No. 24 Louisiana Tops Troy on Homecoming

Saturday, November 13

Troy, Ala.

2:30 p.m.

Troy University

5-5 , 3-3

Louisiana

9-1 , 7-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Louisiana

Troy

11/13/2021 8:12:00 PM | Football

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By: Troy Athletics Communications

Troy head coach Chip Lindsey said an upset victory on homecoming "was there for the taking."

Instead, Louisiana quarterback Levi Lewis threw touchdown passes of 52, 15 and 13 yards and ran 27 yards for another score to lead No. 24 Ragin' Cajuns past Troy, 35-21, Saturday.

The Trojans trailed 14-13 at halftime, played a poor third quarter and fought back within a touchdown early in the fourth.

Troy couldn't complete the upset with turnovers on its final three possessions.

"Tough loss for us. I feel like we were in a good spot there, just didn't make enough plays to get it done," Lindsey said. "Hat's off to Louisiana. They have a good football team, a veteran team. They did a good job of taking control of the game in the third quarter when we struggled coming out of halftime."

The left-handed Lewis completed 14 of 21 passes for 166 yards to help Louisiana (9-1, 7-0 Sun Belt Conference) extend its winning streak to a school-record nine games after losing its season opener at Texas 38-18. The Ragin' Cajuns also clinched their first home game for the Sun Belt Championship Game on Dec. 4.

"We defended the quarterback at times," Lindsey said. "He can pull it down and run it. He's dangerous. He's a really good player; he's a veteran guy."

The difference in the game, however, was in the trenches.

Troy (5-5, 3-3) ran the ball 25 times for 41 yards. Louisiana had 45 rushes for 204 yards.

"They've got a really good offensive line. I think our guys didn't play their best, either," Lindsey noted. "We haven't been pushed around like that up front, and we did today. The key to us was not being able to run the ball."

Troy scored first when quarterback Gunnar Watson capped off the Trojans' first drive with a 10-yard touchdown run. That drive was kept alive by a 27-yard completion from Watson to Tez Johnson on fourth-and-6 at the Louisiana 37.

The Cajuns answered when running back Chris Smith gained 43 yards on its first play of the game. That helped set up the tying touchdown; a 15-yard pop pass around left end to Dontae Fleming. Smith finished with 102 yards rushing on 15 carries. Montrell Johnson added 67 yards on 16 carries, including a 6-yard TD run.

Troy regained the lead when Brooks Buce kicked a 30-yard field for Troy with 5:40 left in the first quarter.

The Cajuns went ahead 14-10 when Lewis eluded a strong rush by Richard Jubinor, stepped into the pocket and hit Michael Jefferson in stride behind the Troy secondary for 52 yards and a touchdown.

Troy cut the deficit to a point at halftime, 14-13, when Buce drilled a career-long 47-yard field goal with 4:20 left in the second quarter.

Louisiana started the second half the same way it started the game – with two touchdown drives. Lewis passed for 13 yards and a score to Kyren Lacy, then finished the Cajuns' second possession with a weaving scramble that left several Troy would-be tacklers grasping in vain on a 27-yard run on fourth-and-9.

"We have to get our players to play better coming out of the half," Lindsey said. "I thought, offensively and defensively, we didn't attack the third quarter. We've got to fix that."

Troy answered early in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Gunnar Watson threw a 7-yard pass to Tez Johnson at the goal line for a TD that was upheld on video review.

"I knew I was in. When I caught it, I never tucked it in, so (the ball) could just go in (across the goal line)," said Johnson, who caught six passes for 83 yards. "I knew I caught it. They played the right coverage we practiced against. I knew the play was there.

"Their defense was really good. They were big up front. I respect their defense. Their DBs made some good plays, definitely challenged us the whole night. We've got to go back to work. We didn't come out at halftime fully ready. We felt like we were locked in halftime, but we came out … we couldn't execute.

"I respect any team that comes into The Vet and beats us. I respect what they did tonight."

Watson completed a two-point conversion pass to Deshon Stoudemire that cut Louisiana's lead to 28-21 with 14:13 remaining.

"Cutting it to a seven-point lead there in the fourth quarter was big, but we couldn't get the stop we needed after that," Lindsey said.

The Trojans kept the momentum with consecutive sacks on Lewis that forced a punt. But Watson's pass for running back Jamontez Woods was thrown behind him. Woods tried to make a juggling catch, but Louisiana linebacker Ferrod Gardner picked it off along the sideline.

"It was frustrating, especially when that (drive) ends in a turnover," said Watson, who threw for 350 yards on 29-for-55 passing. "We just got a third-down conversion and then the turnover came on first down.

"Their D-line was one of the biggest we played. They were good up front. I think our O-line did a good job still, pass protected well. Then we had two turnovers at the end of the game, two of them on me."

Following the turnover, Louisiana kept the ball on the ground for eight consecutive plays and more than four minutes before Montrell Johnson scored on a 6-yard run up the middle with 5:15 remaining. That restored Louisiana's lead to two scores.

A Troy fumble after a pass completion ended its next possession, and Watson fumbled while being sacked on the Trojans' final possession.

"Hat's off to them," Troy linebacker Carlton Martial said after recording his fourth consecutive game with 10 or more tackles. "I wouldn't say they were that much better than us, but they executed their game plan to a 'T.' We made some costly mistakes. We have to cut those out in the future."