2021 SUNBELT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
Date: Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. CT)
Location: Cajun Field (Lafayette, La.)
AP Poll: #20 UL; App State 50 pts (28th)
Coaches Poll: #21 UL; App State 30 pts (28th)
Series: App State leads 8-2 (3-1 on road)
2019 Title Game: App State 45, UL 38
2018 Title Game: App State 30, UL 19
APPALACHIAN STATE MOUNTAINEERS NOTES
APP STATE STORYLINES
• After playing in the only two contested Sun Belt Championship Games to date, East Division champ App State and West Division champ Louisiana will meet again in 2021, this time in Lafayette, La. The 2018 and 2019 title games were held in Boone, with App State winning 30-19 and then 45-38.
• Since App State joined the Sun Belt in 2014, the Mountaineers and Ragin’ Cajuns rank first and second, respectively, among its league members in overall wins (80-22 for App State, 63-38 for Louisiana) and wins against Sun Belt teams (56-10 for App State, 46-20 for Louisiana).
• Only six active FBS head coaches have won at least 80 percent of their games, and App State’s Shawn Clark (20-5, 80.0 percent) is tied with Dabo Swinney for fifth place, behind just Ryan Day, Lincoln Riley, Kirby Smart and Nick Saban. Billy Napier is seventh on the list at 76.5 percent.
• After losing 25-23 at No. 22 Miami on Sept. 11 and winning 30-27 against No. 14 Coastal Carolina on Oct. 23, App State will play a third ranked FBS team in the same season for the first time. The Mountaineers are 1-8 against ranked teams since the 2014 FBS jump, with an earlier 34-32 victory at No. 5 Michigan in 2007, during the program’s run to three straight FCS national championships.
• At 80-22 since the 2014 transition, App State has the sixth-most wins in the FBS in that span behind just Alabama (102-9), Clemson (98-13), Ohio State (92-11), Oklahoma (85-19) and Georgia (84-20).
• App State, Alabama, Clemson and Oklahoma are the only FBS programs with nine-plus wins every year since 2015. The list of eight programs with 10-plus wins in at least five of the last seven years: App State, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma and San Diego State.
• ILB D’Marco Jackson, a Senior Bowl pick, is one of only two FBS players (along with Utah’s Devin Lloyd) with at least 100 tackles, 15.0 TFLs, 5.0 sacks, one INT and five passes defended. Jackson, ILB Trey Cobb, OLB T.D. Roof and OLB Nick Hampton have totaled 278 tackles, 43.5 TFLs, 16.0 sacks, six INTs, 11 PBUs, three forced fumbles and, according to PFF data, 78 QB pressures.
• App State (17 points allowed in last three games) leads the nation in TFLs per game (8.2) while ranking in the top 15 in scoring defense (18.9 points), total defense (319.4 yards), rushing defense (113.1 yards), 3rd-down defense (31.6%), red zone defense (74.3%), INTs (15) and defensive TDs (4).
• Sun Belt leader Nate Noel has 1,034 rushing yards, with Camerun Peoples (13 TDs) third at 76.4 yards per game. Chase Brice (sacked only 10 times) throws to four super senior WRs (Thomas Hennigan,
MORE STORYLINES
• Shawn Clark was the only first-year FBS head coach in 2020 to win nine-plus games. He was part of two 10-win seasons as an App State player from 1994-98 and three as an assistant from 2016-19.
• On Senior Day, App State recognized 28 players — including 14 “super seniors” who returned for the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA. Tommy Dawkins Jr., Jacob Huesman, Baer Hunter, Kaiden Smith, Caleb Spurlin, Chandler Staton and Jalen Virgil are sixth-year App State players who redshirted in 2016 and have been part of a 62-15 run with Sun Belt titles in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. The team’s other super seniors are Mike Evans, Tim Frizzell, Thomas Hennigan, Xavier Subotsch, Corey Sutton, Demetrius Taylor and Malik Williams.
