The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (2-5, 1-2 SBC) will be traveling to Alabama to take on the Troy Trojans (5-2, 3-0 SBC) on Saturday. The Ragin’ Cajuns are looking to snap a two-game losing skid and keep their chances of making it to a bowl game alive.
Louisiana is coming off a disappointing 22-10 loss to Southern Miss for homecoming last Saturday. The Ragin’ Cajuns ran the ball well, and the defense was improved, but it wasn’t enough.
Troy, meanwhile, is coming off a 37-14 victory over ULM, which is its fourth-straight victory. The Trojans are also tied for first place in the SBC West standings.
Kickoff between Louisiana Troy from Veterans Memorial Stadium is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday.
BRUISED & BATTERED
The injury bug continues to decimate the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. The offensive line has had its top six tackles miss time due to injury. George Jackson, J’Marion Gooch, and Zay Alexander suffered season-ending injuries. True freshman Jakoby Isom will now join them as he suffered a season-ending injury in the homecoming loss to Southern Miss last week. In addition to the offensive line, the Cajuns’ quarterback room has been hit with the injury bug. Walker Howard suffered a serious oblique injury in the opener that required surgery, but Howard did come back last week as the backup quarterback. Lunch Winfield meanwhile, has been dealing with a nagging ankle injury and now also an oblique issue.
NO DEFICIT TOO MUCH
The Troy Trojans have made it a habit this season to overcome deficits. It began in their opener, when Troy entered the fourth quarter trailing Nicholls 17-10 but would go on to win the game 38-20. Troy then trailed Buffalo 14-0 entering the final quarter, and won that game 21-17. Texas State jumped out to a 28-7 lead after the first quarter, and led 38-27 entering the fourth quarter. Yet, Troy outscored them 14-3 in the fourth to force overtime and won the game 48-41. Troy also won a tough game against South Alabama, 31-24, in overtime. Troy has proven to make the plays it needs to make when it matters most.
WINLESS ON THE ROAD
Michael Desormeaux’s team enters Saturday’s game looking to secure its first road victory of the season. Louisiana lost to Top 25-ranked Missouri 52-10, fell short 34-31 at Eastern Michigan, and suffered a 24-14 defeat at James Madison on October 11th. The Ragin’ Cajuns went 6-0 on the road in 2024, when they won 10 games and played in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game.
SERIES RECORD: Louisiana leads the series 14-11
LAST FIVE MEETINGS:
2024: LOUISIANA 51 – TROY 30
2023: TROY 31 – LOUISIANA 24
2022: TROY 23 – LOUISIANA 17
2021: LOUISIANA 35 – TROY 21
2019: LOUISIANA 53 – TROY 3
STAT LEADERS:
Louisiana:
Lunch Winfield: 35-70, 484 Yards, 4 TD, 2 INT
Walker Howard: 42-84, 385 Yards, 1 TD, 4 INT
Zylan Perry: 72 Carries, 466 Yards, 5 TD
Robert Williams: 15 Catches, 228 Yards, 0 TD
Jaden Dugger: 68 Tackles (34 solo), 6 TFL, 1 Sack
4 Players Tied: 1 INT
Tony Sterner: 9-of-14 Field Goals, Long of 51
Troy:
Tucker Kilcrease: 80-134, 1,054 Yards, 9 TD, 2 INT
Tae Meadows: 99 Carries, 498 Yards, 4 TD
Tray Taylor: 15 Catches, 330 Yards, 3 TD
Dj Epps: 20 Catches, 255 Yards, 3 TD
Jordan Stringer: 65 Tackles (31 Solo), 7 TFL, 1.5 Sacks
Donnie Smith: 26 Tackles (12 Solo), 6.5 TFL, 4.5 Sacks
Scott Taylor Renfroe: 7-of-8 Field Goals, Long of 47