Louisiana football was held to fewer than 30 points for the first time this season, but the Ragin’ Cajuns did enough to beat Southern Miss 23-13 Saturday at M.M. Roberts Stadium.
It’s the first time in 31 years Louisiana (4-1, 1-0 Sun Belt) has beaten Southern Miss (1-4, 0-1). In the conference opener for both teams, the Ragin’ Cajuns dominated time of possession (41:35 to 18:25) and did not commit a turnover.The Golden Eagles, who have lost three in a row, got two rushing touchdowns from third-year back Kenyon Clay, the first time in his career he has had multiple scoring runs in a game.
Clay’s solid work on the ground were bright spots on an otherwise forgettable night by the run game. Louisiana limited Southern Miss to just 37 rushing yards on 18 attempts. The visitors sacked quarterback Tate Rodemaker four times, resulting in minus-28 yards rushing Louisiana’s ball control was also evident in the number of total plays by each offense. The Ragin’ Cajuns ran 76 to just 40 by Southern Miss.
The Golden Eagles play at Louisiana-Monroe (4 p.m. CT, ESPN+) on Oct. 12. Louisiana 23, Southern Miss 13: Kenneth Almendares 19-yard FG (5:29, 4Q)
Louisiana’s mastery of time of possession continued in the fourth quarter. Two of the visitors’ last three drives have lasted more than seven minutes. The most recent one resulted in a 19-yard field goal from Kenneth Almendares to give the Ragin’ Cajuns a two-score lead
Louisiana 20, Southern Miss 13: Kenneth Almendares 30-yard FG (2:07, 3Q)
The Ragin’ Cajuns used a 14-play scoring drive (which burned 8:14 off the clock) to extend their lead to a touchdown. The field goal is Almendares’ second of the game.
Louisiana 17, Southern Miss 13: Kenyon Clay 5-yard TD run (1:40, 2Q)
Kenyon Clay’s 5-yard touchdown run inside the final two minutes of the first half pulled the Golden Eagles back to within one score. But the point-after attempt failed. Clay’s score is his second of the game. It’s the first time in Clay’s career that he has had multiple touchdown runs in a game.
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