The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (2-6, 1-3 SBC) will be traveling to Alabama for the second straight week as they take on the South Alabama Jaguars (2-6, 1-3 SBC) on Saturday. The Cajuns are looking to snap a three-game losing streak and get their first road win of the season.
Louisiana is coming off a 35-23 loss at Troy last week. The Cajuns offense struck early but had to settle for too many field goals in the second half. The Trojans were able to stay in front and secure the win.
South Alabama was last in action on Thursday, October 23rd against Georgia State. The Jaguars were in control for much of the game, but did need a big turnover late to seal a 38-31 win.
Kickoff between Louisiana and South Alabama from Hancock Whitney Stadium is set for 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
BOWL LIVES ON THE LINE
Without a doubt, both of these programs expected to be participating in a bowl game this year, if not more than that. However, things have not gone as planned with both teams sitting at 2-6 overall.
That means both teams would need to win out to reach six wins and gain bowl eligibility. It also means the loser of this game is eliminated from bowl contention.
OFFENSIVE LINE HELP
It has been a season full of adversity for the UL offensive line. Numerous starters, backups, and depth players have gone down, many out for the season. Last week that was exacerbated with Jakoby Isom, a true freshman, being determined out for the year as well.
There was finally some good news this week. Kaden Moreau, Cooper Fordham, and Bryant Williams should all be back. That helps, but this position has still been a battle for Louisiana and will continue to be.
OFFENSIVE REINFORCEMENTS
With Lunch Winfield continuing to be the biggest contributor on offense, the Cajuns desperately need to give him some help. Last week, Shelton Sampson Jr returned and had a nice performance. He, along with the running back duo of Zylan Perry and Bill Davis, need to be big factors in this game.
If Lunch is forced to carry the ball more than 20 times again, it could cause other problems within the offense. We will see if the Cajuns playmakers can get involved in this one.
SERIES RECORD: Louisiana leads the series 9-4
LAST FIVE MEETINGS:
2024: SOUTH ALABAMA 24 – LOUISIANA 22
2023: LOUISIANA 33 – LOUISIANA 20
2022: SOUTH ALABAMA 20 – LOUISIANA 17
2021: LOUISIANA 20 – SOUTH ALABAMA 18
2020: LOUISIANA 38 – SOUTH ALABAMA 10
STAT LEADERS:
Louisiana:
Lunch Winfield: 47-92, 671 Yards, 5 TD, 4 INT
Zylan Perry: 81 Carries, 487 Yards, 6 TD
Robert Williams: 16 Catches, 246 Yards, 0 TD
Jaden Dugger: 73 Tackles (36 solo)
Jaelen Crider & Jordan Lawson: 1.5 Sacks
Courtline Flowers: 2 INT
Tony Sterner: 12-of-17 Field Goals, Long of 51
South Alabama:
Bishop Davenport: 130-194, 1,461 Yards, 11 TD, 4 INT
Kentrel Bullock: 144 Carries, 681 Yards, 8 TD
Devin Voisin: 48 Catches, 642 Yards, 4 TD
Blayne Myrick: 53 Tackles (27 Solo)
Tyler Thomas: 2 Sacks
Nehemiah Chandler: 2 INT
Hamilton DiBoyan: 6-of-9 Field Goals, Long of 47