The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns took an early lead but were unable to pull off the road victory against the Troy Trojans on Saturday night. Troy defeated Louisiana 35-23, and the Ragin’ Cajuns suffered their third straight loss in Sun Belt Conference play and sixth overall loss of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Troy took the opening possession and needed 11 plays to go 67 yards and capped the drive with an eight-yard touchdown run by Tucker Kilcrease.
Louisiana needed little time to respond as Lunch Winfield ran for 39 yards on first down, and then found Shelton Sampson Jr. for a 36-yard touchdown.
Troy’s next possession ended with a missed 48-yard field goal, and Louisiana’s ensuing possession ended with the Ragin’ Cajuns turning it over on downs.
Louisiana’s defense stepped up as Courtline Flowers picked off Kilcrease and returned to the Troy one-yard line. After a false start on the Cajuns, the offense punched it with a one-yard touchdown run by Zylan Perry.
Troy’s next possession resulted in another turnover on downs, and Louisiana got the ball at the 26-yard line. Michael Desormeaux brought in Walker Howard, and the former St. Thomas More star had his pass broken up and then picked off by Jaquez White, who returned it for a touchdown.
The Ragin’ Cajuns’ next possession ended with a turnover as Winfield’s pass was picked off by Kaleno Levine, who returned it 34 yards to the Louisiana 26-yard line.
The Trojans took advantage of the short field, and Kilcrease found the end zone with a four-yard run.
The Ragin’ Cajuns cut into the lead with a 12-play, 55-yard drive, and Tony Sterner made a 37-yard field goal. At the break, Troy led 21-17.
Troy opened up the second half with an 11-play, 69-yard drive and ended it with a trip to the end zone, as Jordan Lovett ran it up the middle for a one-yard touchdown run.
Louisiana responded with a 10-play, 62-yard drive, but it stalled and the Cajuns had to settle for a 31-yard field goal by Sterner.
After forcing Troy to punt, Louisiana got the ball back and put together a long drive, going 81 yards on 16 plays. The drive stalled out, and the Ragin’ Cajuns were forced to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Sterner. With 7:08 left in the fourth, Louisiana trailed 28-23.
Troy seized the momentum back with a seven-play, 75-yard drive that ate more than four minutes, which was capped with a 19-yard touchdown run by Lovett.
Louisiana tried to rally later, but after moving the ball 47 yards, the drive ended with Winfield being picked off.
BIG NUMBER: 3
The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns committed three turnovers in Saturday’s loss to Troy, with all three coming from interceptions. Lunch Winfield threw two of them, while Walker Howard had one. The loss on Saturday is also the third straight defeat for the Ragin’ Cajuns.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: LUNCH WINFIELD
Louisiana’s quarterback did serious damage with his legs as he had a game-high 139 yards on 23 carries. Winfield also completed 12-of-22 passes for 187 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
UP NEXT: Louisiana (2-6, 1-3 SBC) travels back to Alabama next Saturday to take on South Alabama at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m.