• App State returned 10 defensive starters, seven offensive starters and 80 percent of the letter-winners from 2020, including the 14 super seniors who have now combined to play 602 games for App State and make 400 starts.
• App State has increased its streak to 37 straight seasons (eight Sun Belt, 29 SoCon) with a league record of .500 or better. Among current FBS programs, counting seasons before and after any transitions, it’s the longest streak by 14 years — Clemson, Oklahoma and Boise State are at 23 in a row.
• App State has the Sun Belt’s most-followed Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok accounts among football programs. It ranked No. 2 among G5 programs (behind just UCF) and No. 42 in the FBS in social media interactions in 2020.
• Thomas Hennigan, Caleb Spurlin and Xavier Subotsch have played in all 64 App State games since the start of 2017, breaking the school record for career games. Pierre Banks, who appeared in three games before redshirting as a true freshman in 2004, then totaled 59 games as the Mountaineers went 50-9 with three FCS titles from 2005-08, held the NCAA all-divisions record until this year. His record was broken by several players who are either still at Clemson or had played previously at Clemson.
• Thomas Hennigan has an FBS-record 63 starts to date. Earlier this year, he broke the old record of 57 each by Clemson OL Mitch Wyatt and Alabama OL Ross Pierschbacher from 2015-18.
• Officially going 7-0 at home with two Thursday games and one Wednesday game, App State set program and Sun Belt Conference records for average home attendance at 30,441 fans per game. The previous Sun Belt record of 29,171 was set by Louisiana in 2011.
• With six of seven home games in 30,000-seat Kidd Brewer Stadium, plus a Thursday home game played in Charlotte, App State leads the 130-team FBS at 101.5 percent home attendance relative to capacity. The only other FBS schools at 100-plus percent are Michigan (101.1), Utah (100.7), Penn State (100.2), Texas A&M (100.2 percent) and Georgia (100.0).
• App State’s impressive crowd support included 31,061 fans at a Wednesday win vs. Coastal Carolina — the biggest regular season crowd for a college football game on a Tuesday/Wednesday since App State joined the Sun Belt in 2014, with the second-place total being 25,211 fans at Troy for South Alabama’s 2017 visit. Pitt’s home game vs. UConn on a Wednesday in 2011 drew a crowd of 40,219.
• A Thursday season opener vs. ECU in Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium was officially an App State home game that drew 36,752 fans, the Kidd Brewer Stadium debut vs. FCS-level Elon drew 30,224, and a Thursday home game vs. Marshall included a crowd of 28,377. The ULM game drew 29,321, the South Alabama game with temperature in the high 30s drew a crowd of 29,348, and a post-Thanksgiving visit from Georgia Southern drew 28,005.
• App State is one of 12 schools to finish in the top 26 of AP Poll voting in each of the last three years. It led in-state FBS programs in wins during each of the last three seasons and at least tied for the most wins among in-state FBS programs during each of the last six seasons.
• App State posted a combined record of 33-6 from 2018-20 with three different head coaches, three different offensive coordinators and three different defensive coordinators in those three seasons. Defensive coordinator Dale Jones is in Year 2 since returning, and offensive coordinator Frank Ponce came back after serving as the co-offensive coordinator (passing game)/QBs coach from 2013-18.
• In 2019, App State became the first Sun Belt team AND the first FBS team in North Carolina history to win 13 games in a season (13-1). Programs in North Carolina have posted an 11-win season at the FBS level a combined 10 times, and App State accounted for three of those in its first six FBS seasons.
SPECIAL TEAMS
• Assistant Brian Haines again directs a unit with returning starters at kicker (Chandler Staton), punter (Xavier Subotsch), long snapper (Christian Johnstone) and holder (Clayton Howell).
• Groza Award semifinalist Chandler Staton is 18 of 19 on field goals this year and 51 of 51 on PATs for 105 points (No. 1 in the Sun Belt). He is No. 1 among active FBS players (No. 6 all-time among FBS kickers), No. 1 in school history and No. 1 in Sun Belt history with 452 career points — on Senior Day, he topped the previous school record of 444 points scored by RB Kevin Richardson from 2004-07.
