MOBILE, Ala. — The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns had their season end on Wednesday night with a bowl loss for the fourth consecutive year.
Louisiana was unable to capitalize on its first three drives that got inside the 30-yard line, as Delaware found its footing and pulled away in the second half for a 20-13 victory in the 68 Ventures Bowl inside Hancock Whitney Stadium.
It is also the third time in four years that the Ragin’ Cajuns have ended the season with seven losses.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Louisiana showed promise on the opening drive with a five and six-yard run by Zylan Perry, and then a 40-yard pass from Lunch Winfield to Caden Jensen. The drive stalled, and the Ragin’ Cajuns settled for a 39-yard field goal, but Tony Sterner missed the kick.
Louisiana’s defense forced Delaware to go three-and-out as Kyle Duplessis dropped a deep pass, and then Nick Minicucci was sacked on third down by Cameron Whitfield.
The Ragin’ Cajuns’ second drive had plenty of promise as they drove 48 yards on 12 plays. The drive came down to a fourth-and-one play from the Delaware five-yard line. Instead of running to get the first down, Winfield tried to find Jensen in the corner of the end zone, but the throw was late and picked off by Nate Evans.
Louisiana’s first two offensive drives netted 101 yards and ended with zero points.
Delaware made Louisiana pay for not getting points as the Blue Hens needed only a few plays to find the end zone. Jo Silver took a handoff up the middle and outran the Cajun defenders for a 61-yard touchdown.
Louisiana finally got on the board with a 16-play, 70-yard drive, but it stalled in the red zone. The Cajuns had to settle for a 22-yard field goal, which Sterner made.
After forcing a quick three-and-out, Louisiana gave Delaware a gift as Darrell Smith muffed the punt. The Blue Hens had the ball past midfield, but the Ragin’ Cajuns stopped them on a fourth-and-two run at the UL 26-yard line.
Walker Howard came into the game for Winfield, but the Cajuns went three-and-out as Howard was hit while throwing on third down. Delaware took the ball and went down the field and added a 33-yard field goal with 28 seconds to go before halftime.
At the break, the Blue Hens led the Ragin’ Cajuns 10-3.
Delaware opened up the second half, needing only six plays to score as Minicucci found Sean Wilson open for a 35-yard touchdown.
The Blue Hens added a 27-yard field goal by Nate Reed while the Ragin’ Cajuns added a 39-yard field goal by Sterner. At the end of the third quarter, Delaware led 20-6.
Louisiana finally got into the end zone in the fourth quarter with a 10-play, 46-yard drive, which was capped with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Winfield to Shelton Sampson Jr. With a little under eight minutes remaining, the Ragin’ Cajuns trailed 20-13.
Delaware’s ensuing drive saw the Blue Hens drive to the Louisiana 41-yard line. Delaware opted to go for it on fourth and two, but Minicucci’s pass was short and incomplete, which stopped the clock and gave Louisiana the ball back with 3:04 left.
The Ragin’ Cajuns drove past midfield and faced a fourth and five at the 47-yard line. After a timeout, the snap to Winfield was low, and as he was trying to bring up to throw, the Cajuns’ signal caller dropped the ball, which was recovered by the Blue Hens.
After forcing Delaware to punt, Louisiana had one last chance to tie the game.
Winfield found Landon Strother for an 11-yard game that put the ball at the UL 45-yard line. Two plays later, Winfield hit Charles Robertson down the sideline for a 32-yard gain. That put the ball at the Delaware 23-yard line.
Two plays later, Delaware was called for pass interference, which put the ball at the eight-yard line. The next play, Winfield tucked it and ran but was caught in the field of play. The Ragin’ Cajuns had to hurry to spike the ball with two seconds left.
The final play was Winfield throwing the ball to Jensen in the end zone, but the ball was a little behind him, and it was incomplete.
BIG NUMBER: 13
The 13 combined points in the first half of Wednesday’s game were the lowest amount in 68 Ventures Bowl history. The previous lowest first-half total point was 14 in the 2000 game between TCU and Southern Miss.
BIG NUMBER II: 4
With the loss, Louisiana head coach Michael Desormeaux falls to 1-4 in bowl games as the Ragin’ Cajuns head coach. The lone victory came in the 2021 New Orleans Bowl against Marshall, which was his first game as head coach after replacing Billy Napier.
PLAYER OF THE GAME (LOUISIANA): JORDAN LAWSON
The Ragin’ Cajuns’ defensive lineman was a disruptive force, recording five tackles (four solo) and three tackles for a loss.
PLAYER OF THE GAME (DELAWARE): JOE SILVER
The Blue Hens running back led all rushers with 119 yards on 13 carries, including a 61-yard touchdown.