LAFAYETTE – McNeese held its own against the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns on Saturday night as the final outcome on the scoreboard wasn't indicative of the overall contest in a 34-10 win for the Cajuns in front of 26,071.
McNeese (1-1) trailed 17-10 after three quarters but the Cajuns (1-1) scored 17 fourth-quarter points to seal the win including 14 points in the final 3:48.
The Cajuns scored on the game's opening drive after Robert Williams returned the opening kickoff 50 yards to set up a touchdown four plays later.
McNeese answered quickly in the next drive, marching 80 yards in five plays, ending with a 2-yard
Devin Lippold lunge to knot the game up 7-7. Quarterback
Jake Strong completed all three of his passes in the drive for 80 yards including a 55-yard catch and run pass to Joshua Jackson on the first play.
Late in the second quarter, the Cowboys were driving into UL territory and were facing a 2
nd-and-2 at the 26 when Strong threw to an open
Logan Mauldin near the 9-yard line, but UL's Jalen Clark made a great grab to steal the reception for a turnover. Six plays later running back Bill Davis ran up the middle for a 36-yard touchdown to put the Cajuns up 14-7 with 1:06 on the clock.
On the ensuing kickoff, McNeese's Johnathan Harris called for a fair catch on a squib kick meaning the ball would be ruled down where he fielded it, which was at the 2. The Cowboys went three-and-out while UL used it's timeouts to allow time on the clock after a McNeese punt.
A defensive pass interference on the Cowboys on a 3
rd-and-9 play followed by a 19-yard completed pass from Daniel Beale to KeDarius Wade set up a 38-yard Cajun field goal as time expired to end the half as the Cajuns led 17-7.
McNeese scored on the opening drive of the third quarter on a 45-yard field goal by
Fabrizio Pinton to cut the deficit to 17-10.
The Cowboys' defense came up big on the next Cajuns possession, stuffing Davis on a 4
th-and-1 plunge at the McNeese 25 to force a turnover on downs. McNeese was unable to move the ball across the 50 and was forced to punt back to the Cajuns.
UL increased the lead to 20-10 on a 37-yard field goal by Sterner with 10:41 to play and scored two late touchdowns to close out the scoring.
Team Stats
Total Offense: McNeese 238, UL 401
Rushing Offense: McNeese 26-47, UL 45-315
Passing Offense: McNeese 191 (19-30-1), UL 86 (14-22-0)
First Downs: McNeese 14, UL 25
Individual Stats
Passing:
Jake Strong 19-30-1, 191
Rushing:
Bryce Strong 7-17;
Jaylen Thompson 3-16;
Tre'Vonte Citizen 5-11;
Devin Lippold 3-5, TD;
Jake Strong 8-(-2)
Receiving: Joshua Jackson 4-83;
Tre'Vonte Citizen 3-18; Jessie Campbell 3-17;
Kameran Senegal 3-9;
Logan Mauldin 2-30;
Makhi Paris 1-17;
Trey Echols 1-8;
Jonathan Harris 1-6;
Tyronne Hayes 1-3
Tackles:
Shoes Brinkley 10,
Landon Barrett 8,
Javon Davis 7
Sacks:
Landon Barrett 1
Tackles For Loss:
Landon Barrett 2.0,
Phillip Bradford 1.0,
AJ Thomas 1.0,
Dominick Bolden 1.0,
Shoes Brinkley 0.5,
Welland Williams 0.5
How it Happened:
First Quarter
12:58 UL | Bill Davis scored on a 6-yard run to cap a 5-play, 46-yard drive (7-0, UL)
10:07 McN | Quarterback
Devin Lippold plunged from 2 yards out to tie the game. Scoring drive was 5 plays for 80 yards and took 2:42 off the clock (7-7).
Second Quarter
1:06 UL | Bill Davis rushed up the middle for a 36-yard touchdown. An interception at the UL 9 gave the Cajuns the ball back as they put together a 91-yard, 6-play drive that took 47 seconds off the clock. The drive was kept alive with a 22-yard scramble by quarterback Daniel Beale on a 3
rd-and-10 play. (14-7, UL).
0:00 UL | Tony Sterner connects on a 38-yard field goal as time expires to end the half. (17-7, UL).
Third Quarter
11:50 McN |
Fabrizio Pinton splits the uprights with a 45-yard field goal on the opening drive of the third quarter. Scoring drive – 8 plays, 47 yards, 3:10. (17-10, UL).
Fourth Quarter
10:41 UL | 37-yard field goal by Sterner increases the Cajuns' lead to 20-10. Scoring drive took 12 play, 65 yards and 6:19.
3:48 UL | Landon Baptiste scored on a 10-yard pass from Beale (27-10, UL).
1:39 UL | Steven Blanco scored on a 34-yard run (34-10, UL).
Next Up:
McNeese returns home next Saturday to host Weber State at 6 p.m. in Navarre Stadium.
