University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Saturday, September 12
Los Angeles, Calif.
10:00 p.m. CT/8:00 p.m. PT
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
at
USC
2026 Louisiana Football Preview - The USC Game
9/11/2026 10:15:00 AM | Football
Louisiana to face No. 14-ranked Trojans in "Big Ten After Dark"
LAFAYETTE – Coming off an impressive win last week in its season opener, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns head to the West Coast to face Big 10 member and No. 14-ranked USC in a Saturday night contest at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Kickoff is scheduled for 10 p.m. CT. The game will be available on the Big Ten Network with Mark Followill (pxp), Rhett Lewis (color) and Caroline Hendershot (sideline) providing commentary. Fans can also listen to the broadcast on the Ragin' Cajuns Radio Network and Varsity Sports Network with Jay Walker (pxp), Cody Junot (color) and Dawson Eiserloh (sideline) on the call.
Louisiana (1-0) opened its 125th season of football with a 38-7 win over FCS opponent Lamar, racking up 474 yards of total offense and forcing four turnovers. Darrell Smith rushed for a team-high 84 yards on 10 carries and a pair of touchdowns for the Ragin' Cajuns, with Lunch Winfield completing 16 of 22 passes for 189 yards and adding 84 yards on the ground on eight attempts.
Anthony Reagan Jr., and Steven Blanco each scored rushing touchdowns for the Ragin' Cajuns while Brent Gordon Jr., had a team-high seven tackles with an interception.
USC (2-0), ranked No. 14 by the Associated Press and ACFA Coaches' Poll, opened with a Week 0 win over San Jose State before shutting out Fresno State, 39-0, on Sept. 4. The Trojans have averaged 40.5 points per game in their first two games and have outscored their first two opponents, 58-0, in the first half.
Heisman Trophy candidate Jayden Maiava was 23-of-25 (.920) for 349 yards and three TDs in USC's 39-0 shutout of Fresno State. On the season, Maiava has completed 48-of-54 passes (.889) for 635 yards, five TDs and no interceptions.
His 68-yard TD throw to Trent Mosley was his longest completion and TD toss since Sept. 6, 2025, against Georgia Southern when he completed a 74-yard TD pass.
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).
GAME 2 PREVIEW – Louisiana (1-0) at No. 14/14 USC (2-0)
Location: United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (77,500) | Los Angeles, Calif.
Date/Time: Saturday, September 12 | 10 p.m. CT
TICKETS
Single-game tickets are available and can be purchased through RaginCajuns.com/Tickets
TV/RADIO
TV: Big Ten Network
Talent: Mark Followill (play-by-play), Rhett Lewis (analyst), Caroline Hendershot (sideline)
Radio: Lafayette – Hot 107.9 FM; 103.3 The Goat, 1420 AM; New Orleans/Slidell – WGSO 990 AM; Worldwide – Varsity Network powered by Learfield
Talent: Jay Walker (play-by-play), Cody Junot (analyst), Dawson Eiserloh (sideline)
LIVE STATS
Available at CajunStats.StatBroadcast.com
SERIES RECORD
First meeting
KICKING OFF
• Louisiana Football opens its 2026 road slate Saturday with a trip to California for a matchup against College Football "Blue Blood" and Big 10 member USC at the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The game marks the sixth time in program history the Ragin' Cajuns have traveled to the Golden State.
LOUISIANA STORYLINES
• The trip to the West Coast is Louisiana's seventh in program history, with its last visit to the Golden State coming in 1994.
• The game against No. 14-ranked USC is Louisiana's first against a Big Ten opponent since a 35-24 loss at Minnesota during the 2023 season.
• With its 38-7 win over Lamar on Saturday, Louisiana improved to 58-59-3 in all-time season openers dating back to 1901 and 41-19-3 when opening the season in Lafayette.
• Louisiana improved to 4-1 in season openers under head coach Michael Desormeaux.
• A win by Louisiana would give Desormeaux his 31st career victory, moving him past Augie Tammariello (1974-79) for eighth place in program history.
