Lunch Winfield Shines in Ground Game Yet Again as Cajuns Beat UAB 21-14

Abdul Abusada • September 20, 2026

It was not pretty, but Louisiana got the 21-14 win over UAB on Saturday at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.


Quarterback Lunch Winfield added to his rushing totals this season with 91 yards on 19 carries and two rushing touchdowns. He also went 15/20 through the air for 110 yards. Winfield came into this game as the team's leading rusher and scorer. After three games, the quarterback now has 266 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. Through the air, Winfield now sits at 511 passing yards and just one touchdown through the air.


Outside of Winfield being a magician on the ground, the team rallied 225 rushing yards also through the help of their four main running backs. Steven Blanco and Anthony Reagan Jr. both combined for 103 yards, with a rushing touchdown by Blanco that helped put the Cajuns up 7-0 in the first quarter.


What really worked in favor of UL today was how the defense performed, especially against UAB's rushing attack which averaged 230 yards per game prior to Saturday. Linebacker Conor McPherson led the team in tackles with 11, including two for losses and a sack. The passing game was not much of a help for UAB either, as they only rallied 144 yards. Safety Collin Jacob came up with an interception in the second quarter. In total, UL limited UAB to just 218 total yards and 11 first downs.


What Went Right


As mentioned above, UL's defense slowed down UAB pretty much the entire game. Of UAB's 12 drives in the game, 10 were forced punts or turnover on downs. UAB also never found themselves in plus territory until the third quarter. There was a drive at the start of the fourth quarter where they methodically moved 74 yards down the field, but eventually resulted in a turnover on downs inside the five. Outside of that, along with the succeeding drive where a great punt return gave them great field position and eventually a touchdown, there was not much success from the Blazers offense.


UAB also found themselves struggling with penalties (an issue they've had all season), finishing the game with nine of them for 89 yards. They worked in UL's favor from the get-go, as three of those penalties came on the opening drive in the game. Those costly penalties gave the Cajuns 34 free yards on a drive that resulted in a touchdown early in the game.


We can't forget about the running game, led by Lunch Winfield, which has been the horsepower of this offense up to this point. And of course, the Cajuns ended up getting wide receiver Landon Strother back after suffering a broken collar bone in fall camp. It was a big boost for the Cajuns as they have consistently struggled with getting wide outs (outside of their slot receivers) involved in any sort of vertical passing game. Strother finished the game as the leading receiver with 41 yards on five receptions.


What Went Wrong


Offensively, UL was not able to get inside the UAB 30 in the second half of the game and thus did not put up any points in the second half. A lot of this was due to mental mistakes like false starts and missed assignments. It also did not help that the Cajuns fumbled the ball three times and lost it twice, the first of which was returned by UAB for a touchdown halfway through the second quarter.


We also did not see much improvement when it came to the passing game. As we know by now, UL has had a very difficult time getting their wide receivers involved in a vertical passing game. Strother being back helped UL make some big plays down the field, but it is still apparent that the team is still lacking when it comes to playmakers on the outside. Shelton Sampson Jr. and Trenton Chaney are expected to return soon, which may help relieve Lunch a little bit from having to keep it on the ground.


Final Takeaways


This is a group that is maturing together and are learning to play and fight as one team. Coming into this season, I had a lot of questions when it came to both the offense (mainly the wide receiving corps) and the defense (mainly the secondary). The wide receiver room still has flaws, but it is safe to say that the Cajuns have a talented secondary and a feisty defense in general that want to fight and win games. They only allowed one touchdown on Saturday, and they were not happy about it. But they know they are a special group.


Coach Michael Desormeaux in his postgame press conference speech said that there was a lot this team needed to work on if they want to become a championship-caliber team, particularly on offense. Yes, the Cajuns won the game, and it was not pretty, but he said it best: you cannot be sad with a win. It is all back to the drawing board on Sunday as they prepare to face Charlotte next Saturday.

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New Orleans Saints football helmet on green turf, side view with black fleur-de-lis logo and face mask

Saints vs Ravens Preview

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The New Orleans Saints will find themselves matching up against one of the best teams in the NFL and an actual Super Bowl contender in the Baltimore Ravens. The Saints are coming off a tough road loss to the Detroit Lions last week. That game saw everything you did not want to see and everything you did want to see. The Saints started off slow, could not find an offensive rhythm, and struggled to run the ball early. Because of that, they found themselves down 21-0. But they fought, rallied back, forced overtime, and had a shot to win the game with a two-point conversion that was well played by the Detroit defense. In order for the Saints to pull off an upset as an 8.5-point road underdog, they cannot repeat those same mistakes. Under head coach Kellen Moore, slow starts have been normal for the team in black and gold, and the defense they are matching up against will absolutely be looking to continue that trend for the Saints. The good news for New Orleans is that they will be getting some reinforcements for this game, as Alvin Kamara will be making his season debut this Sunday in Baltimore. Kendre Miller was able to find success in the second half of the game last week, but adding Kamara brings back the dynamic running back that this team was building the running game around this offseason. Olave will also be looking to build on his dominant season-opening debut. The number one receiving target for QB Tyler Shough had nearly 200 yards receiving but will find himself matched up with Marlon Humphrey, one of the premier cornerbacks in the NFL. As for Tyler Shough, after such a dominant second half and overtime against the Lions, the question for him becomes: Can he carry that momentum into this game? That will determine a lot, but the competition is taking a major step up this week. This Ravens defense has elite talent at every single level. Trey Hendrickson at edge will definitely cause issues as a pass rusher. Roquan Smith is the leader of the defense in the middle, and Kyle Hamilton is a versatile safety who can line up anywhere. The offense will have to stay patient, stay on schedule, and ensure that it can limit third-and-long situations. The defense, however, will have its own set of issues—primarily two of the biggest problems the league has to offer on a single offensive unit: two-time MVP Lamar Jackson and one of the greatest running backs to ever play, Derrick Henry. The combination of Jackson and Henry is a running duo that causes defensive coordinators to lose sleep. Henry is coming off a game in which he rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns, and after seeing what the Saints defense allowed from Jahmyr Gibbs, it would be understandable to have concerns about this matchup for the rushing defense. Add to that the fact that Jackson is the most explosive running threat at the quarterback position ever, and you have yourself a very stressful situation. The issue with Jackson, though, is that in Week 1 he was also very polished throwing the football. Jackson finished with a 68% completion percentage, 324 passing yards, and one passing touchdown, while also adding 40 yards on the ground and another rushing touchdown. The Saints will have to get pressure on Jackson and cause issues in the backfield, even in the running game, but they have to do so with precision and rush-lane integrity. If they don't, Jackson will have the freedom to open the offense up to its full potential. In order for the Saints to pull off the upset, they have to control the clock by establishing the run and getting Shough into rhythm early. They will have to keep the Ravens offense off the field, and when they are on defense, they will have to win first down and force Baltimore into long third-down situations. By the end of the game, everyone will know whether the Saints are on the right track for this season or if they are still a few pieces away from challenging for the division and making a run in the playoffs.
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