The Trojans are hitting the road for the final time in the 2024 season this Saturday when they face the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. Troy enters this matchup on a two-game winning streak after upsetting Coastal Carolina and Georgia Southern in its two previous matchups.
After a 1-7 start, the Trojans were desperate to turn things around and there could not have been a better time than when the Chanticleers came to town for homecoming almost three weeks ago. Troy had its best offensive game of the season, posting 342 total rushing yards and scoring a season-high 38 points.
Gerad Parker started the first winning streak of his head coaching career the following week when the Trojans traveled to Statesboro, Georgia. Troy went head-to-head with the Georgia Southern Eagles, who were leading the Sun Belt East at the time.
Matthew Caldwell earned Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week honors after a four-touchdown performance, where he converted 26-of-32 passes and threw for 288 yards.
Not only has Troy’s offense been rolling, but the defense has also come to play as well. One of the keys to recent success has been the Trojans’ ability to get off the field on third down.
The Chanticleers only moved the chains on three of their 13 third downs. The Eagles were only able to convert three out of their eight third down opportunities. The Trojans out possessed their opponents in these matchups by seven minutes and by 17, respectively.
Louisiana is entering this contest after being upset by South Alabama, 24-22. The Ragin’ Cajuns are still sitting in first place in the Sun Belt West, largely due to a six-game winning streak that they started after their early loss to Tulane.
Senior quarterback Ben Wooldridge is having the best season of his collegiate career for Louisiana. The 6-foot-3 gunslinger has already thrown for 2,392 yards and 17 touchdowns while adding nearly 200 yards on the ground and five more scores.
The Ragin’ Cajuns’ backfield has been a huge part of their success this season, producing three players with over 450 rushing yards and 20 total rushing touchdowns. Freshman running back Bill Davis has been Louisiana’s leading rusher with 635 yards on 114 carries.
Louisiana has limited its opponents to only 22 points per game and a large contributor to that is senior linebacker K.C. Ossai. Ossai has 81 total tackles on the season so far and has deflected three passes and has forced one fumble.
The turnover margin has also been a huge factor in the Ragin’ Cajuns’ success. Safety duo Tyrone Lewis Jr. and Tyree Skipper have both recorded four interceptions and are two of the top four tacklers on Louisiana’s roster.
All eyes should be on this Saturday’s matchup in Lafayette, Louisiana. Although the Trojans are mathematically eliminated from the Sun Belt Conference championship game, they have been able to play spoiler to two of the top contending teams in the east and the outcome of this weekend’s matchup could cause a lot of turmoil in the west as well.
Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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