdown pass to JP Richardson. He broke Trevone Boykin's previous mark of 3,901 set in 2014. He finished the season with 3,949 yards.
• The Horned Frogs improved to 9-0 under Sonny Dykes when allowing fewer than 300 yards of offense.
• TCU scored 34 or more points for the 10th time this season. It entered the game tied for second-most times with 34 points.
• LaMareon James had three PBUs in the game, giving him 14 for the season, tying for the second-most in the last 11 seasons at TCU. The three PBUs was a record for the Isleta New Mexico Bowl, as six players previously had two each.
LOUISIANA NOTES
• Allowed an opening drive touchdown for the first time in four games, dating back to November 16 against South Alabama. That was also the last time Louisiana allowed back-to-back touchdowns to open a game.
• Louisiana scored three points in back-to-back games to end the year.
• The 31-point loss was the largest margin of defeat since losing by 32 to Florida State in November 19, 2022.
• The last time the Ragin' Cajuns were shutout in the first half was September 10, 2022 vs. Eastern Michigan, a game that Louisiana won 49-21.
• The 34 points were the most allowed by Louisiana since beating Wake Forest 41-38 on September 28, 2024.
• The game was easily the highest elevation game for Louisiana this season at 5,314 feet. The previous high was at 1,089 feet at Kennesaw State.
• Kicker Kenneth Almendares tied Brett Baer for most field goals by a Cajun in a bowl career (5) with his fourth quarter kick.
• K.C. Ossai ties Frank Bartley for the fourth-most tackles by a linebacker in school history.
• The 209 yards of offense were the fewest of the season behind the 255 at Marshall.
Hoover tossed TD passes for Eric McAlister, JP Richardson, DJ Rogers and Blake Nowell as TCU (9-4) gained 367 yards of total offense while holding Louisiana (10-4) to 209 yards overall. The quarterback connected with Rogers on a 3-yard scoring pass on the Horned Frogs' opening drive before hitting McAlister in the back of the end zone for a 1-yard scoring pass for a 14-0 lead.
Kyle Lemmerman added field goals of 45 and 22 yards to give TCU a 20-0 lead in the second quarter before Hoover and Richardson connected on a 20-yard TD pass near the end of the half.
Louisiana, making its 14th bowl appearance in school history, missed on a scoring chance on its opening possession when Kenneth Almendares' 54-yard field goal attempt bounced off the right upright. The Ragin' Cajuns would get on the board in the fourth quarter when Almendares booted a 24-yard attempt.
Ben Wooldridge, who made his return to the lineup after suffering an upper body injury on Nov. 16, was limited to 7-for-20 through the air for 61 yards and an interception. Dalen Cambre, earning his first career start in his 64th career game, had a career-high three receptions for Louisiana with Zylan Perry rushing for a game-high 49 yards on 11 attempts.
Keyon Martin, Jordan Lawson and Tyrone Lewis led Louisiana with six tackles each with Lawson recording his first career interception in the third quarter. Antoine Baylis and Amir McDaniel each recorded sacks for the Ragin' Cajuns with Terrence Williams, Kyron Mims and K.C. Ossai recording five stops each.
Louisiana will open the 2025 season on Aug. 30 when it plays host to Rice in the newly-renovated Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.
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 (@RaginCajunsFB) to stay up-to-date on Louisiana Football.
GAME NOTES
• Game captains were QB Ben Wooldridge, QB Chandler Fields, OG Jax Harrington and K.C. Ossai.
• Louisiana won the coin toss (8-6 on the season) and deferred.
• Weather conditions at kickoff were – 50 degrees, clear skies, wind (ENE 1).
• The game was Louisiana's first in the Mountain Time Zone since 2016 when it faced New Mexico State in Las Cruces, N.M.
• Louisiana wore its uniform combination of red helmet, white jersey and red pants for the second time this season. The Ragin' Cajuns wore the same combo at Southern Miss.
• Attendance for the Isleta New Mexico Bowl was 22,827 – the eighth largest for the Ragin' Cajuns in 14 bowl appearances.
• Louisiana's starting offensive line of George Jackson (LT), Kaden Moreau (LG), Landon Burton (C), Jax Harrington (RG), and Mackey Maillho (RT) was its sixth different lineup of the season.
PLAYER NOTES
• Mackey Maillho (right tackle), Dalen Cambre (wide receiver) and Key'Savalyn Barnes (safety) each made their first career starts.
• Cambre, making his final appearance in a UL uniform, appeared in his 64th career game tying him with Rhys Byrns for sixth in school history.
• Cambre's three receptions were a career-high.