• With a first-quarter field goal at Troy, Chandler Staton improved to 16-for-16 this season and ran his streak of consecutive makes to a school-record 18 before the streak ended later in the first half. Staton is 62-for-79 in his career, including 21-for-23 from between 40-49 yards.
• Jalen Virgil ranks No. 6 nationally with a kickoff return average of 32.1 yards this season, and he has a career average of 33.6 on 27 returns. He tied Darrynton Evans’ school record of three career kickoff return TDs by scoring on a 97-yard return on Senior Day against Georgia Southern.
OFFENSE
• App State is 20-for-30 (66.7 percent) on fourth-down conversions this year, including a 17-for-24 mark in Sun Belt play with a 3-for-3 showing that included two touchdowns against South Alabama, a 4-for-5 effort at Troy and a 2-for-3 mark with a fourth-and-9 TD pass covering 36 yards against Georgia Southern.
• App State has extended its streak of consecutive years with a 1,000-yard rusher to 10 — among current FBS teams, the second-longest active streak is four years (Buffalo, with 2021 checked off).
• Chase Brice is No. 3 in the Sun Belt at 241.8 passing yards per game — with 21 TDs in App State’s 10 wins. After having a single-game high of 279 passing yards in his first three FBS seasons, Brice has eclipsed that four times for App State, with 347 vs. Coastal Carolina and 326 vs. Georgia State.
• Super senior WRs Thomas Hennigan, Malik Williams and Corey Sutton are all among the top 10 in school history in career receptions (No. 1-Hennigan with 231; No. 5-Williams; No. 9-Sutton), career receiving yards (No. 3-Hennigan; No. 5-Williams; No. 6-Sutton) and career receiving TDs (No. 3-Sutton; T-No. 5-Hennigan; No. 8-Williams). App State is the only FBS team with three active players who have eclipsed 2,000 career receiving yards.
• App State was the only FBS team in 2020 with 500-yard rushing seasons from four players, including Camerun Peoples, Nate Noel and Daetrich Harrington. They had yet to all play together in the same game this season before the Coastal Carolina game, when the trio combined for 186 rushing yards on 35 attempts (5.3 yards per carry), and Harrington joined Noel in scoring a touchdown at Troy.
• Nate Noel and Camerun Peoples both had 100+ rushing yards in wins vs. ECU and Arkansas State. Noel has five 100-yard games this year, and Peoples has two (among seven games with at least 75), helping App State be one of only three FBS teams (joining Michigan and Wisconsin) with two RBs averaging at least 75.0 rushing yards a game.
• Nate Noel leads the Sun Belt with 29 runs of 10-plus yards this year. Against Marshall, he rushed for 104 of his 187 yards in the fourth quarter, when App State turned a 30-21 deficit into a 31-30 win. Noel had gains of 11, 14, 41 and 22 yards on the final drive, smartly going down short of the end zone in the final two minutes to prevent Marshall from possibly regaining possession with an eight-point deficit.
• Camerun Peoples scored three first-half TDs vs. Marshall, sat out the next two games, then had two rushing TDs apiece vs. Coastal Carolina and ULM along with a 27-yard TD against Arkansas State. He has 18 TDs in his last 11 games and has rushed for 2,075 yards with 27 TDs in 25 career games.
• RB Daetrich Harrington returned to the lineup at Louisiana on Oct. 12 after tearing the ACL in his right knee for the second time in his college career at Texas State on Nov. 7, 2020. He tore it in the spring of 2018 (returning nine months later to play at Georgia State in Game 10), suffered a foot injury that forced him to miss the last six regular-season games in 2019 (before returning for two postseason
wins) and led the Sun Belt with 595 yards in the first six games of his injury-shortened 2020. He scored his first TD in more than 13 months when he reached the end zone at Troy.
