University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
6-7 , 5-3
Delaware
7-6 , 4-4
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
| Delaware | 7 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 20 |
Louisiana Rally Falls Short In 68 Ventures Bowl
12/18/2025 1:37:00 AM | Football
Three turnovers, missed red zone chances hurt Cajuns against Fighting Blue Hens
Lunch Winfield threw for 231 yards and a touchdown, finishing 21 of 36 through the air, and guided the Ragin' Cajuns 86 yards in the final minute before Delaware broke up a pass in the end zone on the game's final play. Louisiana (6-7) was undone by three turnovers and missed opportunities deep in Blue Hens territory.
Jo Silver rushed for 116 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown run, and Nick Minicucci completed 19 of 30 passes for 176 yards and a score as Delaware (7-6) earned a win in its FBS postseason debut.
Louisiana missed a field goal on its opening possession and later had a drive end with an interception in the end zone. Silver capped the Blue Hens' first-quarter takeaway by racing untouched up the middle for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
The Ragin' Cajuns answered with a 22-yard field goal by Tony Sterner after driving to the Delaware 5, but the Blue Hens carried a 10-3 advantage into halftime. Minicucci connected with Sean Wilson for a 35-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the third quarter, and Nate Reed added a pair of field goals to extend the lead to 20-6.
Louisiana found life in the fourth quarter when Jordan Lawson blocked a 52-yard field goal attempt, setting up a drive that ended with Winfield's 8-yard touchdown pass to Shelton Sampson Jr. on fourth down. The Cajuns later forced a turnover on downs but gave the ball back on a fumbled snap near midfield.
Pinned at its own 7 with no timeouts, Louisiana moved into scoring position behind completions to Zylan Perry, Caden Jensen and Landon Strother before a pass interference penalty set up first-and-goal at the 8.
After a 1-yard gain and spike to stop the clock with two seconds left, Delaware's Blake Matthews broke up a pass in the end zone to seal the win.
Jaden Dugger led Louisiana with seven tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss. Maurion Eleam added six tackles, while Lawson recorded five stops and three tackles for loss as the Ragin' Cajuns saw a four-game winning streak come to an end.
Fans are encouraged to stay connected with Louisiana Football by downloading the official #GeauxCajuns App — click here for iOS and here for Android — and by following the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (@RaginCajunsFB).
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
UL 0, DEL 7
DEL - Silver,Jo 61 yd run (Reed,Nate kick), 5 plays, 80 yards, TOP 02:28
UL 3, DEL 7
UL - Sterner,Tony 22 yd field goal 16 plays, 70 yards, TOP 08:13
UL 3, DEL 10
DEL - Reed,Nate 33 yd field goal 12 plays, 49 yards, TOP 03:29
UL 3, DEL 17
DEL - Wilson,Sean 35 yd pass from Minicucci,Nick (Reed,Nate kick) 6 plays, 70 yards, TOP 02:15
UL 3, DEL 20
DEL - Reed,Nate 27 yd field goal 10 plays, 62 yards, TOP 04:19
UL 6, DEL 20
UL - Sterner,Tony 39 yd field goal 10 plays, 53 yards, TOP 04:28
UL 13, DEL 20
UL - Sampson Jr. ,Shelton 8 yd pass from Winfield,Lunch (Sterner,Tony kick) 10 plays, 46 yards, TOP 05:04
