Louisiana football was on the road for Week 2 of the 2024 college season facing an unfamiliar foe in Kennesaw State.
The Ragin’ Cajuns offense shined in Week 1 as they routed Grambling State for a 30-point victory. Senior quarterback Ben Wooldridge led the charge in a comeback performance for the ages, throwing for 308 yards and three touchdowns. St. Martinville High School alum Harvey Broussard was Wooldridge’s main target in the game. The Cajuns’ sophomore had a team-high 76 yards receiving and a touchdown.
UL football looked to have just as much success in the air and establish its run game early Saturday against the Owls, who were searching for their first win of the season. Head coach Michael Desormeaux’s squad did just that, routing the Owls 34-10 with an explosive ground game. The win puts the Ragin’ Cajuns at 2-0 on the season, their first 2-0 start since 2022.
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Louisiana football vs Kennesaw State final scoreFirst quarterThird-down woes for the Ragin Cajuns
The Owls soaked up the clock in their first possession of the game. A big reason behind that was their success on third downs. It didn’t matter if it was third-and-long or short, Kennesaw State quarterback Davis Bryson made magic happen, giving the Ragin’ Cajuns defense all types of problems.
Third-down magic led to a 3-yard rushing touchdown for running back Preston Daniels to put the Owls on the board first quarter. In the drive, Bryson threw for 42 yards on a 75% completion rate.
“We hurt ourselves on third down by not getting off the field,” UL football senior linebacker K.C. Ossai said. “We preached through the offseason about getting off the field, so that hurt us in the first drive. But we knew we had to be poised ’cause we knew it was going to be a fistfight anytime we play we gonna come out and fight.”
Second quarterRagin’ Cajuns get on the board
To answer back to the Owls’ long first possession, the Ragin’ Cajuns went on one of their own. They marched down the field with Wooldridge completing 5 of 6 passes for 41 yards. On the ground, running back Zylan Perry broke out for a big gain of 28 yards to help UL get into the red zone.
Unfortunately, the red zone wasn’t too kind as a would-be touchdown pass from Wooldridge to Broussard was called incomplete with Broussard not having possession of the ball. The Cajuns had to settle for a 30-yard field goal from Kenneth Almendares to get on the board.
Just give it to Bill Davis
After a not-so-strong rushing outing in UL’s season opener against Grambling, Saturday’s game was a bounce-back moment. Leading the Cajuns in the second quarter was redshirt freshman Elijah “Bill” Davis, who broke out for a 49-yard gain to put the Cajuns in scoring position.
The 5-foot-9, 235-pounder capped off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown to give UL its first lead of the game. Overall, the Cajuns rushed for 257 yards yards against the Owls. Davis and Perry served as a two-headed monster in the backfield for them with Perry rushing for 104 yards and Davis 80.
The run game success was thanks to the big bodies in the trenches who bullied the Owls defensive line all game long despite being without two starters on the O-line.
“Those guys handled it,” UL coach Michael Desormeaux said. “Kennesaw was moving every play, two from the field, two from the boundary, I mean there was pressures every play. I thought our guys up front did an excellent job executing the game plan really well. We captured the movement, we were physical; things that we harped on all week they did tonight.”
Breaking out for big plays
In the second quarter, UL football continued to build off of its run game as the Owls’ offense began to go stagnant throughout the game. This time, Perry was the big playmaker rushing for 19 yards to notch the Ragin’ Cajuns’ second rushing touchdown of the game.
To get them in the red zone, Wooldridge made a big play in the air, continuing his accurate start to the game. He went deep for 52 yards, connecting with senior wide receiver Jacob Bernard.
20 unanswered points
The scoring wasn’t done after Perry’s rushing touchdown. Kennesaw State quickly found itself in a fourth-and-long situation on the ensuing possession. On the punt, UL special teams captain senior Dalen Cambre came through with a huge block to send the ball back to the 10-yard line.
“I’ve heard growing up, at least since I’ve been out here, that the greatest time in football is a blocked punt,” Cambre said. “They call it the ‘thump thump’ and I have to agree, the greatest time in football is the ‘thump thump.'”