• Louisiana comes into the season with an eight-year active streak of competing in a bowl game.
• The Ragin' Cajuns return 41 letterwinners and 15 starters from the 2025 season.
• Louisiana's first two opponents (Lamar and USC) both played during Week 0. The Cajuns join Miami as teams playing in Week 0 in each of their first two games.
• Louisiana's visit to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum marks its first visit this season to venues that played host to the last two Summer Olympics held in the United States (1984 – Los Angeles; 1996 – Atlanta).
• Ninety-three of Louisiana's 108 players on the 2026 roster were recruited as high school products, with the remaining 15 coming through the transfer portal or junior college.
• Four players in Saturday's game share a Shreveport connection: Louisiana S Kody Jackson (Evangel Christian), CB Jeremiah Moses (finished at Belle Chasse in metro New Orleans), LB Patrick Gosslee (Loyola Prep) and USC WR Ethan "Boobie" Feaster (DeSoto).
• Louisiana WR Rahji Dennis and USC DT Jahkeem Stewart are both products of perennial Louisiana state power Edna Karr.
"SHOW ME MY OPPONENT ..."
• USC opens the season with three straight games at home beginning with the Week 0 win over San Jose State before a shutout victory over Fresno State last Friday.
• The Trojans, ranked No. 14 by both the Associated Press and AFCA Coaches, have averaged 40.5 points through its first two games while accumulating over 1,000 yards of total offense in the first two weeks.
• USC has outscored its opponents 58-0 in the first half, including a 44-0 advantage in the second quarter.
• The Trojans leads the nation in first downs offense (56) and completion percentage (0.881).
• Heisman Trophy candidate Jayden Maiava was 23-of-25 (.920) for 349 yards and three TDs in USC's 39-0 shutout of Fresno State.
DREAM OF "CALIFORNIA-CAJUNS"
• Saturday's trip to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will mark Louisiana's seventh trip overall to the Golden State and its first since facing San Jose State in 1994 when the schools were in the Big West Conference.
• The Ragin' Cajuns have made four trips to NorCal (all to SJSU), along with the first-ever trip to California being a 1975 visit to Long Beach State and a 1980 contest at Fresno State.
• The list of games played by Louisiana in the state of California is listed below:
• September 6, 1975, at Long Beach State (Won, 22-17)
• September 20, 1980, at Fresno State (Lost 16-14)
• November 26, 1983, at San Jose State (Won 25-21)
• October 20, 1984, at San Jose State (Won 35-28)
• September 19, 1992, at San Jose State (Lost 38-13)
• September 24, 1994, at San Jose State (Lost 31-28)
CAJUNS BORN IN "THE BOOT"
• Louisiana has always prided itself on taking an "inside-out" approach when it comes to recruiting in-state products.
• When the 2026 season officially kicks off against Lamar, the Ragin' Cajuns will have 68 of their 108 players (.630 percent) currently on the roster hail from the Bayou State.
• In 2025, Louisiana led all in-state FBS programs in the total number (59) and percentage (55.1) of in-state players on the roster.
CUE UP THE OLYMPIC ANTHEM
• Louisiana's 2026 road schedule features an opening game at USC on Sept. 12 before the eventual road finale on Nov. 28 at Georgia Tech.
• What's so noteworthy about that?
• The games will be played at the last two U.S. venues to host the opening games of the Summer Olympics - Los Angeles (1984) and Atlanta (1996)
• With the two games, Louisiana will become the first NCAA football team to play in two Olympic stadiums in the same season and joins fellow SBC member Georgia Southern in playing in both venues.
EIGHT STRAIGHT BOWL GAMES
• Since the 2018 season, Louisiana has appeared in a bowl game, setting a school-record for most consecutive bowl appearances.
