Ragin' Cajuns and Golden Eagles meet on the gridiron for the 55th time Saturday – Crescent City Sports

Ragin' Cajuns and Golden Eagles meet on the gridiron for the 55th time

LAFAYETTE – Louisiana opens its 24th season of Sun Belt Conference football on Saturday when the Ragin' Cajuns face rival Southern Miss at MM Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Miss.

Kick-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Fans can listen to the game on the Ragin' Cajuns Radio Network with Jay Walker (play-by-play), Cody Junot (analyst) and Dawson Eiserloh (sideline).

Louisiana (3-1, 0-0 SBC), which is 14-9 in its SBC openers, earned a 41-38 win at ACC member Wake Forest last Saturday. Ben Wooldridge accounted for four touchdowns (3 passing, 1 rushing) in the win over the Demon Deacons, while Kenneth Almendares' 31-yard field goal with 52 seconds left was the difference.

Wooldridge enters the week ranked fourth in the Sun Belt Conference in quarterback efficiency (161.8) and fifth in total offense (275.0). The senior has completed 79 of 115 passes for 992 yards and nine touchdowns for the Ragin' Cajuns this season.

Bill Davis, second in the league in yards per game (78.3), has rushed for 313 yards and three touchdowns for Louisiana, with Lance LeGendre (12 receptions), Jacob Bernard (11 receptions) and Terrance Carter (11 receptions) leading the way Receivers were.

The Ragin' Cajuns, who lead the league in total defense (318.0 yards per game) while ranking second in total offense (453.5), will look to bounce back from an 11-game loss to Southern Miss ( 1-3, 0-0 SBC). seven of them directly in Hattiesburg. The Golden Eagles, who are 24-1 all-time in home games against Louisiana, earned a 34-31 overtime win at Lafayette last season and a 39-24 decision at Hattiesburg in 2022.

Southern Miss opened its season with a 31-0 loss at Kentucky on August 31 before defeating Southeastern Louisiana 35-10 at home on September 7. Since then, the Golden Eagles have lost games to South Florida (49-24). and Jacksonville State (44-7).

Tate Rodemaker has completed 44 of 71 passes for 440 yards and four touchdowns for USM this season, with Dreke Clark leading the team in rushing with 167 yards. Ti Mims is USM's top receiver with 16 receptions for 185 yards, while Dylan Lawrence (25 tackles, 2 INT) and Tre' Pinkney (25 tackles, 2.0 TFL) are its top defenders.

Season tickets for Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Football can be purchased online at RaginCajuns.com/tickets or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 482-GoUL (4685).

Fans are encouraged to stay connected with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click Here for iOS/Apple platforms and Here for Android platforms.

To stay up to date on all things Louisiana football, follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (@RaginCajunsFB).

GAME 5 PREVIEW – Louisiana (3-1, 0-0 SBC) at Southern Miss (1-3, 0-0 SBC)
Location: MM Roberts Stadium (36,000); Hattiesburg, Miss.
Date | Time: Saturday, October 5th | 6 p.m

TV/RADIO
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Jason Baker (play-by-play), Austin Davis (color)

Radio: Lafayette-Hot 107.9 FM; 103.3 The Goat, 1420 p.m.; New Orleans/Slidell – WGSO 990 AM; Worldwide – Varsity Network powered by Learfield
Talent: Jay Walker (play-by-play), Cody Junot (color), Dawson Eiserloh (sideline)

Live Statistics: CajunStats.com

THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Overall: Southern Miss leads 42-11-1
In Lafayette: USM leads, 16-10-1
In Hattiesburg: USM leads 24-1
Neutral sites: USM leads 2-0
strand: USM +11
First meeting: Louisiana, 66-0 – November 17, 1923 at Lafayette
Last meeting: USM, 34-31 (ot) – November 9th, 2023 in Lafayette

LOUISIANA OPENS SUN BELT CONFERENCE PLAY AT SOUTHERN MISS

• After a dramatic 41-38 win at ACC member Wake Forest, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns open their 24th Sun Belt Conference season on Saturday when they travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., to face Southern Miss at MM Roberts Stadium .
• The third SBC meeting between the schools will be available on ESPN+.
• The meeting will be the 55th between the schools in a series that dates back to 1923, with USM holding a 42-11-1 edge.
• USM earned a 39-24 win over Louisiana in Hattiesburg in 2022 and picked up a 34-31 overtime win at Cajun Field last season.
• Looking to overcome a two-game deficit in the SBC openers, Louisiana is 14-9 overall in the league's opening game.

