It was an early kickoff for the game between the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns and the Tulane Green Wave, but that did not stop the more than 22,000 fans from arriving at the game.
Both teams would battle it out in the extreme heat of midday Lafayette where Tulane would come out on top, beating the Cajuns 41–33.
The game though was not as close as the score would suggest.
The first half of the game was close as both teams were forced to punt on their first possessions before trading touchdowns and field goals to make the game 10–10 with two minutes left in the second half.
The Cajun’s drive following the Green Wave’s field goal would end in disaster as a miscommunication between quarterback Ben Wooldridge and tight end Terrance Carter would end in a 38 yard pick six by Tulane safety Jack Tchienchou.
Following this disaster, Louisiana would save face with a quick drive downfield to end the half with a field goal to make the game 17-13 at the half.
During halftime, the stadium would nearly empty itself as fans began a mass exodus to escape the oppressing heat of midday, essentially neglecting any home-field advantage the Cajuns could have had in the second half.
The second half would begin in the worst way possible for Louisiana as Tulane return man Rayshawn Pleasant would house the opening kickoff to put the Green Wave up 24–13. The Cajuns would spend the rest of the game trying to play catchup.
The third quarter would see both teams continuing to trade touchdowns with a total of 34 points scored, including the opening kickoff.
It was during this third quarter that head coach Michael Desormeaux would decide to go for two after the Cajuns first touchdown of the quarter. A trick play was dialed up a reverse sweep that was supposed to end with a throw to Wooldridge, the Tulane defense would not allow the conversion.
After that it was just a matter of time as the Tulane offense slowly suffocated the Cajuns. The Tulane offense’s first drive of the fourth, which started with 13:16 left on the clock, would go for 7:35 as Makhi Hughes and the Green Wave would eat up clock and convert third down after third down before ending the drive with a field goal with 5:42 left on the clock.
The Cajuns would get two more chances to tie the game up to force overtime. The first ended on downs in Cajuns territory after only four plays.
Luck would give Louisiana one last chance after Tulane missed a 39-yard field goal, giving the Cajuns one last chance to tie the game.
Ben Wooldridge took this chance, driving the offense downfield and slicing the Tulane secondary, even scrambling for 18 yards to keep the drive alive.
It was not meant to be as on fourth and nine, with the game on the line, Wooldridge would once again try and find Terrance Carter to convert. As he threw the Tulane pass rush would get to him, taking a shot on him as the ball came out which caused it to air mail to a Tulane defender for the game-ending interception.
It was by all means a good game, but one that seemed to just be in Tulane’s full control after the beginning of the second half.
Ben Wooldridge would finish the game with a total of four touchdowns, two through the air and two on the ground, and two interceptions. One interception would be taken back by Tulane for six and the other would end the game.
Wooldridge would also pass for 238 yards, going 19/34 on passes. He once again made a number of truly incredible throws, demonstrating his ability to read the field and put a beautiful touch on a number of passes throughout the game.
The biggest issue that Wooldridge faced during the game was pressure. The Tulane defensive front was able to continuously get pressure on him throughout the game, with the offensive line looking as if it was made of paper at times.
Wooldridge would get sacked three times and be forced from the pocket many more times than that, forcing him to scramble or make bad throws.
The offensive line, to be fair to them, were being constantly rotated throughout the game as they probably faced the mass brunt of heat exhaustion during the game.
The failure of the offensive line to perform also reflected on the run game which was not nearly as prolific as it was in the game against Kennesaw State.
Bill Davis led the team with 103 rushing yards off of nine carries, but one of those carries was an explosive run at the beginning of the third for 73 yards that nearly found the endzone. If you take away those yards then he only ended with 30 yards, averaging 3.75 yards per carry.
Zylan Perry would only get five carries, rushing for 31 yards averaging 6.2 per carry. Perry’s contribution to the offense would only be added on to with three receptions for 14 yards, his contribution to the offense far less than what it could have been.
The leading receiver for the team was tight end Terrance Carter who would haul in four catches for 79 yards including a touchdown. The only other receiving touchdown in the game would be caught by tight end Caden Jensen, who grabbed the red zone touchdown off a 50/50 ball from Wooldridge.
Defense was the biggest let down for the Cajuns, especially as the game was coming to a close in the fourth.
The secondary was, for the most part, very good as they allowed under 100 yards passing.
They could not come up clutch though as they finished the game with no interceptions and allowed multiple third down completions for Tulane to move the sticks.
The rushing defense was the most atrocious, as what was thought to be a small issue coming into the game became a very big issue very quickly.
Tulane would finish the game with a total of 272 rushing yards, with the team averaging 5.8 yards per carry. The man who led this ground attack was sophomore back, Makhi Hughes. Hughes carried the ball 23 times for 166 yards and a touchdown, averaging 7.2 yards per carry, a massive failure on part of the Louisiana defense.
This exceptional ground attack allowed Tulane to control most of the game, especially the second half.
A game like this can really demoralize a team, especially with it being this early in the season.
Hopefully the team can bounce back as they take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Saturday, Sept. 28.