By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns never defeated a ranked team on the road. However, that went away on Saturday in their first game of the 2020 season.
The Ragin’ Cajuns defeated No. 23 Iowa State Cyclones, 31-14, on Saturday afternoon at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa.
This win snapped an 0-26 winless drought against ranked opponents. It’s their second win ever in program history over a ranked team.
In 1996, the Ragin’ Cajuns defeated the Texas A&M Aggies at home. It was their only win over vs. a ranked team before the upset over the Cyclones.
“We’ve got a lot of belief that the University of Louisiana should always have a competitive team,” coach Billy Napier said. “We’re fortunate we got the necessary things from our administration. They decided they wanted to have an exceptional Group of Five football program. They gave us the money to go hire the people, they’ve given us the resources inside the building to really run a Power Five operation. This is what we expected to happen.”
Despite the win, the team did not celebrate after the game.
“All because we expect that,” Ragin’ Cajuns quarterback Levi Lewis said. “The type of work we put in, the hours. All of us pretty much say our practices are harder than the games.”
Lewis went 13 of 21 for 154 yards. He also had one touchdown pass.
Trey Ragas had 14 carries for 49 yards and a touchdown. Peter LeBlanc had five receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown.
Cyclones quarterback Brock Purdy went 16 of 35 for 145 yards. He also threw an interception.
Breece Hall led the backs with 20 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown. Xavier Hutchinson had four receptions for 43 yards.
“We dropped some balls that are difference makers in the first half and early in the second half,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said. “Getting into a really good rhythm was hard to find.”
The Ragin’ Cajuns had two returns for touchdowns, as Chris Smith had a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Eric Garror also had an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown.
LeBlanc and Ragas also scored touchdowns. Nate Snyder also made a 30-yard field goal.
Hall and Kene Nwangwu scored rushing touchdowns for the Cyclones.
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