A WIN IN LOUISIANA WOULD…

• Give the Ragin' Cajuns an overall record of 4-1.
• Improve your away record to 3-0 this season.
• His first win in an SBC opener since 2021.
• Improve your record to 15-9 in SBC openers.
• Make an 11-game film of the 1994 Golden Eagles.
• Be the Ragin' Cajuns' first against USM in the series since a 13-7 win at Cajun Field on October 2, 1993.
• It is only the second victory ever in Hattiesburg in 26 meetings and the first since a 24-21 victory on October 21, 1989.

UPCOMING LOUISIANA MILESTONES

• With 272 career points, kicker Kenneth Almendares is five points behind Elijah Mitchell (276, 2017-20) and ranks fifth in school history.
• Almendares, who has converted 48 field goals in his career, is five behind Stevie Artigue (53, 2015-19) and his 128 PATs are 23 fewer than Artigue's school record (151).
• Senior linebacker KC Ossai has eight tackles in his career to reach 200 tackles.
• Junior running back Dre'lyn Washington is 95 rushing yards away from reaching 1,000 yards for his career.
• Jacob Bernard is 109 yards away from reaching the 1,000-yard mark in his career.

FOLLOWING THE SOUTHERN MISS SERIES

• Saturday's game will be the 55th all-time meeting between Louisiana and Southern Miss, making it the fourth-longest streak in school history.
• Overall, the Golden Eagles have a record of 42-11-1 in the series.
• Louisiana faced Louisiana Tech (85 games), Northwestern State (73) and ULM (59) the most times in school history.
• The first game of the UL-USM series was played in Lafayette on November 17, 1923, with the Ragin' Cajuns earning a 66-0 victory.
• The Ragin' Cajuns won the first seven meetings of the series (all in Lafayette) before USM claimed a 13-7 victory in the first-ever contest in Hattiesburg on November 7, 1931.
• USM has won 24 of 25 meetings against Louisiana in Hattiesburg, with the Ragin' Cajuns' last road win coming on October 21, 1989 in a 24-21 contest.
• The teams have played as conference partners 14 times – including the two previous meetings since USM joined the Sun Belt Conference. The schools were members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1931–41) and the Gulf States Conference (1948–51) before becoming SBC rivals.

20 UL PLAYERS WITH DEGREES IN HAND

• Louisiana has 20 players on its 2024 roster who have at least a bachelor's degree.
• The most recent #RaginGrads are summer 2024 graduates Jordan Lawson, Keyon Martin, King McGowen and Chaz Ward.
• Joining the list of spring 2024 graduates are Caleb Bonine, Landon Burton, Dalen Cambre, Logan Klotz, Lance LeGendre and Tyree Skipper.
• Previous graduates on the 2024 roster include Kenneth Almendares, Jacob Bernard, Chandler Fields, AJ Gillie, Jax Harrington, Tyrone Lewis, Amir McDaniel, Kyron Mims (Ball State), Hunter Sims and Ben Wooldridge.

TEAM NOTES

• Louisiana is one of 12 FBS teams nationally and two teams in the Sun Belt Conference that have not lost a fumble through the first five weeks of the season.
• Louisiana has started 3-1 23 times in school history, including five times in the last six seasons.
• Louisiana's 3-1 record marks just the eighth time since 1970 that mark has been reached.
• The Ragin' Cajuns have 84 players from the state of Louisiana on their roster, which leads all FBS schools in the state.
• The Ragin' Cajuns have allowed 149.0 yards through the air in their first four games, ranking first in the Sun Belt Conference and 13th nationally in passing yards allowed.
• Louisiana enters the week leading the Sun Belt Conference and ranks 44th nationally among FBS schools in total defense with 318.0 yards per game.
• The Ragin' Cajuns are third in the SBC and 36th in total offense (453.5).

LOUISIANA ENCOURAGES SUPPORT FOR THE APP STATE DISASTER RELIEF FUND

• Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Athletics is asking its fans, supporters and members of the Lafayette and Acadiana community to help by donating to the Appalachian State Disaster Relief Fund after Hurricane Helene had a devastating impact on the university last week.
• The mountaineering community is reeling from the impacts of Hurricane Helene, and App State students, faculty and staff are experiencing significant hardship. Fans are encouraged to donate by accessing App State Disaster Relief Fund.
• In football, Louisiana will host App State in an upcoming Sun Belt Conference game on Oct. 12 at Cajun Field.
• Louisiana, which hosted App State in women's soccer last week, announced that its two-game Sun Belt Conference volleyball series against the Mountaineers in Boone scheduled for this weekend has been canceled and will not be rescheduled.
• The Louisiana-App State volleyball games add to a series of previous cancellations or postponements in multiple sports Sept. 27-29 due to the impact of Helene in both Boone and Statesboro, Georgia.