In front of 37,160 fans, the third-largest crowd ever to witness a Cajun Football game, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns opened up the 2014 season Saturday night with a dominant 45-6 victory over Southern.
The Cajuns totaled 512 yards of offense on the night compared to Southern's 279. Senior quarterback Terrance Broadway went 20-for-32 with 237 yards and four touchdowns, one rushing. Senior wide receiver Jamal Robinson led Louisiana with 112 receiving yards on five catches and two touchdowns. On the ground, sophomore running back Elijah McGuire recorded 129 yards on 13 carries and one touchdown. Defensively, senior linebacker Trae Johnson led the Cajuns with eight tackles, seven being solo, while senior linebacker Boris Anyama and sophomore linebacker Kevin Fouqier posted five solo tackles apiece.
In the first quarter, the Cajuns struck first with 6:12 to go in the period after a 31-yard field goal from senior kicker Hunter Stover for a 3-0 Louisiana advantage. After Southern missed a 29-yard attempt, the Cajuns reached the endzone for the first time on their next possession as McGuire capped off a six-play, 80-yard drive with an eight-yard touchdown run with 2:27 remaining in the quarter.
The Louisiana defense continued to cause the Jaguars problems, forcing back-to-back three-and-outs before the Cajuns extended their lead. Broadway recorded his first touchdown of the evening with 12:11 left in the half as he found Robinson for a 32-yard touchdown to make it 17-0.
Louisiana stretched it to 24-0 midway through the second period as sophomore wide receiver Jared Johnson caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Broadway with 7:35 remaining in the half. One play that highlighted the second quarter for Louisiana was senior punter Daniel Cadona's 77-yard bomb that went for a touchback a few minutes before halftime.
The Jaguars got on the board halfway through the third period with a 10-play, 80-yard drive as quarterback Austin Howard found tight end Bradley Coleman from 23 yards out for a 24-6 score after the missed extra point.
The Ragin' Cajuns didn't allow Southern to get any closer in the game with a score on their next possession. After senior running back Alonzo Harris converted a fourth-and-one with a rush up the middle, Broadway tallied his third score of the contest with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Robinson to make it 31-6 with 4:37 remaining in the third quarter.
McGuire began the fourth quarter for the Cajuns with a 46-yard run to the Southern 13 before Broadway found the endzone two plays later with an eight-yard touchdown run one minute into the period, extending Louisiana's advantage to 38-6.
Facing a fourth-and-goal, sophomore quarterback Brooks Haack added a score for the Cajuns late in the game with a two-yard pass to junior running back Torrey Pierce for a 45-6 final.
Louisiana returns to action next Saturday when the Ragin' Cajuns host Louisiana Tech in a 6 p.m. game at Cajun Field.