• The list of Louisiana bowl game appearances since 2018 is listed below:
2018 – AutoNation Cure Bowl (Tulane)
2019 – LendingTree Bowl (Miami [Ohio])
2020 – SERVPRO First Responder Bowl (UTSA)
2021 – R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (Marshall)
2022 – Radiance Independence Bowl (Houston)
2023 – R+L Carrriers New Orleans Bowl (Jax State)
2024 – Isleta New Mexico Bowl (TCU
2025 – 68 Ventures Bowl (Delaware)
THE LONGEST ACTIVE BOWL STREAKS
• Louisiana's eighth consecutive bowl appearance places the Ragin' Cajuns in some illustrious FBS company for active postseason streaks.
• Below are the schools with the longest active streaks in reaching the postseason.
School Year Started (Bowl)
Georgia – 1997 (Outback Bowl)
Oklahoma – 1999 (Independence Bowl)
Alabama – 2004 (Music City Bowl)
Clemson – 2005 (Champs Sports Bowl)
Iowa – 2013 (Outback Bowl)
Ohio State – 2013 (Orange Bowl)
Memphis – 2014 (Miami Beach Bowl)
Oregon – 2017 (Las Vegas Bowl)
LOUISIANA – 2018 (Cure Bowl)
THE MOST UNIQUE NICKNAME IN COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
• Referred to as the Ragin' Cajuns, the University of Louisiana has perhaps the most unique and fitting nickname in all of collegiate athletics.
• In 1921, the University adopted the nickname and mascot Bulldogs.
• Beginning in 1963, Louisiana's (then Southwestern Louisiana) football team were dubbed the "Raging Cajuns" by then-Sports Information Director Bob Henderson and head football coach Russ Faulkinberry.
• In addition, the team switched from gold helmets to white helmets with an Acadian flag. At the time, more than 90 percent of Faulkinberry's teams were composed of Louisiana high school players, many with French-speaking Acadian backgrounds.
• The nickname stuck, and in 1967 the second 'g' was dropped to make Ragin'.
• In the early 70's other sports teams began to adopt the Ragin' Cajuns nickname.
• The University's full switch to Ragin' Cajuns was part of "Operation Turnaround" during the 1974-75 school year.
• In fact, the Ragin' Cajuns were voted as the best collegiate team nickname by Sporting News in 1998 and by an ESPN SportsNation survey in 2006.
Kickoff is scheduled for 10 p.m. CT. The game will be available on the Big Ten Network with Mark Followill (pxp), Rhett Lewis (color) and Caroline Hendershot (sideline) providing commentary. Fans can also listen to the broadcast on the Ragin' Cajuns Radio Network and Varsity Sports Network with Jay Walker (pxp), Cody Junot (color) and Dawson Eiserloh (sideline) on the call.
Louisiana (1-0) opened its 125th season of football with a 38-7 win over FCS opponent Lamar, racking up 474 yards of total offense and forcing four turnovers. Darrell Smith rushed for a team-high 84 yards on 10 carries and a pair of touchdowns for the Ragin' Cajuns, with Lunch Winfield completing 16 of 22 passes for 189 yards and adding 84 yards on the ground on eight attempts.
Anthony Reagan Jr., and Steven Blanco each scored rushing touchdowns for the Ragin' Cajuns while Brent Gordon Jr., had a team-high seven tackles with an interception.
USC (2-0), ranked No. 14 by the Associated Press and ACFA Coaches' Poll, opened with a Week 0 win over San Jose State before shutting out Fresno State, 39-0, on Sept. 4. The Trojans have averaged 40.5 points per game in their first two games and have outscored their first two opponents, 58-0, in the first half.
Heisman Trophy candidate Jayden Maiava was 23-of-25 (.920) for 349 yards and three TDs in USC's 39-0 shutout of Fresno State. On the season, Maiava has completed 48-of-54 passes (.889) for 635 yards, five TDs and no interceptions.
His 68-yard TD throw to Trent Mosley was his longest completion and TD toss since Sept. 6, 2025, against Georgia Southern when he completed a 74-yard TD pass.
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).
