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LOUISIANA La. -- Sean Comiskey wasn't having a very good day Saturday.
First, he missed a 44-yard field goal. Later, he uncharacteristically missed an extra point, only the fourth in a four-year career.
But when the University of Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns needed their former All-Sun Belt Conference kicker the most, Comiskey was right on target.
The senior from LaPlace drilled a 40-yard field in overtime, lifting UL to a pulsating 31-28 Sun Belt Conference victory over the Troy Trojans and helping the Cajuns keep alive their faint hopes of a league championship.
"I'm so proud of Sean to come back like he did," UL coach Rickey Bustle said after the victory, his team's second straight. "I told him when he missed the extra point that he'd have a chance to step back up and make another big kick.
"I told him 'I need you to be a senior, not a freshman.' I told him he was going to have a chance to make a big kick and he did that."
Comiskey's game-winning field goal saved the Cajuns from what would have been an embarrassing defeat on a day when 21,204 showed up for UL's<s> 60th </s>Homecoming.
<center><p><a href="http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/103005/spo_cajuns001.shtml#">The rest of the story</a>
By GLENN QUEBEDEAUX
Special to The Advocate
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Behind red-shirt freshman quarterback Michael Desormeaux and freshman running back Tyrell Fenroy (three touchdowns, 156 yards rushing), the Cajuns (3-5, 2-2) scored on their first two possessions of the game and led 20-0 by early in the third quarter.
But Troy, outgained in total offense 216-36 in the first quarter and 291-57 by halftime, roared back, finally tying the game at 28-28 with 22 seconds left in regulation on a 13-yard pass from backup quarterback Carl Meadows to Smokey Hampton.
The Cajuns, who took the ball first in overtime, grabbed the lead on Comiskey's field goal and when Troy attempted to answer, it saw its chances of forcing a second overtime fail when Trojan kicker Greg Whibbs was wide left on a 37-yard field goal attempt.
"What a game," said Bustle. "Throughout the game there were so many plays … defensive stands and offensive plays. We did things to try to win. There were some things we didn't do, obviously.
"I told them at halftime that this game was a long way from being over. I said 'Troy knows how to win and we're trying to learn how to close a game out.' I said 'we haven't got there yet and we have to go out and try to do that.'"
Try as they might, however, the Cajuns struggled to put the Trojans away. It appeared -- briefly -- that they might seal the victory after the Trojans (3-5, 2-2) closed to 20-14 with 13:52 to play.
Taking the ensuing kickoff, ULL drove 55 yards in six plays behind Desormeaux, who threw for 21 yards to Corey Frederick and also rushed for 25 yards.
Fenroy provided the capper on the drive, scoring from 8 yards -- his third touchdown -- to give the Cajuns a 28-14 lead. But even that wasn't safe.
Troy answered right back, needing just 1:39 to go 79 yards for another touchdown.
The four-play drive ended on a 37-yard pass from Julian Foster to Toris Rutledge. That made it 28-21 with 9:12 left.
Then, after forcing the Cajuns to punt on their next two possessions, Meadows entered the game when Foster went down with an injury and the junior proceeded to lead the Trojans to the game-tying touchdown. "These guys are going to put me in my grave early," joked Bustle. "I really felt we could win in overtime, though."
So did the Cajuns' defense.
"The coaches told us that the team was depending on us (in overtime)," said Cajun defensive end Anthony Hills, whose pressure on Foster early in the third quarter forced an ill-advised pass that was intercepted by linebacker Tyler Norman and returned to the Troy 23 yard line, setting up a 4-yard touchdown run by Fenroy.
"The offense had done its job -- it had put up 31 points. It was our time to do something."
The Cajuns forced an incomplete pass on the Trojans' first play of overtime and then stopped Troy leading rusher Kenny Cattouse (20-93-2) on two straight running plays to set up the visitors' ill-fated game-tying field goal attempt.
"I can't say enough about our defense's effort -- it was just an awesome stand there," said Bustle.
For Comiskey, who hurled his helmet in celebration when Whibbs' kick sailed wide, the game-winner was gratifying.
It was his third game-winning kick at ULL. His first, against New Mexico State, was two years ago. He had another in 2004 against Florida International. It was also his 40th career field goal.
"After they (Trojans) scored to tie it, Mike (Desormeaux) told me I was going to kick the game-winner," Comiskey said. "Coach told me, Mike told me, Tony told me …. a lot of people told me.
"From the time I went on the field until the time the ball went though the uprights, I couldn't tell you what happened. But I saw the ball going through and I just kind of ran backward because I knew I had it and I was pretty pumped.
"I lost my voice. And then I got nervous, thinking 'gee, what if I have to do this again? I better calm down.'
"I tried, but it didn't work."
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