‘Belief ’ key to upset
Rajin’ Cajuns secure program’s 1st road win against Top 25 team
AMES, Iowa — Perseverance, confidence and two long kick returns propelled Louisiana-Lafayette to one of its biggest wins in program history, 31-14 win over No. 23 Iowa State on Saturday.
The Ragin’ Cajuns beat a Top 25 opponent on the road for the first time, having gone 0-26 against ranked foes away from home. Their only other win over a Top 25 team was in 1996 at home against Texas A&M.
“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.”
Both offenses seemed overmatched at times, but the Ragin’ Cajuns were ignited by Chris Smith’s 95-yard kickoff return in the second quarter and Eric Garror’s 83-yard punt return in the fourth.
Levi Lewis added a 78-yard touchdown pass to Peter LeBlanc, giving Louisiana-Lafayette a 17-14 lead late in the third quarter.
Lewis passed for 154 yards and contributed to a business-like approach by the Ragin’ Cajuns, who didn’t celebrate much on the field after the game.
“All because we expect that,” Lewis said. “The type of work we put in, the hours. All of us pretty much say our practices are harder than the games.”
The Ragin’ Cajuns limited Cyclones quarterback Brock Purdy to 16-of-35 passing for 145 yards, with no touchdowns and an interception. It was ISU’s fewest passing yards in two years.
“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.”
Iowa State’s Breece Hall rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
The Cyclones offense sputtered early with a series of dropped passes before putting together consecutive touchdown drives of 49 and 69 yards.
Smith put Louisiana-Lafayette on the board immediately after Iowa State’s first score.
The Ragin’ Cajuns drove 61 yards in the final 70 seconds of the first half, pulling within 14-10 on Nate Snyder’s 30-yard field goal.
“Give credit to their team,” Campbell said. “A really veteran football team that came in here and in the second half just really dominated the game.”