GAME 2 PREVIEW – Louisiana (1-0) at No. 14/14 USC (2-0)
Location: United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (77,500) | Los Angeles, Calif.
Date/Time: Saturday, September 12 | 10 p.m. CT
TICKETS
Single-game tickets are available and can be purchased through RaginCajuns.com/Tickets
TV/RADIO
TV: Big Ten Network
Talent: Mark Followill (play-by-play), Rhett Lewis (analyst), Caroline Hendershot (sideline)
Radio: Lafayette – Hot 107.9 FM; 103.3 The Goat, 1420 AM; New Orleans/Slidell – WGSO 990 AM; Worldwide – Varsity Network powered by Learfield
Talent: Jay Walker (play-by-play), Cody Junot (analyst), Dawson Eiserloh (sideline)
LIVE STATS
Available at CajunStats.StatBroadcast.com
SERIES RECORD
First meeting
KICKING OFF
• Louisiana Football opens its 2026 road slate Saturday with a trip to California for a matchup against College Football "Blue Blood" and Big 10 member USC at the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The game marks the sixth time in program history the Ragin' Cajuns have traveled to the Golden State.
LOUISIANA STORYLINES
• The trip to the West Coast is Louisiana's seventh in program history, with its last visit to the Golden State coming in 1994.
• The game against No. 14-ranked USC is Louisiana's first against a Big Ten opponent since a 35-24 loss at Minnesota during the 2023 season.
• With its 38-7 win over Lamar on Saturday, Louisiana improved to 58-59-3 in all-time season openers dating back to 1901 and 41-19-3 when opening the season in Lafayette.
• Louisiana improved to 4-1 in season openers under head coach Michael Desormeaux.
• A win by Louisiana would give Desormeaux his 31st career victory, moving him past Augie Tammariello (1974-79) for eighth place in program history.
• Louisiana comes into the season with an eight-year active streak of competing in a bowl game.
• The Ragin' Cajuns return 41 letterwinners and 15 starters from the 2025 season.
• Louisiana's first two opponents (Lamar and USC) both played during Week 0. The Cajuns join Miami as teams playing in Week 0 in each of their first two games.
• Louisiana's visit to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum marks its first visit this season to venues that played host to the last two Summer Olympics held in the United States (1984 – Los Angeles; 1996 – Atlanta).
• Ninety-three of Louisiana's 108 players on the 2026 roster were recruited as high school products, with the remaining 15 coming through the transfer portal or junior college.
• Four players in Saturday's game share a Shreveport connection: Louisiana S Kody Jackson (Evangel Christian), CB Jeremiah Moses (finished at Belle Chasse in metro New Orleans), LB Patrick Gosslee (Loyola Prep) and USC WR Ethan "Boobie" Feaster (DeSoto).
• Louisiana WR Rahji Dennis and USC DT Jahkeem Stewart are both products of perennial Louisiana state power Edna Karr.
"SHOW ME MY OPPONENT ..."
• USC opens the season with three straight games at home beginning with the Week 0 win over San Jose State before a shutout victory over Fresno State last Friday.
• The Trojans, ranked No. 14 by both the Associated Press and AFCA Coaches, have averaged 40.5 points through its first two games while accumulating over 1,000 yards of total offense in the first two weeks.
• USC has outscored its opponents 58-0 in the first half, including a 44-0 advantage in the second quarter.
• The Trojans leads the nation in first downs offense (56) and completion percentage (0.881).
• Heisman Trophy candidate Jayden Maiava was 23-of-25 (.920) for 349 yards and three TDs in USC's 39-0 shutout of Fresno State.
DREAM OF "CALIFORNIA-CAJUNS"
• Saturday's trip to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will mark Louisiana's seventh trip overall to the Golden State and its first since facing San Jose State in 1994 when the schools were in the Big West Conference.
• The Ragin' Cajuns have made four trips to NorCal (all to SJSU), along with the first-ever trip to California being a 1975 visit to Long Beach State and a 1980 contest at Fresno State.
