The Ragin’ Cajuns managed a narrow 23–20 victory over the Arkansas State Red Wolves to cap off the University’s homecoming week. Cajuns’ kicker Tony Sterner delivered a field goal kick as the game clock expired to walk it off in regulation.
The Cajuns were prepared for their first Sun Belt Conference game of the season after going 3–1 in non-conference play. To add excitement to an already anticipated game, it was the University’s homecoming week and the city of Lafayette was roaring.
The Cajuns differentiated from their usual homecoming getup. They donned the homecoming white script helmet, but elected to wear their normal home jersey and pants rather than the throwback ones, which Cajun nation has come to expect for homecoming games.
The game kicked off at 7 p.m. and avoided what was expected to be another rainy game.
The Cajuns won the coin toss and deferred, giving the Red Wolves the first offensive possession of the game. The Cajuns defense stood tall in the first drive of the game, causing a turnover-on-downs at their 33-yard line.
The Cajuns took over the ball and quickly made headway. They went 49 yards on only four plays thanks to a 10-yard quarterback rush from Lunch Winfield and a 24-yard pass to wide receiver Landon Strother. The drive would eventually be cut short when the Red Wolves recovered a forced fumble by safety Makai Shahid.
First blood wouldn’t be drawn until about two minutes left in the first quarter.
The Cajuns executed a 66-yard drive on nine plays, which would be capped off by a quarterback-keeper from Winfield to put the Cajuns ahead 7–0. Winfield’s score put him at seven total rushing touchdowns this year so far, leaving him two shy from his 2025 total.
The second quarter was the worst for the Cajuns on both sides of the ball. The Red Wolves first drive of the quarter resulted in a 25-yard field goal to cut the Cajuns’ lead to 7–3. The Cajuns’ offense immediately punted the ball back as they went three-and-out after unsuccessful run attempts and an overturned pass.
The Red Wolves would get the ball back and proceed to burn most of the clock out with a three-minute drive. Red Wolves quarterback Trey Owens connected with wideout Jaylen Bonelli for a 21-yard touchdown. The Cajuns were now the ones trailing 7–10 with 23 seconds remaining in the first half.
While the University crowned the homecoming king and queen for halftime, the Cajuns were in the locker room making adjustments. The Cajuns opened the second half by driving 52 yards down the field, allowing Sterner to deliver a 38-yard field goal to tie the ball game at 10–10. The Red Wolves answered back with a field goal of their own to once again lead 10–13.
The Cajuns’ next drive was almost entirely kept on the ground. Cajuns running back JJ Garner opened the drive with two back-to-back 15-plus yard rushes. The Cajuns’ ground-and-pound centered drive lasted into the beginning of the fourth quarter, ending with a Garner 13-yard rushing touchdown to take the lead with a 17–13 score.
The Red Wolves answered right back with a touchdown of their own after going 75 yards down the field. Their running back Solomon Baggett ran up the middle for a 6-yard touchdown, putting the Red Wolves back out in front 17–20 with 12 minutes to go in the fourth.
The Cajuns marched their way to the other side of the field with a meticulous drive that lasted a little over six minutes. On the first play, Winfield found his tight end Brock Chappell for a 23-yard gain. Running back Trenton Chaney followed up with a 13-yard rush to get the Cajuns’ across midfield. Eight more plays placed the Cajuns at the Red Wolves’ eight-yard line, allowing Sterner to successfully kick a 25-yard field goal to tie the game 20–20.
The Cajuns’ defense didn’t allow the Red Wolves any chance to get in position to take the lead, forcing a three-and-out while allowing only three yards on the drive. The offense proceeded to drive the ball down the field, getting into field goal range before almost draining the rest of the time in regulation.
With the clock paused at three seconds before the snap, Sterner delivered the walk-off field goal as the time expired to avoid overtime and win the game for the Cajuns with a final score of 23–20. This marks the Cajuns’ third straight victory over the Red Wolves and the 20th win over the program when playing at home.
The Cajuns will take a short road trip north to Ruston, Louisiana, to face their in-state rival, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs for their second conference game of the year. This will be the pair’s first matchup since 2015, which ended in a 43–14 victory for the Bulldogs.