University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Saturday, September 26
Charlotte, N.C.
6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
at
Charlotte
2026 Louisiana Football Preview - The Charlotte Game
9/24/2026 12:12:00 PM | Football
Ragin' Cajuns head to Carolina to face second straight American Conference foe
LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team closes out its non-conference schedule on Saturday when it travels to Charlotte, N.C., to face American Conference member Charlotte at Jerry Richardson Stadium.
Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT. The game will be available on ESPN+ with Tom Werme (pxp) and Reginald Walker Jr. (color) 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 (2-1), playing its second consecutive American Conference member, built a 21-7 lead at halftime and held off UAB, 21-14, last Saturday at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium. The win marked the Cajuns' fourth straight over the Blazers, and their first at home since a 34-0 victory in 2002.
Lunch Winfield rushed for a season-high 92 yards and scored a pair of rushing touchdowns for Louisiana with Steven Blanco scoring a rushing TD for the third straight week. Conor McPherson and Collin Jacob highlighted a defensive unit that limited UAB to 218 yards of total offense, including a season-low 74 on the ground.
McPherson totaled a career-best 13 tackles to lead Louisiana while Jacob had six stops, an interception and key forced fumble late in the game to preserve the win.
Charlotte (0-3) plays its second consecutive Sun Belt Conference opponent after dropping a 26-21 contest at App State. The teams battled a three-and-a-half-hour weather delay with both of Charlotte's offensive touchdowns came on 1-yard runs by former Mountaineer Khamani Alexander. Collin Gill added the 49ers' final points with a 36-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Quarterback Cole Gonzales has raised his career passing total from 6,800 yards entering the season to 7,461, ranking 18th among all NCAA quarterbacks and 15th among Division I quarterbacks. His 55 career touchdown passes rank tied for 31st nationally and tied for 20th among Division I quarterbacks.
Linebacker Gavin Willis has 271 career tackles, ranking tied for 24th among all NCAA players and 16th among Division I players, while Henry Rutledge's 1,245 career kickoff return yards rank fourth among active FBS players.
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 4 PREVIEW – Louisiana (2-1) at Charlotte (0-3)
Location: Jerry Richardson Stadium (15,314) | Charlotte, N.C.
Date/Time: Saturday, September 26 | 5:30 p.m. CT/6:30 p.m. ET
TV/RADIO
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Tom Werme (play-by-play), Reginald Walker Jr. (analyst)
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
Overall – First meeting
KICKING OFF
• Louisiana wraps up its 2026 non-conference schedule on Saturday when it travels to Charlotte, N.C., to face its second consecutive American Conference member – Charlotte – at Jerry Richardson Stadium.
LOUISIANA STORYLINES
• Louisiana's game at Charlotte is the first of a home-and-home with the return game scheduled for September 18, 2032, in Lafayette.
• The game is Louisiana's first of two games this season in the Eastern Time Zone. The Cajuns will wrap up the regular season on November 28 in Atlanta against Georgia State.
• Louisiana is 5-6 all-time in games played in the state of North Carolina, including a 3-1 record at East Carolina and a 1-0 mark against Wake Forest.
• The Cajuns snapped a five-game losing skid at App State with a 24-21 win on Dec. 4, 2020.
• The trip to the Tar Heel State is Louisiana's first since a 41-38 victory at Wake Forest on Sept. 28, 2024.
• Senior tight end Brock Chappell is a native of Sanford, N.C.
• A win would clinch Louisiana's second 3-1 start since 2024.
• Louisiana is 2-4 overall against American Conference schools under head coach Michael Desormeaux, with both wins coming against UAB (2023, 2026).
• The Ragin' Cajuns play a school from the American Conference for the fifth consecutive season dating back to 2022 (at Rice).
• The Cajuns have played the following American schools since 2022: Rice (twice), Tulane (once), UAB (twice) and Houston (once, UH's final game before moving to the Big 12).
• Louisiana opens its 2027 season on the road at American Conference member and in-state rival Tulane.
• The Ragin' Cajuns faced a Tim Albin-coached team in 2021 when Louisiana claimed a 49-21 win over visiting Ohio in the second of a home-and-home series.
• Louisiana comes into the season with an eight-year active streak of competing in a bowl game, currently the ninth-longest streak in the FBS.
• The Ragin' Cajuns return 41 letterwinners and 15 starters from the 2025 season.
• 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.
LOUISIANA TEAM/PLAYER NOTES
• Louisiana is one of 31 teams in FBS that is perfect in red zone offense through Week 3 of the 2026 season.
• The Cajuns have converted on all 10 trips to the red zone with nine resulting in TDs.
Louisiana ranks 39th in the country in rushing yards per game (204.7) and ranks 49th in total defense (302.0).
