LAFAYETTE, La. — Louisiana-Lafayette running back Elijah McGuire was held to 23 rushing yards through three quarters, then broke loose in the fourth as the Ragin’ Cajuns beat South Alabama 19-9 on Saturday evening.
McGuire finished with 229 all-purpose yards, more than 150 of them after halftime. The loss dropped South Alabama to 5-3 overall and 4-2 in the Sun Belt Conference. Louisiana-Lafayette improved to 5-3 and 4-0 in league play.
Low-Scoring First Half
Louisiana-Lafayette opened the scoring with a first-quarter field goal after South Alabama’s defense held on the drive. The Jaguars tied it early in the second quarter with a 20-yard field goal.
Later in the quarter, Brandon Bridge connected with Shavarez Smith for a 58-yard gain on third-and-8, and South Alabama reached the end zone two plays later. The extra point failed, leaving the Jaguars ahead 9-3.
South Alabama led 9-6 late in the half and had a chance to add to the margin, but Aleem Sunanon’s 49-yard field-goal attempt went left as time expired.
Fumble at the 2 Proves Costly
On Louisiana-Lafayette’s first drive of the fourth quarter, McGuire broke a 33-yard run, and the possession ended with a field goal that gave the Cajuns a 12-9 lead.
Matt Floyd, who entered after Bridge injured his ankle, led South Alabama back downfield with completions of 26 yards to Braedon Bowman and 41 yards to Marvin Shinn. On third-and-goal from the Louisiana-Lafayette 2, a miscommunication on a zone-read play led to a fumble, and Christian Ringo recovered for the Cajuns.
Louisiana-Lafayette followed with a 91-yard touchdown drive. McGuire had a 31-yard reception on the drive and capped it with an 8-yard touchdown run. South Alabama did not threaten again in the final five minutes.
Statistics
- Brandon Bridge: 16-of-27, 177 yards, 1 TD
- Matt Floyd: 4-of-8, 93 yards
- Xavier Johnson: 10 carries, 43 yards
- Kendall Houston: 15 carries, 42 yards
- Shavarez Smith: 8 catches, 116 yards
- Braedon Bowman: 3 catches, 54 yards
- Jereme Jones: 3 catches, 35 yards, 1 TD
- Marvin Shinn: 2 catches, 51 yards
- Terrell Brigham: 10 tackles (9 solo)
- Jerome McClain: 1 sack
For Louisiana-Lafayette, McGuire ran for 116 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries and caught nine passes for 90 yards. Quarterback Terrance Broadway completed 16 of 28 passes for 216 yards and rushed for 54 yards on 11 carries. James Butler caught four passes for 91 yards.
Bowl Eligibility on the Line
South Alabama will try to clinch bowl eligibility next Saturday at Arkansas State (5-3, 3-1 Sun Belt) in Jonesboro, Ark. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
