It wasn’t pretty but the goose egg in the win column has been cracked for Louisiana football.
The Ragin’ Cajuns took down in-state rival McNeese State 34-10 on Saturday night at Cajun Field in a ground-and-pound performance fans won’t soon forget.
“I’m proud of our team,” UL football coach Michael Desormeaux said. “Last week, we got gut punched and it was certainly a game we expected so it’s a fine line you got to walk. I think our coaching staff did a phenomenal job of pushing them and our team responded.
Sophomore Bill Davis answered the call, carrying a heavy load and doing anything he could to ensure his team avoided a loss. That meant rushing for a career-high 138 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.
With a win finally under its belt, questions still linger for the Cajuns as the coming weeks will only get more challenging.
When in doubt, run it out
There was no surprise that the Cajuns’ first offensive play was a run. UL established that as its game plan from the start with backup quarterback Daniel Beale playing for the injured Walker Howard.
“I was just focusing heavy on the run game and just having Daniel’s back tonight,” Davis said. “Everything just kind of clicked how it did. It’s always good to have a career night but I mean I can’t do anything without those five offensive lineman block. It;s just a collective group coming together and everybody just playing hard.”
Along with Davis, the Cajuns relied on running backs Zylan Perry and Steven Blanco helping them rush for 314 yards. Perry finished the night with 101 yards on 14 carries while Blanco, who made his first appearance of the season against the Cowboys, rushed for 69 yards and put the nail in the coffin with a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Reviving their three-headed backfield monster was key as the pass game wasn’t as fruitful. Beale ended the night throwing for just 86 yards compared to McNeese’s 191. The young slinger did find the end zone for the first time in his collegiate career on a 10-yard pass.
Desoremaux will have to get more out of Beale and the speedy wide receiver room as relying on the run won’t always be the answer.
“We got to find our rhythm, our execution,” Beale said. “I need a good pass, good route, good protection, you know everybody doing their 1-11, everybody doing their job.”
Defense miles ahead of last year
Defensively, the Cajuns earned their first takeaway of the season thanks to safety Jalen Clark’s interception.
“After we get off the field we go to the sideline and we talk it up,” Clark said. “Everybody is communicating and theres no secrets on defense so it’s not just one group or by yourself. Everybody comes together to figure out how we’re going to get the stop and get the offense back on the field.”
Along with Clark, safety Maurion Eleam led the Cajuns defense with a team-high six sacks.
The Cajuns will need more lockdown defense next week as they hit the road for the first time this season to face Missouri at 3 p.m. on Sept. 13.
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.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: UL football vs McNeese: Run game propels Cajuns to first win