• Louisiana's five interceptions through the first three games is tied with App State and Arkansas State for the most in the Sun Belt Conference and tied for fifth in the FBS.
• The Cajuns' Red Zone defense (.714) ranks third in the SBC and 22nd nationally.
• Louisiana's six turnovers gained in three games is third among SBC teams and 13th among all FBS programs.
• Louisiana is holding opponents to 1-for-7 (.143) on fourth down to rank 10th nationally.
• Louisiana is holding opponents to 114.7 yards on the ground to rank fourth in the league and 57th in the FBS.
• As a team, Louisiana ranks fifth in the SBC in kickoff return (21.75) and is 44th among all FBS programs.
• Quarterback Lunch Winfield ranks 14th among FBS quarterbacks in completion percentage (.730), is seventh among all FBS players in rushing TDs (5) and 33rd nationally in rushing yards (267).
• In 2026, Ja'Corian Norris has averaged 21.8 yards per kick return to rank 19th among FBS players.
• Teddy Gawlik has caught six passes to lead all tight ends and rank second on the team in receptions behind Russell Babineaux (11).
"SHOW ME MY OPPONENT ..."
• Charlotte made the trip to Boone last weekend for a matchup at Appalachian State. Following a three-and-a-half-hour weather delay, the game finally kicked off under the lights, with the Mountaineers earning a 26-21 victory in the early hours of Sunday morning.
• Both of Charlotte's offensive touchdowns came on 1-yard touchdown runs by former Mountaineer Khamani Alexander, while Collin Gill added the Niners' final points with a 36-yard interception return for a touchdown.
• Quarterback Cole Gonzales entered the 2026 season with 6,800 career passing yards and has increased that total to 7,461 yards through the opening weeks of the season. His career total ranks 18th among all NCAA quarterbacks and 15th among Division I quarterbacks (FBS/FCS).
• Gonzales' three touchdown passes against The Citadel increased his career total to 55, which ranks tied for 31st among all NCAA quarterbacks and tied for 20th among Division I quarterbacks.
• Linebacker Gavin Willis has recorded 271 career tackles, tying him for 24th among all NCAA players and ranking 16th among Division I players.
• Henry Rutledge has accumulated 1,245 career kickoff return yards, ranking fourth among all active FBS players.
ON THIS DAY – SEPTEMBER 26
• Louisiana plays for the 12th time in program history on September 26 and has posted a 5-6 record overall.
• The Cajuns' last game on 9/26 was a 20-18 win over Georgia Southern in 2020 on Nate Snyder's 53-yard field goal at the buzzer.
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 5:30 p.m. CT. The game will be available on ESPN+ with Tom Werme (pxp) and Reginald Walker Jr. (color) 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 (2-1), playing its second consecutive American Conference member, built a 21-7 lead at halftime and held off UAB, 21-14, last Saturday at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium. The win marked the Cajuns' fourth straight over the Blazers, and their first at home since a 34-0 victory in 2002.
Lunch Winfield rushed for a season-high 92 yards and scored a pair of rushing touchdowns for Louisiana with Steven Blanco scoring a rushing TD for the third straight week. Conor McPherson and Collin Jacob highlighted a defensive unit that limited UAB to 218 yards of total offense, including a season-low 74 on the ground.
McPherson totaled a career-best 13 tackles to lead Louisiana while Jacob had six stops, an interception and key forced fumble late in the game to preserve the win.
Charlotte (0-3) plays its second consecutive Sun Belt Conference opponent after dropping a 26-21 contest at App State. The teams battled a three-and-a-half-hour weather delay with both of Charlotte's offensive touchdowns came on 1-yard runs by former Mountaineer Khamani Alexander. Collin Gill added the 49ers' final points with a 36-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Quarterback Cole Gonzales has raised his career passing total from 6,800 yards entering the season to 7,461, ranking 18th among all NCAA quarterbacks and 15th among Division I quarterbacks. His 55 career touchdown passes rank tied for 31st nationally and tied for 20th among Division I quarterbacks.
Linebacker Gavin Willis has 271 career tackles, ranking tied for 24th among all NCAA players and 16th among Division I players, while Henry Rutledge's 1,245 career kickoff return yards rank fourth among active FBS players.
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 4 PREVIEW – Louisiana (2-1) at Charlotte (0-3)
Location: Jerry Richardson Stadium (15,314) | Charlotte, N.C.
Date/Time: Saturday, September 26 | 5:30 p.m. CT/6:30 p.m. ET
TV/RADIO
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Tom Werme (play-by-play), Reginald Walker Jr. (analyst)
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
Overall – First meeting
KICKING OFF
• Louisiana wraps up its 2026 non-conference schedule on Saturday when it travels to Charlotte, N.C., to face its second consecutive American Conference member – Charlotte – at Jerry Richardson Stadium.
