The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (8-2, 5-1 SBC) will celebrate 19 seniors on Saturday at Cajun Field when they play host to the Troy Trojans (3-7, 2-4 SBC) in a divisional matchup.
The Cajuns suffered their first Sun Belt loss of the season last Saturday to South Alabama 24-22. The loss meant that the Cajuns could not clinch the West division early, which they would have done with a win.
The Trojans struggled mightily early this season, but have figured some things out as of late. They have won back to back games, including a 28-20 triumph over previously East-leading Georgia Southern last week.
Kickoff inside Cajun Field is set for 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 23rd.
CALLING FOR BACKUP
The Cajuns lost starting quarterback Ben Wooldridge to injury in the South Alabama game. Luckily, they have one of the most experienced backups in the country.
Senior Chandler Fields stepped in and almost executed a comeback in the fourth quarter. Now, he gets his chance to lead a team that still has plenty of their goals in front of them.
DEFENDING CHAMPS (FOR NOW)
It does not feel like it based on their struggles, but the Trojans are still the two-time defending SBC Champions. Their coach went to Tulane and they lost plenty of their roster, leading them to struggle early. Eventually, the injuries piled up as well.
However, they have found life in the second half of the season and it has led them to a couple of big wins. They will not repeat as champs this season, but they would love nothing more than to mess up the championship hopes of a team like Louisiana.
BATTLE OF ATTRITION
The Cajuns were able to stay relatively healthy throughout the first portion of the season. However, injuries have started to stack up as of late. They were without three members of the secondary last week, and will likely be without one or two again this week. They saw an offensive lineman go down last week as well, and of course lost quarterback Ben Wooldridge.
The remainder of the season will be a battle to stay healthy in addition to a battle to win games.
SERIES RECORD: Troy leads 11-9
Last 5 Meetings:
2023: LOUISIANA 24 – TROY 31
2022: LOUISIANA 17 – TROY 23
2021: LOUISIANA 35 – TROY 21
2019: LOUISIANA 53 – TROY 3
2018: LOUISIANA 16 – TROY 26
STAT LEADERS:
Louisiana
Ben Wooldridge: 185-271, 2,392 Yards, 17 TD, 5 INT
Bill Davis: 114 Carries, 635 Yards, 5 TD
Terrence Carter: 41 Catches, 599 Yards, 4 TD
Cameron Whitfield: 5 Sacks
K.C. Ossai: 81 Tackles (46 Solo), 1 FF
Tyree Skipper & Tyrone Lewis Jr: 4 INT
Kenneth Almendares: 22-of-24 Field Goals, Long of 53, 36-of-36 PAT
Troy
Matthew Caldwell: 101-155, 1,191 Yards, 8 TD, 6 INT
Damien Taylor: 134 Carries, 774 Yards, 4 TD
Devonte Ross: 63 Catches, 878 Yards, 10 TD
Julian Peterson: 2.5 Sacks
Jordan Stringer: 69 Tackles (30 Solo)
Justin Powe: 2 INT
Scott Taylor Renfroe: 10-of-12 Field Goals, Long of 49, 26-of-28 PAT