It is not often that the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns get the chance to play a big game at home; the last time the Cajuns had such a chance to make a statement win was the 2021 Sun Belt Championship game against Appalachian State.
The Cajuns will be hosting what many consider to be one of the best group of five teams in the country and in-state rivals, the Tulane Green Wave.
Louisiana and Tulane have had history with each other, playing their first game against each other way back in 1911 where Tulane would win 0–27. Tulane would go onto win the next nine games in a row before the series would halt play.
The two teams would not meet on the field again till 1983 where Tulane would once again defeat the Cajuns 15–17.
Tulane would continue to win till 1988 when the Cajuns would finally win their first game under Head Coach Nelson Stokley 51–34.
Stokley would help lead the Cajuns to victory over the Green Wave three more times with two of those wins being with Louisiana legend Jake Delhomme. Stokley would finish his coaching tenure at Louisiana going 4–5 against Tulane.
Until 1997 every game between Louisiana and Tulane took place in New Orleans, the Cajuns having to make the trip to play. Cajun Field would finally host the match in the ‘97 season. It would not prove to be much of a hindrance to Tulane as they would crush the Cajuns 0–56.
The Cajuns would get a chance to redeem themselves at home in 2000 but would fall short, losing to the Wave 37–38.
Though it would take some time, as the two would not play each other again for another 12 years, Louisiana would finally get back at Tulane.
Louisiana would host Tulane once again on Oct. 6, 2012 as 29,758 fans would pack out Cajun Field, making it the eleventh most attended game in the stadium’s history.
This time the Cajun’s fans would not be disappointed as they would demolish Tulane 41–13 under Head Coach Mark Hudspeth and running back Alonzo Harris who finished the game with 123 rushing yards and a touchdown.
The Cajuns would beat the Green Wave the next season in the Superdome 24–21 before a small break once again interrupted the series.
The two teams would meet once again in 2016 in Tulane’s recently constructed Yulman Stadium where the Cajuns would once again barely lose 41–39 in Hudspeth’s last Tulane game as head coach.
In 2018 the teams would meet again in the AutoNation Cure Bowl, with the Cajuns going in under first year head coach Billy Naiper. In the only game that Naiper would coach against Tulane the Cajuns would lose 24–41.
This will be the first game both programs have played against each other since that bowl game in 2018, and the first regular season matchup since 2016.
Louisiana is going into this season’s game hot and well rested thanks to an early bye week. This will be the first real test that they face this season, and it will not be an easy win like Grambling and Kennesaw State were.
Tulane has been one of the top teams outside the power four the past few seasons, winning the most games (24) since 2022 out of any schools out of the power four. Their biggest win in this period was a win over USC and Heisman winning quarterback Caleb Williams in the Cotton Bowl.
The Green Wave lost their head coach after last season but replaced them with a familiar face Jon Sumrall. Sumrall had spent 2022 and 2023 as the head coach of Troy where he led the Trojans to back-to-back Sun Belt Conference titles. He beat Louisiana in both of those seasons.
Louisiana’s head coach Michael Desormeaux has not had as much success as Sumrall. Desormeaux took over Louisiana at the same time as Sumrall but has yet to reach a championship game with his only bowl game win being in 2021 with a team that was still Billy Naiper’s.
Desormeaux and the Cajuns have a lot to prove in the game. A win here could potentially pave the way to their best season since 2021 with a massive boost to momentum games like these bring.
The team is looking amazing so far as everything seems to be clicking for the first time in years. Ben Wooldridge has a solid hold on the position as he balled out against Grambling and ensured a calm handling of Kennesaw State on the road.
The Cajun run game is led by a two headed monster, a combination of thunder and lightning Elijah “Bill” Davis and Zylan Perry. Dre’lyn Washington and Tylon Citizen also add into the mix giving Desormeaux a back for any situation.
The defense, led by linebacker K.C. Ossai, is also contributing as they have held the Cajuns first two opponents to a combined 20 points and each under 250 total yards of offense.
Unlike the Cajuns, the Green Wave is coming into the game after playing three games straight, going 1–2 in the process. The differences though are the teams that Tulane has played.The two losses Tulane have taken were against ranked Kansas State and Oklahoma. While their game against Oklahoma was not very close, against Kansas State the wave fell short of the win with a single play.
Tulane’s bread and butter is their run game, led by sophomore running back Makhai Hughes. He will be the biggest issue for the Cajuns who have had some minor struggles in stopping the run.
At quarterback the Green Wave is starting freshman Darian Mensah who has proved solid in his three starts thus far. While he can make great throws and push the ball downfield, his inexperience can show through at times taking bad sacks in crunch time and letting pressure get to him in the pocket.
Louisiana can win this game if they can take advantage of the wear that Tulane will be feeling heading into the game. Momentum belongs to the Cajuns as they come in undefeated and playing at home.
In order to make it matter, Louisiana students and fans have to pack out Cajun Field, to make use of the capacity left to it with the construction going on. The best help anyone can give the Cajuns is to make Cajun Field a loud and hostile environment for the Green Wave to come into.