The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns kept the bowl hopes alive on Saturday night.
Led by a stellar performance by Lunch Winfield, Louisiana defeated Texas State 42-39 inside Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium. It was the Ragin’ Cajuns’ 13th straight victory over the Bobcats.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After forcing Texas State to punt on its opening possession, Louisiana scored on its first possession for the fourth straight game. With a heavy dose of Zylan Perry and Bill Davis who combined for 52 yards on five carries, the Ragin’ Cajuns marched down the field. The drive was capped with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Lunch Winfield to Shelton Sampson Jr.
Texas State responded with a seven-play, 67-yard drive highlighted by a 62-yard pass from Brad Jackson to Beau Sparks. The Bobcats then got closer after a roughing the passer penalty called on Terrence Williams which moved the ball to the seven-yard line. Louisiana’s held them to a 25-yard field goal by Tyler Robles.
The Bobcats took the lead on the ensuing possession as Lincoln Pare took a handoff up the middle and ran it for a 54-yard touchdown. The Ragin’ Cajuns would respond with a 10-play, 94-yard drive capped by a 27-yard touchdown pass from Winfield to Caden Jensen.
Louisiana’s defense came up with a big play as Courtline Flowers tipped a pass and Kody Jackson intercepted it. A few plays later, Winfield found Landon Strother on the right sideline for a 14-yard gain and Louisiana had the ball at the 12-yard line. Davis would take a handoff up the middle and powered his way into the end zone.
Louisiana’s defense forced another turnover as Jordan Lawson stripped-sacked Jackson and Cameron Whitfield recovered it. That gave the Ragin’ Cajuns the ball at the 17-yard line. A few plays later, Louisiana scored again as Winfield found Sampson in the back of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown.
Texas State responded by attacking Louisiana’s secondary. Jackson hit Sparks for a 35-yard gain down the left sideline, and then on the ensuing play found Titus Lyons for a 24-yard touchdown.
Louisiana answered with a 10-play, 64-yard drive which ended with Winfield scoring his fourth touchdown of the game, a one-yard QB sneak. At the break, the Ragin’ Cajuns led 35-17.
Louisiana got the ball to start the second half but the first possession ended with KeDarius Crosby unable to bring in a pass and it being caught by Texas State’s Bobby Crosby. Texas State was unable to take advantage as Louisiana’s defense stopped them on a fourth-down attempt.
Texas State got the ball back and put themselves in position to score a touchdown after Jackson completed a 40-yard pass to Chris Dawn Jr. The Ragin’ Cajuns defense stood tall and held them to a 24-yard field goal.
Louisiana extended its lead with nine-play, 51-yard drive which ended with Winfield scoring on a three-yard touchdown run. Texas State answered with yet another big chunk play, this one a 49-yard touchdown run by Sparks. The two-point conversion was no good.
After a second interception by the Texas State defense, the Bobcats used a big chunk play again to score. Texas State scored on a 38-yard pass to Sparks. The two-point conversion was no good again. With 8:19 left in the fourth quarter, the Ragin’ Cajuns led 42-32.
After forcing Louisiana to punt, Texas State went down the field and scored again. This time Jackson found Dawn Jr. for a 21-yard touchdown. The extra point was good and the Ragin’ Cajuns’ lead was down to three points with a little more than three minutes remaining in the game.
The Ragin’ Cajuns were able to seal the win as Winfield ran for seven yards on fourth and two at the Bobcat 31-yard line. A few moments later, and after an unnecessary roughness call on Texas State, Louisiana ran out the clock and earned the victory.
BIG NUMBER I: 13
With Saturday’s victory, Louisiana improved to 13-0 all-time against Texas State. No telling when the Ragin’ Cajuns will add to that streak or when the Bobcats snap it, as Texas State is heading to play in the revamped Pac-12 next season.
BIG NUMBER II: 114
Texas State was flagged 11 times for 114 yards in the game, including three called penalties for 20 yards on Louisiana’s final offensive drive.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME: LUNCH WINFIELD & SHELTON SAMPSON JR.
Winfield completed 17-of-27 passes for 192 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also added 49 yards on 18 carries and a pair of rushing scores. Sampson meanwhile had a stellar game as he hauled in five passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns. He also made a key catch of 19 yards on the final drive to seal the victory.
UP NEXT: Louisiana (4-6, 3-3) will return to action when it travels to Jonesboro to take on Arkansas State on Thursday, Nov. 20. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m.