The Louisiana Ragin Cajuns are having a breakthrough season and look like a dark horse for the Group of Five spot in the new 12-team College Football Playoff.
Coming into 2024, the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns needed to break the stretch they were building after back-to-back 6-7 seasons with a loss in the bowl game. Among the fanbase, there was anger and impatience after seeing what this program achieved under the previous regime.
Many people said that Michael Desormeaux was not ready to be a head coach after only being a position coach with the Cajuns. Many, including myself, felt he was overwhelmed and in over his head.
As someone who is a fourth-generation UL grad, I couldn’t be happier to have been wrong.
Desormeaux and the Cajuns are rolling into the final month of the season with a 7-1 record after a 23-17 win on the road against a prolific offense in Texas State. Through eight games, Louisiana is the only team in the 14-school Sun Belt Conference that is still undefeated in league play.
“A gritty, tough team win, and that’s the name of the game,” Desormeaux said after the Texas State win. “When you go on the road, you find a way to get it done. So proud of our defense. I mean, my goodness, two turnovers and huge moments forcing field goals down there in the red zone. You just can’t say enough about that effort tonight.”
The Cajuns, through eight games. are 34th in scoring offense, 12th in third down conversions, 9th in QB completion percentage, and 29th in total offense. Defensively, Louisiana ranks 34th in total defense as they forced a pair of turnovers against one of the more dynamic offenses in all of college football.
However, if you look at this program deeper than the results on the field, there’s an extra sense of confidence and swagger among the coaching staff and this program. This team is 7-1, but it feels like it could be 8-0 if it wasn’t for a play or two against Tulane in late September.
Now, with four games remaining and being favored in three according to ESPN Football Analytics, the Cajuns are eyeing their first 10-win season under Desormeaux and a potential spot in the Sun Belt Football Championship game for the first time since 2021.
Ben Wooldridge, the seventh-year senior who has battled multiple season-ending injuries, is playing the best football of his career and the team around him has certainly bought into what he is bringing to the table. The biggest difference has been his maturity as a leader and as a quarterback, which has shown in the way he’s played.
“I think there’s a there’s a point in maturing as a quarterback,” Wooldridge said. “You’re not always going to get to your fourth progression. Right. Defensive lines are good, especially Texas State, a great defensive line, so you got to kind of speed up your process, you got to speed up your progression, and you got to know pre-snap where you’re going with the ball.”
The Cajuns have a team that leads the Sun Belt West division with just four games to go and a spot in the Sun Belt title game on the line. Now, they have momentum and confidence on their side as well, which will undoubtedly add extra fire to the mojo as they head into the final month of the 2024 schedule.
