What started as a tightly contested in-state rivalry turned into a commanding second-half performance as the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns defeated the UL-Monroe Warhawks 42-21 on Thursday night at FMOL Health | St. Francis Stadium. After entering halftime tied at 14, Louisiana capitalized on multiple Warhawk turnovers and relied on its rushing attack to pull away in the nationally televised matchup on ESPN2.

The victory improves Louisiana to 7-3 overall and 4-2 in Sun Belt Conference play, while UL-Monroe falls to 2-8 overall and 2-4 in conference play. The Cajuns have now won four consecutive meetings against the Warhawks and 16 of the last 19 matchups between the in-state rivals.

A Competitive First Half

UL-Monroe opened the contest with an impressive 15-play, 73-yard touchdown drive that consumed over eight minutes of game clock. Quarterback Austin Carlisle started for the Warhawks and capped the possession with a one-yard rushing touchdown, giving UL-Monroe an early 7-0 lead. Louisiana responded on its opening possession, marching 57 yards in six plays before quarterback Lunch Winfield connected with wide receiver Shelton Sampson Jr. for a 13-yard touchdown to even the score.

The Warhawks regained the lead early in the second quarter when Carlisle found Jaiden Tucker for a five-yard touchdown pass, putting UL-Monroe back in front 14-7. Louisiana struggled to find offensive consistency throughout much of the quarter, while the Warhawks continued to establish their rushing attack and control the clock.

A frightening moment occurred midway through the second quarter when Cajuns linebacker Ashley Williams suffered an apparent head/neck injury after colliding with a teammate while attempting to make a tackle. Williams remained down on the field as medical personnel attended to him, eventually being placed on a stretcher with a neck brace and transported to a nearby hospital. In an encouraging moment, Williams raised the "UL" hand sign while being carted off the field. Team officials did report that Williams regained consciousness and was talking and moving before leaving the stadium.

Shortly after the incident, Louisiana put together a crucial scoring drive late in the first half, marching 80 yards in eight plays before KeDarius Wade punched the ball into the end zone on an eight-yard run with just 40 seconds remaining. UL-Monroe attempted to respond before halftime, but Kody Jackson intercepted Carlisle to end the threat and send both teams into the locker room tied at 14.

The Turning Point

The momentum shifted dramatically in Louisiana’s favor early in the third quarter, and it wasn’t because of anything the Cajuns’ offense did.

After Louisiana’s opening possession of the second half resulted in a punt, UL-Monroe took over at its own 13-yard line. On the first play of the drive, safety Collin Jacob forced Carlisle to fumble, allowing linebacker Micah Johnson to recover the football and return it 18 yards for a touchdown. The defensive score gave Louisiana its first lead of the night, 21-14, with 12:27 remaining in the third quarter.

The Cajuns’ defense came through again later in the quarter when Maurion Eleam forced a fumble by UL-Monroe’s LT Robinson, which was also recovered by Micah Johnson at the Warhawks’ 19-yard line. Louisiana immediately took advantage of the opportunity, as running back JJ Garner broke free for a 19-yard touchdown on the very next play to extend the lead to 28-14.

Garner continued to punish the Warhawks’ defense early in the fourth quarter, scoring his second touchdown of the night on an 18-yard run to increase Louisiana’s advantage to 35-14. The score capped a stretch of 28 unanswered points by the Cajuns after trailing 14-7 early in the second quarter.

UL-Monroe eventually ended Louisiana’s scoring run with a six-yard touchdown by Don Chaney, cutting the deficit to 35-21 with just under six minutes remaining. However, the Cajuns responded with a six-play, 50-yard touchdown drive, capped by a two-yard run from Steven Blanco, to seal the 42-21 victory.

Louisiana’s Rushing Attack Takes Over

Coming into Thursday’s matchup, Louisiana’s rushing attack was expected to have a favorable matchup against a UL-Monroe defense allowing more than 200 rushing yards per game. The Cajuns took full advantage of that weakness, finishing with 274 yards and four touchdowns on 33 rushing attempts, averaging an impressive 8.3 yards per carry.

Blanco led Louisiana with a career-high 113 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 attempts, while Garner added 104 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries. The duo became the first pair of Louisiana running backs to each surpass 100 rushing yards in the same game since the 2023 season, when Dre’Lyn Washington and Jacob Kibodi accomplished the feat against Buffalo.