LOUISIANA STORYLINES
• Louisiana's game at Charlotte is the first of a home-and-home with the return game scheduled for September 18, 2032, in Lafayette.
• The game is Louisiana's first of two games this season in the Eastern Time Zone. The Cajuns will wrap up the regular season on November 28 in Atlanta against Georgia State.
• Louisiana is 5-6 all-time in games played in the state of North Carolina, including a 3-1 record at East Carolina and a 1-0 mark against Wake Forest.
• The Cajuns snapped a five-game losing skid at App State with a 24-21 win on Dec. 4, 2020.
• The trip to the Tar Heel State is Louisiana's first since a 41-38 victory at Wake Forest on Sept. 28, 2024.
• Senior tight end Brock Chappell is a native of Sanford, N.C.
• A win would clinch Louisiana's second 3-1 start since 2024.
• Louisiana is 2-4 overall against American Conference schools under head coach Michael Desormeaux, with both wins coming against UAB (2023, 2026).
• The Ragin' Cajuns play a school from the American Conference for the fifth consecutive season dating back to 2022 (at Rice).
• The Cajuns have played the following American schools since 2022: Rice (twice), Tulane (once), UAB (twice) and Houston (once, UH's final game before moving to the Big 12).
• Louisiana opens its 2027 season on the road at American Conference member and in-state rival Tulane.
• The Ragin' Cajuns faced a Tim Albin-coached team in 2021 when Louisiana claimed a 49-21 win over visiting Ohio in the second of a home-and-home series.
• Louisiana comes into the season with an eight-year active streak of competing in a bowl game, currently the ninth-longest streak in the FBS.
• The Ragin' Cajuns return 41 letterwinners and 15 starters from the 2025 season.
• 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.
LOUISIANA TEAM/PLAYER NOTES
• Louisiana is one of 31 teams in FBS that is perfect in red zone offense through Week 3 of the 2026 season.
• The Cajuns have converted on all 10 trips to the red zone with nine resulting in TDs.
Louisiana ranks 39th in the country in rushing yards per game (204.7) and ranks 49th in total defense (302.0).
• Louisiana's five interceptions through the first three games is tied with App State and Arkansas State for the most in the Sun Belt Conference and tied for fifth in the FBS.
• The Cajuns' Red Zone defense (.714) ranks third in the SBC and 22nd nationally.
• Louisiana's six turnovers gained in three games is third among SBC teams and 13th among all FBS programs.
• Louisiana is holding opponents to 1-for-7 (.143) on fourth down to rank 10th nationally.
• Louisiana is holding opponents to 114.7 yards on the ground to rank fourth in the league and 57th in the FBS.
• As a team, Louisiana ranks fifth in the SBC in kickoff return (21.75) and is 44th among all FBS programs.
• Quarterback Lunch Winfield ranks 14th among FBS quarterbacks in completion percentage (.730), is seventh among all FBS players in rushing TDs (5) and 33rd nationally in rushing yards (267).
• In 2026, Ja'Corian Norris has averaged 21.8 yards per kick return to rank 19th among FBS players.
• Teddy Gawlik has caught six passes to lead all tight ends and rank second on the team in receptions behind Russell Babineaux (11).
"SHOW ME MY OPPONENT ..."
• Charlotte made the trip to Boone last weekend for a matchup at Appalachian State. Following a three-and-a-half-hour weather delay, the game finally kicked off under the lights, with the Mountaineers earning a 26-21 victory in the early hours of Sunday morning.
• Both of Charlotte's offensive touchdowns came on 1-yard touchdown runs by former Mountaineer Khamani Alexander, while Collin Gill added the Niners' final points with a 36-yard interception return for a touchdown.
• Quarterback Cole Gonzales entered the 2026 season with 6,800 career passing yards and has increased that total to 7,461 yards through the opening weeks of the season. His career total ranks 18th among all NCAA quarterbacks and 15th among Division I quarterbacks (FBS/FCS).
• Gonzales' three touchdown passes against The Citadel increased his career total to 55, which ranks tied for 31st among all NCAA quarterbacks and tied for 20th among Division I quarterbacks.
• Linebacker Gavin Willis has recorded 271 career tackles, tying him for 24th among all NCAA players and ranking 16th among Division I players.
• Henry Rutledge has accumulated 1,245 career kickoff return yards, ranking fourth among all active FBS players.
ON THIS DAY – SEPTEMBER 26
• Louisiana plays for the 12th time in program history on September 26 and has posted a 5-6 record overall.
• The Cajuns' last game on 9/26 was a 20-18 win over Georgia Southern in 2020 on Nate Snyder's 53-yard field goal at the buzzer.
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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