• Despite sitting out last year, Corey Sutton has the second-most receiving TDs (24 in just 34 games) among Sun Belt players in FBS play since the start of 2018. After dragging his back foot in bounds on a fourth-quarter TD grab that ranked No. 1 on SportsCenter’s top plays following the Marshall victory, he had a touchdown in five of App State’s seven Sun Belt wins and four 100-yard games total this season.
• Malik Williams already has a single-season high in receiving yards with 776, with 206 coming in a win against Coastal Carolina. He has seven receptions gaining at least 40 yards this season (No. 2 in the Sun Belt) after totaling three in his first four seasons.
• With 14 plays of more than 40 yards in his career, Jalen Virgil is No. 4 overall (No. 1 among offensive skill position players) on “The Freaks List” from The Athletic, marking the fourth straight year he’s been named one of the most-gifted athletes in college football. He has three kickoff return TDs in his last 12 games — against Georgia Southern (100 yards in 2020), Miami (100 yards earlier this season) and Georgia Southern again (97 yards in the 2021 regular-season finale).
• On the Joe Moore Award honor roll, a line that’s tied for No. 4 nationally with only 10 sacks allowed includes past All-Sun Belt picks Baer Hunter, who moved from right guard to center during the spring and has 50 career starts, and RT Cooper Hodges, who has made 37 career starts. Anderson Hardy has excelled at LT, while Isaiah Helms, Damion Daley and Luke Smith have been the primary guards.
• Three linemen in the six-man rotation began their college careers as defensive linemen, and App State didn’t allow a sack against Troy (which had 36 sacks through its first 10 games). App State is one of only two FBS teams with more than 325 passing attempts and 10 or less sacks allowed.
• App State’s tight end depth has been on display, with Henry Pearson returning to action on Senior Day to make his ninth start of 2021 and Mike Evans starting the last seven games (often in sets with two tight ends). Miller Gibbs scored a 10-yard TD and had a key block on a trick-play TD at Arkansas State, and Eli Wilson made his first career TD catch to help App State take a 24-7 lead at Troy.
DEFENSE
• Through nearly 25 full years as an App State assistant, defensive coordinator Dale Jones has been part of 231 wins. He coached at Louisville with Scott Satterfield in 2019 following a 23-year run at App State, where he was the defensive coordinator from 2010-12 and co-defensive coordinator in 2018.
• Since joining the league, App State is responsible for six of the 13 games in which a Sun Belt defense has limited an opponent to less than 150 yards. It has held three of its last four opponents under 200 total yards (199 by Arkansas State, 284 by South Alabama, 142 by Troy and 194 by Georgia Southern).
• App State has allowed an average of 2.7 yards per carry in its 10 wins and an average of 60.0 rushing yards per game over the last four games (62 by Arkansas State, 58 by South Alabama, 33 by Troy and 87 on 46 carries by Georgia Southern). Since the start of the 2019 season, the top two active Sun Belt players in sacks are Demetrius Taylor (19.0) and Nick Hampton (16.5), while the top five active Sun Belt players in TFLs during the same span include Taylor (No. 2, 35.5), D’Marco Jackson (No. 3, 29.0) and Hampton (No. 5, 27.0).
• Senior Bowl invitee D’Marco Jackson is the only FBS player in 2021 with at least 95 tackles (96), 12 TFLs (he has 14.0), 5.0 sacks and one INT. Demetrius Taylor also has 5.0 sacks this year (with 24.5 in his career), and Nick Hampton has a team-high 6.0 sacks this year (with 5.0 in seven league games).
• D’Marco Jackson had a career-high 14 tackles against Marshall less than a week after becoming the first FBS player since 2014 and first-ever Sun Belt player to record at least 13 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks in the same game (against Elon). In 2020, he was the only FBS player with at least 90 tackles (91), 6.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions and eight passes defended (he
had six PBUs), leading him to be called one of the nation’s most versatile players by ESPN.