• The list of games played by Louisiana in the state of California is listed below:
• September 6, 1975, at Long Beach State (Won, 22-17)
• September 20, 1980, at Fresno State (Lost 16-14)
• November 26, 1983, at San Jose State (Won 25-21)
• October 20, 1984, at San Jose State (Won 35-28)
• September 19, 1992, at San Jose State (Lost 38-13)
• September 24, 1994, at San Jose State (Lost 31-28)
CAJUNS BORN IN "THE BOOT"
• Louisiana has always prided itself on taking an "inside-out" approach when it comes to recruiting in-state products.
• When the 2026 season officially kicks off against Lamar, the Ragin' Cajuns will have 68 of their 108 players (.630 percent) currently on the roster hail from the Bayou State.
• In 2025, Louisiana led all in-state FBS programs in the total number (59) and percentage (55.1) of in-state players on the roster.
CUE UP THE OLYMPIC ANTHEM
• Louisiana's 2026 road schedule features an opening game at USC on Sept. 12 before the eventual road finale on Nov. 28 at Georgia Tech.
• What's so noteworthy about that?
• The games will be played at the last two U.S. venues to host the opening games of the Summer Olympics - Los Angeles (1984) and Atlanta (1996)
• With the two games, Louisiana will become the first NCAA football team to play in two Olympic stadiums in the same season and joins fellow SBC member Georgia Southern in playing in both venues.
EIGHT STRAIGHT BOWL GAMES
• Since the 2018 season, Louisiana has appeared in a bowl game, setting a school-record for most consecutive bowl appearances.
• The list of Louisiana bowl game appearances since 2018 is listed below:
2018 – AutoNation Cure Bowl (Tulane)
2019 – LendingTree Bowl (Miami [Ohio])
2020 – SERVPRO First Responder Bowl (UTSA)
2021 – R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (Marshall)
2022 – Radiance Independence Bowl (Houston)
2023 – R+L Carrriers New Orleans Bowl (Jax State)
2024 – Isleta New Mexico Bowl (TCU
2025 – 68 Ventures Bowl (Delaware)
THE LONGEST ACTIVE BOWL STREAKS
• Louisiana's eighth consecutive bowl appearance places the Ragin' Cajuns in some illustrious FBS company for active postseason streaks.
• Below are the schools with the longest active streaks in reaching the postseason.
School Year Started (Bowl)
Georgia – 1997 (Outback Bowl)
Oklahoma – 1999 (Independence Bowl)
Alabama – 2004 (Music City Bowl)
Clemson – 2005 (Champs Sports Bowl)
Iowa – 2013 (Outback Bowl)
Ohio State – 2013 (Orange Bowl)
Memphis – 2014 (Miami Beach Bowl)
Oregon – 2017 (Las Vegas Bowl)
LOUISIANA – 2018 (Cure Bowl)
THE MOST UNIQUE NICKNAME IN COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
• Referred to as the Ragin' Cajuns, the University of Louisiana has perhaps the most unique and fitting nickname in all of collegiate athletics.
• In 1921, the University adopted the nickname and mascot Bulldogs.
• Beginning in 1963, Louisiana's (then Southwestern Louisiana) football team were dubbed the "Raging Cajuns" by then-Sports Information Director Bob Henderson and head football coach Russ Faulkinberry.
• In addition, the team switched from gold helmets to white helmets with an Acadian flag. At the time, more than 90 percent of Faulkinberry's teams were composed of Louisiana high school players, many with French-speaking Acadian backgrounds.
• The nickname stuck, and in 1967 the second 'g' was dropped to make Ragin'.
• In the early 70's other sports teams began to adopt the Ragin' Cajuns nickname.
• The University's full switch to Ragin' Cajuns was part of "Operation Turnaround" during the 1974-75 school year.
• In fact, the Ragin' Cajuns were voted as the best collegiate team nickname by Sporting News in 1998 and by an ESPN SportsNation survey in 2006.
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