Penalties and bad decisions lead to 34–31 loss

For the first time since 2018, the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns have begun the season 1–3 after a 34–31 loss to the Eastern Michigan Eagles. Unlike 2018, under first-year head coach Billy Naipier, two of the three Cajun losses have been to teams that they should have beat. 

The reason for this loss can be chalked up to two things, penalties and play calling. The Cajuns finished the game with a season high of 10 penalties, nine of which came in the second half. Those 10 penalties accounted for 85 yards, and many came in critical moments of the game.

The other issue was, like in the loss against Rice, the play calling. As head coach Michael Desormeaux decided to abandon the run in the last seven minutes of the game, forcing the game onto the shoulders of Daniel Beale. 

Beale played a great game, much better than any of his previous outings for the Cajuns. Yet two interceptions on back to back drives in two of the last three drives of the game did nothing to help Louisiana’s chances of winning. Beale would finish the game going 20/33 with 222 yards, but did not throw any touchdowns to offset his pair of interceptions.

Beale’s improvement can be attributed to the improvement of the receiving corps over the last few weeks. Robert Williams has started to become the preferred target for the freshman, finishing the game with seven receptions for 71 yards. 

The threat that is the 6’4” Shelton Sampson Jr. had also begun to show up. He finished with three receptions for 87 yards, including a clutch, 43-yard catch deep in the fourth quarter that helped the Cajuns score the game tying touchdown. 

Louisiana’s tight ends have also begun to prove more effective as junior Brock Chappell hauled in three passes for 32 yards, and Caden Jensen finished with two receptions. 

The most effective part of the Cajun offensive was, once again, the run game. Zylan Perry looked electric as usual, making defenders miss as he cut through the defense. He would lead the Cajuns with 15 carries for 110 yards, good for 7.3 yards per carry and a pair of touchdowns. Bill Davis was equally effective, turning 11 carries into 78 yards and a touchdown.

Taking into account a couple of carries by Stephen Blanco and runs by Beale and Lunch Winfield, the Cajuns would finish the game with 214 yards, averaging 6.7 per carry. 

Sadly, penalties did bring back a few runs, including an electric run made by Perry in the fourth that saw him hurdle another defender.

Similar to Louisiana, Eastern Michigan was also a run first team with two solid backs. That run game proved to be just as effective, as the Cajuns could do nothing to stop senior back Dontae McMillan from running for 126 yards on 19 carries, averaging 6.6 yards per carry. 

The Eagles had another senior back that proved a nearly equal challenge as McMillian in Tavierre Dunlap. Dunlap rumbled for 45 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 11 carries. 

One of the only electric plays made by the Louisiana defense was a pick six by senior safety Courtline Flowers toward the end of the third quarter, giving Louisiana a 24–21 lead heading into the fourth.

The game seemed pretty much over at the end of the fourth. After back to back drives ending in interceptions, the Cajuns found themselves down 31–24. With one minute, 12 seconds left on the clock, Louisiana was backed up, 4th and 23 on the EMU 37. 

Beale, in shotgun, would drop back to pass and throw an interception as a pass rusher hit him. The game was thought over at that point, yet there was a flag. The hit on Beale was ruled roughing the passer, giving the Cajuns 15 yards, a first down and one last chance. 

Beale did not let that last life go to waste, heaving the ball downfield to Sampson the very next play for 43 yards. This would set the Cajuns up at the EMU 20. Beale’s next pass would be an absolute air ball out of the end zone, yet another penalty on EMU for defensive holding would set the Cajuns up 1st and goal on the EMU 10. 

Following a missed pass to Williams in the corner of the endzone, Louisiana would once again give the rock back to Perry. He would find the edge and run the ball in to tie the game 31–31. It was here that mention of poor play calling and decision making came into play. 

With 45 seconds left in the game, most teams in Louisiana’s position would kick it normally. Hoping for either a touch back or a return that they could hold to the 20-yard line. Instead, the Cajuns decided to go with a scrub kick, setting the Eagles up on the Louisiana 35 with 44 seconds and two timeouts. 

This would prove fatal for Louisiana as EMU would drive 41-yards downfield and set up for the game sealing, 42-yard field goal.

The Cajuns now have to go into conference play with the worst momentum possible, coming off a blowout loss to Missouri and a self-inflicted loss to EMU. 

Louisiana will kick off conference play at home against Marshall on Sept. 27, a rematch of the 2024 Sun Belt Championship game. Despite this game only being the first of the Cajun’s Sun Belt opponents, it is already shaping up to be a must-win, lest the bad momentum Louisiana has built up spirals out of control.