The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (1-2) are on the road for the second straight week as they’ll play the Eastern Michigan Eagles (0-3) in Ypsilanti, Michigan on Saturday afternoon.
The Cajuns were blown out 52-10 by #25 Missouri last week. The story of the day was the lack of passing attack, as the Cajuns threw for just four yards on the day.
The Eagles have struggled this season, dropping their first three including a game to FCS opponent Long Island. Last week was a better performance, however, as they hung around against SEC foe Kentucky. They are searching for their first win of the season.
Kickoff between Louisiana and Eastern Michigan from Rynearson Stadium is set for 2:30 central on Saturday.
MISSING: PASSING ATTACK
Simply put, the Louisiana passing game is ranked dead last in the entire FBS. That includes primarily option-attack offenses such as Rice, Army, and Navy. The numbers are bad and there is no way around that.
While the numbers are what they are, the sample size is still limited. Daniel Beale was put into a tough situation, and the game flows have not been very supportive of airing it out.
When the Cajuns get to Ypsilanti, there is no doubt that Eastern Michigan will look to slow down the running game and force the Cajuns to effectively throw the ball. Whether Beale and company can do that remains to be seen, but the opportunities will undoubtedly be there on Saturday.
THEY COUNT DOUBLE AFTER THIS
Saturday marks the last non-conference game of the season for the Cajuns. After that, it’s eight straight Sun Belt games to close the season.
The season has certainly gotten off to a bumpy start, the Coach Desormeaux has repeatedly stressed how important it is for the team to get into a rhythm before SBC play begins.
Saturday marks the Cajuns’ last chance to do so, so expect this team to play with an edge in trying to gain momentum before Marshall comes to Lafayette next weekend.
STRENGTH ON WEAKNESS?
The Cajuns have undoubtedly had much more success running the football than throwing it in 2025.
On the other side, the Eagle defense has struggled mightily against the run, allowing 291 yards per game in that department.
While the Eagles will certainly look to add more hats in the box to slow down the run, this still seems like a good matchup for the Cajuns’ offensive line along with their talented trio of running backs. In addition to Bill Davis and Zylan Perry, Steven Blanco has emerged as a third running back option for Coach Desormeaux.
SERIES RECORD: Cajuns lead 2-1
ALL-TIME MEETINGS:
2022: LOUISIANA 49 – EASTERN MICHIGAN 21
2006: LOUISIANA 33 – EASTERN MICHIGAN 14
2005: LOUISIANA 10 – EASTERN MICHIGAN 31
STAT LEADERS:
Louisiana:
Daniel Beale: 15-36, 91 Yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Zylan Perry: 30 Carries, 226 Yards, 1 TD
Shelton Sampson Jr: 5 Catches, 63 Yards, 0 TD
5 Players Tied: 1 Sack
Jaden Dugger: 25 Tackles (13 solo)
Jalen Clark & Cameron Whitfield: 1 INT
Tony Sterner: 5-of-7 Field Goals, Long of 51, 5-of-5 PAT
Eastern Michigan:
Noah Kim: 66-105, 767 Yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
Dontae McMillan: 30 Carries, 219 Yards, 1 TD
Terry Lockett Jr: 16 Catches, 230 Yards, 1 TD
Messiah Blair: 1 Sack
Marco Patierno & Bryce Llewellyn: 19 Tackles
N/A: 0 INT
Rudy Kessinger: 6-of-7 Field Goals, Long of 50, 7-of-7 PAT