The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns are now 1-1 after falling to the 14th-ranked USC Trojans 49-30 in Los Angeles. USC quarterback Jayden Maiava continued his impressive start to the season, throwing for 261 yards and five touchdowns against UL. Running back King Miller also had a big night for the Trojans, carrying the ball 18 times for 128 yards and a touchdown. That offensive production helped USC create separation from the Cajuns throughout the game. For Louisiana, the strong ground attack and short passing game that worked against Lamar carried over into Saturday’s matchup. Quarterback Lunch Winfield was a name many people across the country heard plenty of on the Big Ten Network, running the ball 14 times for 91 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also went 16-of-22 for 212 yards through the air and threw UL’s first passing touchdown of the season. Redshirt freshman slot receiver Russell Babineaux quickly became Winfield’s go-to target, catching passes on a variety of short routes and using his speed to create yards after the catch. It paid off, as Babineaux finished with 91 receiving yards and the Cajuns’ lone touchdown reception. What Went Right It might not necessarily be what the Cajuns coaching staff wanted out of him this season, but Lunch Winfield being his true self with his running capabilities was a big reason why Louisiana was able to put up 30 points against USC. He accounted for 85% of UL’s total offensive yards. Winfield had 91 yards and two touchdowns on the ground through 14 carries, one of them including a 32 yard run score. He also went an impressive 16/22 through the air and threw for 212 yards. On top of that, he threw the Cajuns’ first and only touchdown pass of the season, connecting with Russell Babineaux on a corner route toward the sideline in the end zone that couldn’t have been placed any better. Speaking of Babineaux, he led all receivers Saturday with 91 yards on six receptions. The slot receiver made his presence felt throughout the game as Winfield’s most reliable target. No other wide receiver finished with more than 11 receiving yards. Tight end Brock Chappell, who stepped in for the injured Caden Jensen after Jensen did not play Saturday, also had a productive game with three receptions for 47 yards. It’s also worth mentioning the interception by redshirt sophomore cornerback Avery Demery in plus territory on the opening drive of the game. Maiava threw a questionable and inaccurate pass that went directly to Demery, giving Louisiana possession at the USC 39-yard line. UL capitalized by putting the first points of the game on the board with a 47-yard field goal from Tony Sterner. That sequence gave the team an early wake-up call and helped the Cajuns keep things close for most of the first half. And finally, I would be remiss not to mention that UL came out of this game relatively healthy with very few injuries, at least as far as we know right now. That was probably one of the most important things everyone wanted to see coming out of this game. What Went Wrong Outside of Lunch Winfield’s scrambles, Louisiana’s running game was basically nonexistent. JJ Garner, Anthony Reagan Jr. and Steven Blanco combined for only 55 yards on the ground. We knew UL had a tall task going up against this USC defensive front, so that wasn’t necessarily unexpected. After last week’s win over Lamar, one of the biggest takeaways from the offense was that Louisiana would rely heavily on its running game and short screen-passing attack. With top receivers like Shelton Sampson Jr. and Trenton Chaney being out on Saturday for injury, that once again appeared to be the case. Lunch had to either rely on Babineaux, tight end Brock Chappell, or himself to gain significant yards. Then there were the quite a few opportunities that the Cajuns simply missed out on. The most notable came when Maiava threw a pass to Kayden Dixon-Wyatt in the end zone that went right through the hands of senior cornerback Maurion Eleam. Instead of an interception, USC came away with a touchdown and a 21-10 lead late in the second quarter. That was around the point when the Trojans began to really separate themselves. Not long after, Louisiana punted on its next possession, and multiple missed tackle opportunities allowed USC to take the return 86 yards for a touchdown that gave them a 28-10 lead going into halftime. Missed tackles became a big issue for a big part of the game for the Cajuns. Then there were the plays where Maiava threw absolute dots to his receivers in the end zone in very tight spaces, and I mean very tight that they could’ve easily been picked off. It was little mistakes and missed opportunities like those all throughout the game that made the final score look a little wider than it probably needed to be. Final Takeaways Louisiana played hard all game and, honestly, did better than most people, including myself, expected against such a high-powered USC team. Lunch Winfield played his heart out, and as he said after the game, he was willing to “lay it all on the line” for his team. Russell Babineaux also proved that he can be a big part of this offense moving forward. At 5’9” and 178 pounds, he isn’t a big receiver by any means, but he is shifty, quick and knows how to use his speed to pick up yards. Now, it becomes a matter of getting Shelton Sampson Jr. and Trenton Chaney healthy so Louisiana can have a deeper wide receiver room and start to develop more of a vertical threat in the passing game. Brock Chappell also showed that being down one tight end isn’t going to be the end of the world for this offense. The Cajuns through two games have showed that they have a deep tight end group who have proven to be one of Winfield’s most reliable options when Louisiana needs to move the ball vertically downfield. Louisiana didn’t leave Los Angeles with a win, but the Cajuns should have plenty of confidence moving forward after a hard-fought performance against one of the best teams in the country. They also went home $1.3 million richer as part of the contract between UL and USC for playing the game. The Cajuns will now turn their attention to the UAB Blazers, who come to Lafayette for a 7 p.m. kickoff Saturday. UAB enters the matchup with a win over ULM and a loss to Illinois. Louisiana is currently a 9.5-point favorite in the matchup.