With around 20 seconds left in the first half, UL took advantage of the great field position and notched a 26-yard field goal from Almendares to give them a 20-0 lead. The ground game for the Cajuns was up to 145 yards as a team at the half and Davis leads them with 78 yards. In the air, Wooldridge threw for 100 yards on 8-of-11 passing.
Third quarterRobert Williams finds the end zone
UL football’s offense continued to keep its foot on Kennesaw State’s neck in the second half. Wooldridge made them pay by finding senior wide receiver Robert Williams on a trick play for 38 yards. The 6-foot-2 wideout juked out defenders for extra yardage, getting the Cajuns into scoring position.
Wooldridge hit Williams again for a 3-yard touchdown to make 27-0. The catch was Williams’ first touchdown of the season and Wooldridge’s fourth.
UL football wears down Kennesaw’s defense
It was an understatement to say Kennesaw State’s defense was gassed late in the third quarter. The Owls’ fast start offensively died down after the opening drive and put all the work on their defense’s shoulders. UL took advantage of that by continuing to ground and pound its way to the endzone.
Perry got the Cajuns in scoring position and Davis handled the rest by rushing for a 1-yard touchdown, marking his second of the game. That made it 34 unanswered points The ground game success for the duo came through clutch after losing starting running back Dre’lyn Washington to injury after Week 1.
“Whenever coach told me I was starting I just knew I had to lock in,” Perry said. “I had made all the plays in practice before, so we just had to step up. Dre’lyn was a big part of the team so we just had to step up, execute and be there for him.”
Fourth quarterKennesaw State finally answers back
After over two quarters of being shut out, the Owls put a decent drive together to get into the red zone. On the ground, senior Michael Benefield led them with 31 yards on nine carries and slowly but surely moved the chains. In the red zone, Kennesaw State couldn’t find the end zone after going to the ground on third and fourth down but being stood up by UL’s defense.
Leading the Cajuns defense to no one’s surprise was K.C. Ossai, who racked up a team-high 12 total. The Owls settled for a 30-yard field goal from kicker Austin Welch scoring their first points since the first quarter.
Pregame notesLouisiana vs Kennesaw State time, dateDate: Saturday, Sept. 7Time: 6 p.m. CTLocation: Fifth Third StadiumWhat channel is Louisiana vs Kennesaw State game on today?
TV channel: ESPN+
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: Ragin’ Cajuns Radio Network
Louisiana vs. Kennesaw State will be available live on ESPN+ in Week 2 of the 2024 college football season. Nolan Alexander, Barclay Miller and Maria Martin will provide commentary from Fifth Third Stadium. Streaming options for the game include ESPN+.
Louisiana vs Kennesaw State history
This will be the first meeting between Louisiana football and Kennesaw State in the history of the programs.
Louisiana vs Kennesaw State weather update
Saturday’s matchup will be played in partly cloudy weather with a high of 81 degrees and a low of 61 degrees.
REQUIRED READING: What channel is Louisiana- Kennesaw State football game on? Time, TV, streaming info
REQUIRED READING: What channel is LSU vs Nicholls on today? Time, TV schedule for Week 2 game
Louisiana schedule 2024Aug. 31: Grambling State (40-10 W)Sept. 7: at Kennesaw StateSept. 21: TulaneSept. 28: at Wake ForestOct. 5: at Southern MissOct. 12: Appalachian StateOct. 19: at Coastal CarolinaOct. 29: at Texas StateNov. 9: Arkansas StateNov. 16: South AlabamaNov. 23: TroyNov. 30: at ULMRecord: (1-0)Kennesaw State schedule 2024Aug. 31: at UTSA (28-16 L)Sept. 7: LouisianaSept. 14: at San Jose StateSept. 28: UT MartinOct. 4: Jacksonville StateOct. 15: at Middle TennesseeOct. 23: LibertyOct. 30: at Western KentuckyNov. 9: at UTEPNov. 16: Sam HoustonNov. 23: FIUNov. 30: at Louisiana TechRecord: (0-1)
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Shannon Belt covers high school sports and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow her high school and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ShannonBelt3. Got questions regarding HS/UL athletics? Send them to Shannon Belt at sbelt@gannett.com.
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Publish date : 2024-09-07 10:00:00
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