Ragin’ Cajuns hit road for first time to take on Rice

First meeting between the schools on the gridiron since 1989

LAFAYETTE – After opening with a pair of impressive non-conference wins at home, the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Football team takes its show on the road for the first time during the 2022 season when it travels to Houston to face Conference USA member Rice University on Saturday at Rice Stadium.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The first meeting between Louisiana (2-0) and Rice (1-1) on the gridiron since 1989 will be streamed live on ESPN+ with David Saltzman (pbp) and Chris Mycoskie (color) announcing.

Fans will able to listen to the game worldwide on the Varsity Network, Hot 107.9 FM and ESPN 1420 AM with Jay Walker (pbp), Gerald Broussard (color) and Cody Junot (sideline) on the call. Live statistics will be available at CajunStats.com.

Louisiana extended the nation’s longest active win streak to 15 games last Saturday after a come-from-behind 49-21 win over Eastern Michigan at Cajun Field. The Ragin’ Cajuns erupted for all of their points in the second half after falling behind 14-0 and battling a 63-minute delay due to lightning.

Chandler Fields and Ben Wooldridge combined to toss five TD passes as Louisiana recorded 383 of its 459 yards of offense in the second half. After punting on five of its first six drives to start the game, Louisiana scored TDs on seven straight drives while forcing five turnovers – all in the second half, including the Eagles’ final four possessions (2 interceptions, 2 fumbles).

Rice opened the season with a 66-14 loss at nationally-ranked USC on Sept. 3 before posting a 52-10 win over McNeese in its home opener.

The meeting will be the sixth all-time between the schools on the gridiron in a series which dates back to 1921. The teams last played on Sept. 23, 1989 with Louisiana posting an 18-3 win at Rice Stadium. The meeting is the first of a home-and-home series between the Ragin’ Cajuns and Owls with Rice scheduled to return the trip to Cajun Field on Aug. 30, 2025.

Season tickets for the 2022 campaign are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting Account Manager. For more information call the Louisiana Athletics Box Office at the CAJUNDOME at (337) 265-2104.

Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin’ Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.

Follow the Ragin’ Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (@RaginCajunsFB) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Athletics.

GAME 3 INFORMATION
Who: Louisiana (2-0) at Rice (1-1)
Where: Rice Stadium (47,000); Houston, Texas
When: Saturday, Sept. 17 at 6:30 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
On the Call: David Saltzman (play-by-play), Chris Mycoskie (analyst)
Listen: Varsity Network, Hot 107.9 FM, ESPN 1420 AM
On the Call: Jay Walker (play-by-play), Gerald Broussard (analyst), Cody Junot (sideline)
All-Time Series: Louisiana leads, 3-2
First Meeting: L, 54-0 (10/1/1921 at Houston)
Last Meeting: W, 18-3 (9/23/1989 at Houston)

LOUISIANA, RICE MEET FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 1989
Louisiana hits the road for the first time this season when it ventures west to Houston to face Conference USA member Rice at Rice Stadium. The game marks the sixth all-time meeting between the schools on the gridiron and the first since an 18-3 Ragin’ Cajuns victory on Sept. 23, 1989 in Houston.

A LOOK AT THE RAGIN’ CAJUNS
• Louisiana Football enters the 2022 season as the reigning Sun Belt Conference Champions and four-time defending champions of the Sun Belt West Division.
• The title was the program’s first outright Sun Belt Conference title in program history and the team’s first outright title overall in 53 years.
• For the fourth consecutive season, the Ragin’ Cajuns were predicted to win the West Division after picking up a league-best 95 points and earning a league-best 12 first-place votes in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
• Coach Michael Desormeaux, a former UL quarterback from 2005-08, owns a 3-0 career record after replacing Billy Napier (now at Florida) and leading the Ragin’ Cajuns to a 36-21 win over Marshall on Dec. 18, 2021, in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.
• Louisiana enters the contest ranked second in FBS in turnover margin (+7) and is +20 (20 takeaways, 0 turnovers) in its last seven games dating back to the 2021 season.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns are ranked third among FBS teams in punt return average (23.33 y/g).
• Louisiana completed a perfect regular season in Sun Belt Conference play (8-0). The Ragin’ Cajuns had been perfect in league play just one time in their history prior to last season, posting a 5-0 mark in Gulf States Conference play during the 1970 season.
• Louisiana finished the regular season at No. 16 in the AP Top 25, No. 18 in the USA Today/AFCA Coaches Poll and No. 23 in the College Football Playoff Top 25.

TEAM NOTES
• Over the last four seasons, the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns have won four Sun Belt Conference West Division titles, won the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Championship, were the 2020 Sun Belt Co-Champions and have been victorious in three bowl games (LendingTree Bowl [2020) and SERVPRO First Responder Bowl (2021), R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl [2021]).
• Louisiana has won its last 11 games at home – matching the school-record set during the 1976-77 seasons.
• Louisiana’s roster has 94 players on its roster (68.1 percent) who hail from within the Pelican State – the most of any of the five FBS programs in the state (Louisiana, LSU, Louisiana Tech, Tulane, ULM).
• Louisiana has recorded a 3-0 start to the season six times since moving to Division I in 1972 (2020, 1988, 1982, 1977, 1976, 1975).
• Head coach Michael Desormeaux is the first Ragin’ Cajuns coach to start his career 3-0 since A.L. “Red” Swanson in 1950.
• Louisiana’s last regular-season non-conference victory in the state of Texas was Oct. 7, 2006 in a 31-28 win over Houston. The backup quarterback for Louisiana on that day – current head coach Michael Desormeaux.
• Louisiana’s last non-conference win in the Lone Star State came on Dec. 26, 2020 in a 31-24 win over UTSA in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl at SMU’s Gerald J. Ford Stadium.
• Louisiana owns a perfect 16-0 record against Sun Belt West Division opponents and is 26-7 overall against Sun Belt opposition over the last four seasons.
• Louisiana earned five Preseason All-Conference selections, four of which were First Team performers. Zi’Yon Hill-Green (DL), Eric Garror (DB), Rhys Byrns (P) and Chris Smith (AP) were all named to the First Team, while Andre Jones (LB) garnered Second Team recognition.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns defense returns five players who started in at least 50 percent of the team’s games, with Andre Jones and Eric Garror starting in all 14 of the team’s contests.
• Last year’s defense ranked first in the Sun Belt and 11th nationally in scoring defense (18.5), while leading the league and ranking 22nd in the nation in total offense (404.8).
• Louisiana’s secondary looks to continue its impressive play after the Cajuns ranked first in the Sun Belt and 14th in Division I in passing yards allowed (190.1).
• The Ragin’ Cajuns return 69.5 percent of their takeaways from a season ago, including 80 percent of their interceptions. Eric Garror led the unit with two picks in 2021.