• D’Marco Jackson was named the Sun Belt’s defensive player of the week after posting nine tackles, one sack, one interception, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry — all in the first three quarters — against Georgia State. The play gained 2 yards or less on seven of his tackles.
• Steven Jones Jr. is tied for the FBS lead with five INTs this year, with an FBS-best three pick-six TDs. The three-INT, two-TD game at Arkansas State allowed him to tie or break several school records, including single-game INTs (five-way tie for first with three), single-game INT return TDs (four-way tie for first with two), single-season INT return TDs (sole possession of first with three) and career INT return TDs (sole possession of first with four). His seven career INTs have all come in the last 16 games.
• App State has 15 INTs (tied for No. 6 nationally) and four pick-six return TDs (tied for No. 1 nationally with Ohio State). All four have come in the last five games, and App State leads the FBS with 347 INT return yards — Trey Cobb has 110, followed by 100 from T.D. Roof and 97 from Steven Jones Jr.
• App State’s FBS-leading 117 INTs since 2015 include nine INTs and four pick-six TDs in the last five games. Trey Cobb’s 100-yard INT return vs. South Alabama followed a two-game run in which Steven Jones Jr. had two pick-six TDs (out of three total INTs) vs. Arkansas State and one pick-six TD vs. ULM.
• Nick Hampton is one of only seven FBS players (only one in the Sun Belt) with at least 60 tackles (61), 8.0 sacks and 14.0 TFLs this season. He ranks among the eague leaders in sacks (No. 4 overall, with a No. 2 ranking of 7.0 sacks in league play) and TFLs (No. 6 overall, with a No. 2 ranking of 11.5 in league play). According to PFF, has a Sun Belt-best 40 pressures this season.
• A preseason All-American (honorable mention) from PFF College as well as a member of the watch lists for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Demetrius Taylor increased his career total to 25.5 sacks with 1.5 vs. Coastal Carolina, 2.0 at Georgia State, 1.0 vs. South Alabama and 1.0 vs. Georgia Southern. He is No. 6 among active FBS players and No. 4 in school history in career sacks.
• T.D. Roof is one of only six FBS players this year with at least 50 tackles, 9.0 TFLs, 3.0 sacks and two INTs. He had a key sack for a 9-yard loss with Troy backed up near its end zone to help set up a go-ahead TD late in the first half, and his INT of a bubble screen deep in Troy territory helped App State score two TDs just 14 seconds apart early in the third quarter — those plays were part of a 21-0 run that turned a 7-3 deficit into a 24-7 lead in the span of 3 minutes, 21 seconds. He had 2.0 TFLs at Troy.
• T.D. Roof posted 2.0 sacks among seven tackles from his OLB position in his first career start at Miami, leading to him being named the Sun Belt’s Defensive Player of the Week by The Draft Network, and he added a 90-yard INT return from the visiting end zone in the win against Elon. He came up with five big tackles in the win vs. Coastal Carolina, including three on the Chants’ 10 fourth-quarter plays, then had a career-high nine tackles to go with 1.5 TFLs and a forced fumble against ULM.
• Trey Cobb is the only FBS player this season with at least 60 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss (5.5), three INTs and seven passes defended (he has 4 PBUs). He leads Sun Belt linebackers with his seven passes defended, had a 100-yard INT return for a TD among his two INTs against South Alabama and also has two fumble recoveries with one forced fumble during a late-season surge.
• While the tackle numbers up front from linemen such as NT Jordon Earle aren’t gaudy, they’ve freed up App State’s linebackers to total 388 tackles, 58.5 TFLs, 23 sacks and seven INTs this season.
• Caleb Spurlin, who paired a blocked FG with a career-high-tying seven tackles at Miami, had 1.5 sacks vs. Coastal and made the watch list for the Paul Hornung Award because of his versatility — he had two 1-yard TD catches vs. ULM (giving him four career TD catches) and was the lead blocker on two rushing TDs vs. Marshall (he’s provided the lead block as an H-back on seven rushing TDs in his career).
