GAME: Louisiana Ragin Cajuns vs Southeastern Louisiana Lions
DATE/TIME: Saturday, September 3rd, 6:00 pm
PLACE: Cajun Field
TV: ESPN+ (Dan McDonald, Eric Mouton)
RECORD: Louisiana leads the all-time series 20-17-3 (Last Meeting: 9-2-17 Cajuns win 51-48)
Football season is finally here.
The Louisiana Ragin Cajuns will look to continue where they left off in 2021 as they put their 13-game winning streak on the line against the Southeastern Louisiana Lions Saturday night at Cajun Field.
“We’ve talked about the opportunities here, you know, starting back in January, and I’m excited for these guys to get their opportunity to go out there and play” said Louisiana head coach Michael Desormeaux. “We’ve got a group of kids that have worked really hard to be in position to go out there and go play really good football.”
The Cajuns finished 13-1 in 2021, capturing the first outright Sun Belt championship in program history. Shortly after, Billy Napier departed for Florida, bringing a slew of staff members with him to Gainesville. Pair that with O’Cyrus Torrence and Montrell Johnson going to Florida, Emani Bailey heading to TCU, two key players going to the NFL, and losing a handful to graduation, and you would think this program would take a few steps back.
But if you watch Desormeaux and the Cajuns, you’re going to see a lot of experience throughout the roster.
Louisiana
Chandler Fields will take the reins of the offense, starting at quarterback for the first time in his fourth season with the program. Fields, a New Orleans native, and Archbishop Rummel product is not somebody the Cajuns faithful has never seen play, but this is the first time you’ll see Fields truly lead the offense. Fields and Fresno State transfer Ben Wooldridge battled for that spot all offseason, but ultimately Fields had the upper hand.
Chris Smith is back to lead the running back room after an 855-yard season last year. The Cajuns won’t have Montrell Johnson or Emani Bailey, but sophomore Terrance Williams, Drelyn Washington, and Texas A&M transfer Jacob Kibodi have really stepped up to be contributors behind Smith.
Wide receiver is a strong group for Louisiana, which returns key contributors Michael Jefferson, Peter Leblanc, Jamal Bell, and a handful of others after losing Kyren Lacy to LSU. Younger players such as Dontae Fleming, Errol Rogers Jr, Kaleb Carter, and Jacob Bernard will also look to contribute for this offense.
The offensive line turns into a question mark for the Cajuns in 2022, after losing four starters from a year ago. Carlos Rubio and AJ Gille are back as anchors for this line, with Jax Harrington, David Hudson, and Nathan Thomas stepping up in big roles as well.
Defensively, Louisiana loses a lot, but still has a ton of experience at every level. Up front, you replace Tayland Humphrey with Zi’Yon Hil-Green and Jordan Lawson. The linebacker spot will be most intriguing, with Jourdan Quibodeaux, Andre Jones, Kris Moncrief, and AJ Riley being the big names to watch to replace Chauncey Manac and Ferrod Gardner. In the secondary, you lose Percy Butler but return Trey Amos, Eric Garror, Bralen Trahan, and Kam Pedescleaux.
Southeastern Louisiana
The Lions come into this contest ranked #16 in the FCS polls, but they have a large hole in their offense. Cole Kelley is no longer under center, as the Walter Payton Award winner graduated last year. Kelley threw for 5124 and 44 touchdowns while running for 491 yards and 16 touchdowns. He led Southeastern to a 9-4 overall record and an appearance in the second round of the FCS Playoffs. South Alabama transfer and second-year Lion Cephus Johnson will start at quarterback for the Lions, throwing for 149 yards in 2021.
Taron Jones is back at running back along with Rodeo Graham and Jessie Britt, while Southland Freshman of the Year Gage Larvadian is back to lead the wide receiver corps. The Lions also return CJ Turner, Nick Kovacs, and Terrell Carter at the wideout position. Southeastern also returns two All-Southland players on the O-Line.
Defense
The secondary is by far the strength of this defense, with two FCS All-Americans in Zy Alexander and Ferlando Jordan. Alexander led the SLC in interceptions (six) in 2021 and Jordan returns from injury in 2022 to form a solid duo.
On the defensive side, Bill D’Ottavio will have the luxury of eight players returning from last season, including Garrett Crawford and John Graves III. The Lions also have four linebackers returning to really make this an experienced defense for Southeastern.
For gameday coverage on the Cajuns, follow Matt Miguez on Twitter @MiguezMatt for in-game updates and more!