Louisiana returned to Cajun Field for one final game in 2022 as they face off with the Georgia Southern Eagles. The Cajuns’ offense had a big night with the defense getting some crucial stops early as Louisiana defeated the Eagles 36-17.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Cajuns found the endzone on their first possession of the contest when Ben Wooldridge found John Stephens Jr in the back corner of the endzone for a 28-yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Louisiana at the 10:52 mark.
Georgia Southern answered with some trickery, scoring on a 32-yard halfback pass from OJ Arnold to Derwin Burgess Jr to tie the game up with 13:43 remaining in the first half.
Louisiana answered in a big way, with a 54-yard scamper by Dre’Lyn Washington on the first play of the drive, and then two plays later, Wooldridge found Jacob Bernard in the back of the endzone for an 18-yard score to give the Cajuns the 14-7 lead.
The Cajuns scored again on their next possession. After a 50-yard punt return from Dontae Fleming, Wooldridge got his third passing touchdown of the half when he found Michael Jefferson at the 18-yard line. Jefferson made a man miss and scampered in for a 28-yard score and a 21-7 Cajuns lead.
Kenneth Almendares tacked on a 48-yard field goal at the 3:34 mark of the second quarter to push the lead to 24-7 in favor of Louisiana. Almendares added a 34-yarder as time expired in the second to give the Cajuns a 27-7 lead at the half.
Five minutes into the second half, Almendares delivered again, this time with a 27-yard field goal to make it 30-7 Louisiana.
Georgia Southern found the endzone for the second time in this contest when Kyle Vantrease found Marcus Sanders Jr for a 25-yard strike to make it 30-14 with 4:25 remaining in the 3rd.
Almendares tacked on a 42-yarder at the 14:09 mark to increase the Louisiana lead to 33-14. This was his fourth field goal of the contest. Alex Raynor added three points for the Eagles two minutes later to make it 33-17 Cajuns.
After another stalled drive, Almendares hit a 40-yard field goal for his fifth make of the night. With the kick, Almendares tied the school record for most field goals in a single game and Louisiana led 36-17 with 10:13 left in the game.
On Georgia Southern’s final possession, they couldn’t convert on fourth down and Louisiana went into victory formation to win 36-17.
BIG NUMBER: 5
Kenneth Almendares tied the school record for field goals in a single game with five. The redshirt sophomore from Clute, Texas made field goals from 48, 42, 40, 34, and 27 yards.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Ben Wooldridge
Wooldridge had a big night in the air, going 17-31 with 193 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.
UP NEXT: Louisiana (5-5) will travel to Tallahassee, Florida next Saturday to play Florida State. Kickoff from Doak Campbell Stadium is set for 11:00 a.m.