The performance by both backs was particularly encouraging considering Louisiana’s recent injuries within the room. With Anthony Reagan Jr. and Darrell Smith both out for the season, the Cajuns have needed others to step up in the backfield. Blanco and Garner did exactly that, combining for 217 rushing yards and three touchdowns on Thursday. More impressively, JJ Garner has now rushed for 240 yards and three touchdowns on just 19 carries over the last two games.

The passing game, meanwhile, played a relatively limited role in the victory. Winfield completed seven of his 13 passes for just 65 yards and one touchdown, while contributing another 37 yards on the ground. UL-Monroe didn’t have much to say for in the passing game either, with both Aidan Armenta and Austin Carlisle combining for just 112 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

Despite finishing with only 339 yards of total offense, Louisiana scored six touchdowns, committed no turnovers and converted all five of its red-zone opportunities into touchdowns.

Defense Makes the Difference, But Concerns Remain

While Louisiana’s ground game played a major role in the victory, the Cajuns’ defense arguably made the biggest difference in determining the outcome.

Louisiana forced three turnovers, including two fumble recoveries and an interception, with two of those takeaways directly resulting in touchdowns. Micah Johnson finished the game with nine tackles, two fumble recoveries and a defensive touchdown, while Jake St. Andre led the team with 14 tackles. Collin Jacob also recorded nine tackles and a forced fumble, continuing to make an impact since returning from injury.

However, despite winning by three touchdowns, Louisiana’s defense was far from perfect. UL-Monroe ended up outgaining the Cajuns in total offense, finishing with 372 yards compared to Louisiana’s 339, while also controlling possession for more than 35 minutes.

The Warhawks found considerable success on the ground against a really good Cajuns defense, rushing for 260 yards on 49 attempts. Running back Bryson Roland led UL-Monroe with 111 rushing yards, while Carlisle added 102 yards and a touchdown of his own. The Cajuns also struggled to get off the field on third down, allowing the Warhawks to convert nine of their 17 opportunities, much better than the Cajuns on third down.

This was a concern entering Thursday’s matchup, as Louisiana had previously surrendered significant rushing production to mobile quarterbacks throughout the season. Although the Cajuns ultimately limited UL-Monroe to 21 points, the rushing numbers suggest that defending the ground game, particularly against mobile quarterbacks, remains an area that needs improvement heading into the final stretch of the regular season.

What This Win Means for Louisiana

Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of Thursday’s victory was Louisiana’s ability to pull away from an opponent, while on the road, rather than find itself in another close finish. The Cajuns entered the matchup having lost three of their four road games this season, including narrow defeats to Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss. After trailing twice in the first half, Louisiana responded by taking advantage of turnovers and establishing its rushing attack to secure a convincing road victory.

It was also a different result than I anticipated in my game preview, where I predicted a 24-17 Louisiana victory. While both offenses relied heavily on their rushing attacks as expected, I anticipated a hard-fought low-scoring contest unless either team managed to produce a special teams or defensive touchdown. Ironically, that’s exactly what happened with Micah Johnson’s fumble touchdown return. That defensive score, combined with Louisiana’s ability to capitalize on UL-Monroe’s mistakes, helped turn what appeared to be another close game into a three-touchdown victory.

Still, the final score doesn’t necessarily tell the entire story. Louisiana allowed 260 rushing yards, surrendered nine third-down conversions and was outgained in total yardage despite winning comfortably. Those are areas that head coach Michael Desormeaux and his coaching staff will certainly want to address as they approach the final stretch of the season.

Nevertheless, a win is a win, and Louisiana now sits at 7-3 with two regular-season games remaining. The Cajuns have secured their second road victory of the season, extended their winning streak over their in-state rivals and improved to 4-2 in Sun Belt play.

What’s Next for Louisiana?

Louisiana will return home on Saturday, November 21, to host Coastal Carolina in its final home game of the 2026 regular season. The matchup will also serve as Senior Day, with kickoff scheduled for 2pm at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium. The Cajuns will then travel to Atlanta to face Georgia State on November 28 to close out the regular season.

With bowl eligibility already secured, Louisiana will look to finish the year strong and improve its postseason outlook. It’s Sun Belt title game hopes are one Louisiana Tech win away from being washed away, so barring a miracle these last few weeks, the Cajuns look to finish 9-3 on the season in the best way possible and earn a good bowl game for a chance to finish with 10 wins.

Abdul Abusada of Cajun Sports Talk