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.