It took overtime to decide the game between the Cajuns and Warhawks
It took more than the normal four quarters to decide the outcome, as overtime was needed to determine this game.
After the dust settled, it was the Ragin’ Cajuns who came out victorious 30-27, thanks to reliable kicker Tony Sterner.
Louisiana quarterback Lunch Winfield went 10-for-21 passing with 81 yards, while rushing nine times for 36 yards.
Running back Bill Davis went off for 15 carries and 126 yards, grabbing one touchdown in the process.
On his senior day, linebacker Jaden Dugger recorded a career-high in tackles with 16, with 10 of those being solo tackles. He also had two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss, which ended up earning Dugger the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week honor for Week 14.
For the Warhawks, quarterback Aidan Armenta had a career-high performance, going 19-for-31 with 311 yards and three touchdowns, both career-highs.
On the receiving side, Warhawk receiver Nic Trujillo had a career-high performance himself, recording four catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns.
The game started with a bang, as on the opening kickoff, Ja’Corian Norris took it 95 yards to the house for the Cajuns’ touchdown, giving them an early 7-0 lead.
When ULM got the ball for their opening possession, they responded with a four-play, 75-yard drive, ending in Armenta throwing a 25-yard pass to Trujillo. The extra point attempt by Jacob Chambliss was blocked, leaving the score at 7-6.
The Warhawks scored on their second possession as well, with a seven-play, 70-yard drive, capped off by running back Zach Palmer-Smith taking it up the middle for a 7-yard touchdown with 8:59 remaining in the opening quarter. Chambliss would make the extra point this go-around, giving ULM a 13-7 lead.
After punting the ball right back to ULM, Armenta would fumble on the first play of the drive, and Cajuns’ Ashley Williams was there to recover it at the ULM 43-yard line.
That sequence set up a drive, resulting in a pass from Winfield to Steven Blanco for four yards, and the Cajuns grabbed the lead back at 14-13 with 4:01 remaining in the first.
ULM moved the ball 56-yards in 13 plays on the next possession, only for Chambliss to miss a 37-yard field goal.
Louisiana set up shop at their own 20, leading up to a 55-yard field goal from Sterner nine plays later.
Sterner attempted a third field goal with 62 seconds in the half, but was unsuccessful from 44 yards, leaving the score at 17-13 in favor of the Cajuns at halftime.
The third quarter remained quiet, as no scoring took place, but once the fourth quarter began, the scoreboard resumed adding up.
As the Warhawks continued their two-play drive that only gained 12 yards, Armenta fired a 68-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Bibbs, giving ULM a 20-17 lead.
The Cajuns made a quarterback change for their next drive, putting in Walker Howard for Winfield, who head coach Michael Desormeaux said, was dealing with injuries in the postgame press conference.
Howard completed an 11-yard pass to tight end Caden Jensen, which set up Davis for a 76-yard rushing touchdown, his longest run of the day and of the season, giving Louisiana the lead right back at 24-20 with 12:49 remaining.
The game remained back and forth, as on the next drive for ULM, Armenta and company moved the ball 75 yards in six plays, capped off by a 43-yard pass to Trujillo with 9:32 left in regulation, giving the Warhawks a 27-24 lead.
An 11-play, 78-yard drive resulted in Sterner kicking a 30-yard field goal to tie the game with 3:36 remaining in regulation.
In overtime, Louisiana won the toss and elected to play on defense first, which proved to be a smart decision.
Brent Gordon Jr. picked off Armenta in the back of the endzone during their possession, giving the Cajuns a chance to win with a score.
Sterner would end up with a chip-shot field goal attempt from 19 yards out five plays later, which he made, giving the Cajuns their sixth win and bowl eligibility for the eighth straight season.
Bowl games will be announced after conference championship weekend. The Sun Belt has a minimum of five spots for teams.
The IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl, StaffDNA Cure Bowl, 68 Ventures Bowl, Myrtle Beach Bowl, and New Orleans Bowl are guaranteed tie-ins for Sun Belt teams.
About The Author