• Jordan Lawson's third-quarter interception was the first of his career.
• Kenneth Almendares' missed field goal from 54 yards on Louisiana's opening possession snapped a streak of 15 consecutive field goals made.
• Almendares' 24-yard field goal in the fourth quarter was his fifth in the postseason, tying him with Brett Baer (2010-12) for the most in Louisiana bowl appearances.
• Terrence Williams' start at linebacker was his first at the position and his third start overall (two starts at running back in 2022).
• Steven Blanco (RB), Teddy Gawlik (TE), Zxavier Brown (OL), Na'Tori Brown (LB), Zay Alexander (OL) and Lester Jones (OLB), each made their collegiate debuts.
• Lunch Winfield made his season-debut in the second quarter with a 5-yard run.
• Tylon Citizen's 36-yard run in the fourth quarter was a career-best.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES (compiled by New Mexico Bowl)
• This was the first New Mexico Bowl to be played after Christmas.
• TCU's 14 first quarter points were the most since Hawai'i scored 14 in the 2020 New Mexico Bowl, which was played in Frisco, Texas due to the COVID shutdown of New Mexico.
• The 27-0 halftime score was only the second opening half shutout in Isleta New Mexico Bowl history. Houston did not score in 2020 as Hawai'i led 21-0. New Mexico had the only other halftime shutout, leading Nevada 20-0 at the half on the way to the only shutout in the game's history, a 23-0 win in 2007.
• The 22,827 in attendance was the second-best attendance in the last six years.
• The 31-point margin was the third-largest margin of victory in an Isleta New Mexico Bowl
39 – Utah State 52, North Texas 13 – 12/15/18
37 – San Diego State 48, Central Michigan 11 – 12/19/19
31 – TCU 34, Louisiana 3 – 12/28/24
• Louisiana's three points were the second-fewest in an Isleta New Mexico Bowl. New Mexico shutout Nevada 23-0 in 2006. Louisiana's 209 total yards was the second-fewest, behind New Mexico State's 200 in the 2023 game.
MVPs were as follows:
Offensive Most Outstanding Player: Josh Hoover, TCU
Defensive Most Outstanding Player: Devean Deal, TCU
TCU NOTES
• TCU's opening drive touchdown marked the sixth straight game in which the Horned Frogs scored on their opening possession, dating back to October 26 (five touchdowns and one field goal).
• Josh Hoover had his ninth multi-TD passing game of the season. His four touchdowns marked the fourth time in his career that he recorded four passing TDs in a game.
• Josh Hoover broke the TCU single-season passing yards mark with his 20 yard touchdown pass to JP Richardson. He broke Trevone Boykin's previous mark of 3,901 set in 2014. He finished the season with 3,949 yards.
• The Horned Frogs improved to 9-0 under Sonny Dykes when allowing fewer than 300 yards of offense.
• TCU scored 34 or more points for the 10th time this season. It entered the game tied for second-most times with 34 points.
• LaMareon James had three PBUs in the game, giving him 14 for the season, tying for the second-most in the last 11 seasons at TCU. The three PBUs was a record for the Isleta New Mexico Bowl, as six players previously had two each.
LOUISIANA NOTES
• Allowed an opening drive touchdown for the first time in four games, dating back to November 16 against South Alabama. That was also the last time Louisiana allowed back-to-back touchdowns to open a game.
• Louisiana scored three points in back-to-back games to end the year.
• The 31-point loss was the largest margin of defeat since losing by 32 to Florida State in November 19, 2022.
• The last time the Ragin' Cajuns were shutout in the first half was September 10, 2022 vs. Eastern Michigan, a game that Louisiana won 49-21.
• The 34 points were the most allowed by Louisiana since beating Wake Forest 41-38 on September 28, 2024.
• The game was easily the highest elevation game for Louisiana this season at 5,314 feet. The previous high was at 1,089 feet at Kennesaw State.
• Kicker Kenneth Almendares tied Brett Baer for most field goals by a Cajun in a bowl career (5) with his fourth quarter kick.
• K.C. Ossai ties Frank Bartley for the fourth-most tackles by a linebacker in school history.
• The 209 yards of offense were the fewest of the season behind the 255 at Marshall.
Players Mentioned
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/ FootballMichael Desormeaux Media Availability (Sept 1, 2025)
Monday, September 01
Jaden Dugger Media Availability (Aug 30, 2025)
Sunday, August 31
Bill Davis Media Availability (Aug 30, 2025)
Sunday, August 31
Michael Desormeaux Media Availability (Aug 30, 2025)
Sunday, August 31