• Strong safety Kaiden Smith started every game in 2020, returned for a sixth year as a super senior, suffered a torn Achilles tendon during an April 15 spring practice but returned less than six months later as a starter at Georgia State, then had a team-high 10 tackles at Louisiana in the regular season. Caleb Spurlin gave up his captain’s spot for the Georgia State game to let Smith have it while playing close to his hometown in the Sun Belt opener, and Smith closed the regular season with nine tackles.
• Shaun Jolly received All-America recognition in each of his first two years as a starting cornerback, with PFF College naming him a second-team All-American to end a five-INT campaign in 2019 (with two INTs vs. Georgia State) and Phil Steele naming him an Honorable Mention All-American in 2020.
LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE RAJIN’ CAJUN NOTES
LOUISIANA HOSTS SUN BELT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
For the first time in program history, Louisiana Football will host the Sun Belt Conference Championship
Game when it welcomes App State to Cajun Field on Saturday, Dec. 4. The Ragin’ Cajuns, who are a perfect
6-0 at home this season, are looking for their first outright Sun Belt title after being declared co-champions
in 2005 and 2020.
A LOOK AT THE RAGIN’ CAJUNS
• Louisiana is 32-5 since the start of the 2019 season.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns are one of 10 teams in the nation with 11 or more wins on the season.
• Louisiana owns a 27-7 record against Sun Belt opposition under Coach Napier, including a perfect 16-0 mark against members of the conference’s West Division.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns clinched the Sun Belt West Division title for the fourth consecutive season with their win over Georgia State. Louisiana is the only team in the league to have made all four contests.
• Louisiana clinched home-field advantage for the Sun Belt Championship with its win at Troy.
• Louisiana extended its winning streak to 11 games, furthering the program record for consecutive wins. The previous record was eight-straight victories during the 1976 season.
• Louisiana is 39-5 under Coach Napier when scoring more than 20 points. After scoring 42 points at Liberty, the team is 15-0 when scoring more than 40 points under Napier.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns own a 15-3 record in one-possession games since the start of the 2018 season.
• The Cajun defense ranks 13th nationally in scoring defense, holding opponents to 18.7 points per game.
• Over its last four games, Louisiana is +11 in the turnover margin. In the Napier era, the team is 20-2 when forcing two or more takeaways in a game.
• With its victory over ULM, Louisiana completed a perfect regular season in Sun Belt Conference play (8-0). The Ragin’ Cajuns have been perfect in league play just one time in their history, posting a 5-0 mark in Gulf States Conference play during the 1970 season.
• Louisiana checked in at No. 20 in the AP Top 25 and No. 21 in the USA Today/AFCA Coaches Poll. The team opened the season ranked No. 23 in both the AP Top 25 and the USA Today/AFCA Coaches Poll.
TEAM NOTES
• In Billy Napier’s four seasons, the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns have won four Sun Belt Conference West Division titles, were the 2020 Sun Belt Co-Champions and have won two bowl games (LendingTree Bowl (2020) and SERVPRO First Responder Bowl (2021)).
• Louisiana owns a perfect 16-0 record against Sun Belt West Division opponents and is 26-7 overall against Sun Belt opposition.
• With the win against ULM on Nov. 27, Louisiana extended its program record for consecutive wins to 11. The previous record, which the Ragin’ Cajuns tied with their victory over Georgia State, was set during the 1976 season, when the team won nine-straight games.
• The team is one of 10 teams in the nation with 11 or more wins on the season.
• Louisiana’s defense has been stellar all year, leading the Sun Belt and ranking 13th nationally in scoring defense by holding opponents to just 18.5 points per contest.
• The team is currently +12 in the turnover margin over the last five games.
• In the victory over Liberty, the defense forced six turnovers, the most by the Ragin’ Cajuns since forcing six at Northwestern State on Sept. 17, 2005. Louisiana is one of eight schools this year to force six or more turnovers in a single game.
