LAFAYETTE, La. — In an impressive display on Saturday night, the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns dominated the Troy Trojans with a final score of 51-30. Chandler Fields showcased his skills by completing 18 of 24 passes for an impressive 323 yards and throwing two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Bill Davis was a significant contributor, rushing for three touchdowns. The Ragin’ Cajuns made a strong statement in the second quarter, scoring 27 points to take control of the game.
With this victory, Louisiana-Lafayette improved to 9-2 and finished with a 6-1 record in conference play. They are now set to conclude their regular season next Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe. This win also secured at least a share of the West Division title for the Ragin’ Cajuns, who will advance to the Sun Belt Conference championship game on December 7, where they will face either Marshall or Georgia Southern.
The Trojans showed resilience in the second half, with Matthew Caldwell connecting on a 6-yard touchdown pass to Brody Dalton during the third quarter. He also managed to narrow the score with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Trae Swartz, making it 37-30 with 11:30 remaining in the game. However, Louisiana-Lafayette quickly responded; Robert Williams returned the subsequent kickoff for an impressive 96-yard touchdown, followed by Davis scoring on a 1-yard run, effectively sealing the game.
In the kicking department, Kenneth Almendares had a stellar performance, hitting field goals from distances of 38, 32, and 46 yards. His final field goal capped a phenomenal 30-point run by the Ragin’ Cajuns, extending their lead to 37-14 with just over 11 minutes left in the third quarter. This achievement also marked a milestone for Almendares, as he set a new conference record with 66 career field goals, surpassing the previous record held by Blake Grupe of Arkansas State and Chandler Staton of Appalachian State.
Almendares also demonstrated proficiency in extra-point conversions, completing all six attempts during the game, bringing his career total to 154 and breaking the previous record of 151 set by Stevie Artigue for the program.
On the other side, Caldwell had a solid game for Troy, completing 26 of 42 passes for 230 yards, tossing four touchdowns but also throwing two interceptions. The Trojans put up a good fight, initially taking a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, thanks to Caldwell’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Worley and a 30-yard touchdown to Devonte Ross. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome the powerful performance put forth by the Ragin’ Cajuns.