The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns officially kicks off its 123rd season of intercollegiate football on Saturday when it plays host to in-state program Grambling in the 24th annual Herbert Heymann Classic at Cajun Field.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be available live on ESPN+ with Dan McDonald (pxp) and Eric Mouton (color) providing commentary. Fans can listen to the game on the Ragin' Cajuns Radio Network and worldwide on the Varsity Network app powered by Learfield.
Louisiana opens the third season under head coach Michael Desormeaux welcomes back a veteran group of 54 returning letterwinners and 19 starters. The Ragin' Cajuns, who finished 6-7 overall, earned their school-record sixth straight bowl appearance in 2023.
The game against Grambling (5-6 in 2023) will be the second meeting between the Bayou State programs with Louisiana claiming a 49-17 victory in the 2018 season opener. The Tigers, under first-year coach Mickey Joseph, return veteran quarterback Myles Crawley who was picked as the preseason SWAC Offensive Player of the Year and is on the Walter Payton Award preseason watch list.
Season tickets for Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Football are available for purchase on-line at RaginCajuns.com/tickets or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 482-GoUL (4685).
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Fans who purchase season tickets for the 2024 season will receive priority for seat selection at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium in 2025.
The Ragin' Cajuns will play six games at historic Cajun Field during the 2024 season with in-state opponents Grambling (Aug. 31) and Tulane (Sept. 21) joining a rugged SBC schedule featuring App State (Sept. 12), Arkansas State (Nov. 9), South Alabama (Nov. 16) and Troy (Nov. 23).
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GAME 1 PREVIEW – Louisiana (6-7 in 2023) vs. Grambling (5-6 in 2023)
Location: Cajun Field (25,000); Lafayette, La.
Date/Time: Saturday, August 31 at 7 p.m.
TV/RADIO
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Dan McDonald (play-by-play), Eric Mouton (analyst)
Radio: Lafayette – Hot 107.9 FM; 103.3 The Goat, 1420 AM; New Orleans/Slidell – WGSO 990 AM; Worldwide – Varsity Network powered by Learfield
Talent: Jay Walker (play-by-play), Cody Junot (analyst), Dawson Eiserloh (sideline)
All-Time Series: Louisiana leads, 1-0
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 1-0
In Grambling: Never met
Last Meeting: W, 49-17 (Sept. 1, 2018 at Lafayette)
LOUISIANA HOSTS GRAMBLING IN HERBERT HEYMANN CLASSIC
• Louisiana opens its 123rd season of intercollegiate football on Saturday when it plays host to in-state opponent Grambling in the Herbert Heymann Classic at Cajun Field.
• The season-opener marks the third consecutive season Louisiana has opened at home against a Division I FCS team from the Bayou State following games against Southeastern Louisiana (2022) and Northwestern State (2023).
• The meeting with Grambling is the second between the schools on the gridiron.
• Louisiana is 30-22 in home openers and is 18-5 overall at home since the 2020 season.
THE HERBERT HEYMANN CLASSIC
• The home opener for the Ragin' Cajuns each year serves as the Herbert Heymann Classic with Saturday's game against Grambling being the 24th edition dating back to the 2001 season.
• It serves to honor the prominent Acadiana businessman, community pillar and Cajuns fan who passed away in 2001.
• Heymann is credited with having the largest impact on Louisiana athletics of any non-university employee. He served on the committee that was responsible for building the original Cajun Field. His fund-raiser tournament helped bankroll Louisiana's golf team for many years while his behind-the-scenes philanthropy helped the program grow in countless ways.
• The Cajuns are 19-4 overall in Heymann Classic games and have won seven straight home openers dating back to 2017.
AGAINST THE TIGERS
• Saturday's meeting against Grambling will mark the second time the teams have met on the gridiron in school history with Louisiana claiming a 49-17 victory on Sept. 1, 2018 at Cajun Field.
• The meeting with GSU marks the fifth time Louisiana has faced a school from the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) where the Ragin' Cajuns are 4-0 overall.
• Louisiana has also faced SWAC schools Southern (2-0) and Texas Southern (1-0) in its 122-year history.
LAST TIME VS. GRAMBLING (Louisiana 49, Grambling 17 | 9/1/2018)
• The Billy Napier era of Louisiana Football began on Saturday with the homestanding Ragin' Cajuns capturing a 49-17 win over Grambling in front of 28,866 at Cajun Field.
• Louisiana (1-0) used a 21-point spurt in the first quarter – over a seven-minute span – to gain separation in the first-ever meeting against Grambling (0-1) and stretched its lead to 35-10 at the break.
• Of the seven scoring drives the offense produced, five were accomplished in eight plays or less. Louisiana produced 556 yards of offense and netted 27 first downs. Napier, who was the offensive coordinator at Arizona State and worked at Alabama and Clemson, became the first Ragin' Cajuns coach to win in his opening game since Sam Robertson (a 14-12 win over New Mexico State) in 1980.
ONE MORE "NIGERIAN NIGHTMARE"
• K.C. Ossai, the team's leading returner tackler, looks to pick up where he left off recording a team-high 95 tackles to go along with a pair of forced fumbles, a blocked kick and a sack.
• Ossai capped off the 2023 season with a career-high 18 tackles against Jacksonville State in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.
• He tied for the team-lead in tackles with eight against Southern Miss and added a fumble recovery.
• Against Minnesota and Texas State, Ossai registered 17 tackles, including a forced fumble on Texas State's final possession that secured the win for the Ragin' Cajuns.
• In 2022, he ranked fifth on the team with 63 tackles while playing in all 13 games.
• Ossai had 2.0 tackles for loss to go along with a forced fumble and a pass breakup as a sophomore.
• The Conroe, Texas, native registered a career-high 11 tackles at Rice and helped lead the Ragin' Cajuns to a victory over Eastern Michigan with nine tackles and a forced fumble.
• A two-time representative at Sun Belt Media Days, Ossai was named to the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List.
KENNY THE KICKER ... HE'S STILL KICKING
• One of the nation's most reliable kickers, Kenneth Almendares heads into his final season in a Cajun uniform.
• Almendares, who enters the season tied with Christian "Keener" Cagle (1923-25) for ninth place in school history with 235 points, led Louisiana and was ninth in the SBC in scoring with 92 points on the season after converting on 14 of 16 field goal attempts and 50 of 51 PAT's.
• The Clute, Texas native was one of five SBC kickers to make 50 PAT's or more in 2023 and tied a school record with 18 consecutive field goals made which began with his final 12 attempts in 2022.
• Almendares was 12-for-12 in field goal attempts from inside 40 yards during the 2023 season and was 18-of-23 on field goal attempts and 23-of-24 extra points in 2022.
IT'S A BROTHERHOOD
• When Louisiana kicks off its 2024 season, three sets of brothers will be on the roster.
• Returning defensive backs and twin brothers Calep Jacob and Collin Jacob (Loreauville, La.) both were members of the 2023 team.
• They are joined by returning offensive linemen Quinton Williams and incoming Djay Williams (Aledo, Texas) along with incoming specialists Braxton Guilbeau and Brayden Guilbeau (Youngsville, La.).
• Nine schools, including next week's opponent Kennesaw State, have more than three sets of brothers on their respective 2024 rosters.
Sets of Brothers on 2024 FBS teams
6 – Colorado
5 – BYU
4 – Colorado State, Kennesaw State, Miami (Fla.), Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Southern California, Utah State
3 – Georgia, Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisiana, Tennessee
Gameday Central - The Grambling Game
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Re: Depth Chart for Grambling?
Originally Posted by Atown cajun