• Louisiana is now 20-2 in the Napier era when forcing two or more turnovers in a game.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns defense also recorded seven sacks against the Flames, the most sacks by the team since recording seven sacks at ULM on Nov. 15, 2014.
• Louisiana is 15-3 in one-possession games since 2018.
• The 42 points scored against Texas State marked the 15th time that Louisiana has produced more than 40 points in a single game under Napier. The team is 15-0 in those games.
• Louisiana is 39-5 when scoring 20 or more points in the Napier era.
• Louisiana’s defense held Texas State to 0 points on Oct. 30, improving the Ragin’ Cajuns to 9-0 in the last four seasons when an opponent scores 14 or fewer points.
• The shutout marked the first by the Ragin’ Cajuns since Sept. 1, 2012, when it blanked Lamar, 40-0.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns had three passing scores and two rushing scores against the Bobcats on Oct. 30, the 22nd time the team has achieved that feat since 2000 and just the second time in the Napier era.
• Louisiana produced 546 yards of total offense against A-State, the 17th time the Cajuns have recorded 500+ yards in the Napier era and the second time this season, the first coming against Ohio (562). The team owns a 16-1 record in those contests.
• Of those 546 yards against the Red Wolves, 424 came on the ground. The Ragin’ Cajuns have rushed for more than 400 yards three times in the Napier era and own a 3-0 record in those contests.
• Louisiana has won 12-straight regular-season road games against Sun Belt teams and is 16-1 in regular-season road games since the start of the 2019 season.
• Louisiana has eight “super seniors” on the roster this year in quarterback Levi Lewis, linebacker Ferrod Gardner, offensive lineman Ken Marks, wide receiver Jalen Williams, linebacker Chauncey Manac, nose tackle Tayland Humphrey, safety Cameron Solomon and kicker Nate Snyder. Of the eight, Ken Marks and Ferrod Gardner are entering their seventh season of eligibility.
• Louisiana’s play-by-play announcer Jay Walker is in his 30th year covering the Ragin’ Cajuns.
QUARTERBACK NOTES
• Levi Lewis is 33-7 as the starting quarterback of the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns.
• Threw for 163 yards and added a 20-yard rushing score in the win over ULM (Nov. 27).
• Led Louisiana to an impressive road victory over Liberty, completing 14 of his 25 pass attempts for 166 yards and three touchdowns.
• Louisiana is now 20-1 when Lewis throws for more than two touchdowns.
• The performance was his fourth three-touchdown effort of the season and his second-straight game with three passing scores. He has thrown three or more passing scores nine times in his career.
• Went off against Troy, throwing for 166 yards and three touchdown passes and added a rushing score. • His performance marked the third time in his career he has had three touchdown passes and at least one rushing touchdown in a single game.
• Louisiana is 7-2 when Lewis records a rushing and passing score in the same game.
• Threw for 287 yards against Georgia State (Nov. 4), Lewis’ second most passing yards of the season and the sixth most of his career. He finished 19-for-34 and three his 66th career touchdown pass.
• Lewis has thrown for at least 200 yards in seven out of the team’s 10 games and is now 15-3 in his career when eclipsing the 200-yard marking through the air.
• Had a monster day against Texas State (Oct. 30), completing 22-of-32 passes for 228 yards and throwing three touchdown passes.
• With the three passing scores, Lewis surpassed Louisiana legend Jake Delhomme to become the school’s all-time passing touchdown leader.
• Went 11-for-20 for 122 yards on the road against Arkansas State (Oct. 21). With his yardage total, Lewis moved into second place for career passing yards in Louisiana history.
• Led Louisiana to an impressive win over App State, going 15-for-25 for 209 yards and a touchdown through the air and adding a rushing touchdown, his first of the season.
• Recorded a team-high 10 carries for 61 yards and his first rushing score of the year, while also completing nine passes for 49 yards at South Alabama (Oct. 2).
• Led Louisiana to its third consecutive victory in a Sun Belt Conference opener, going 17-for-28 for 249 yards and three passing touchdowns against Georgia Southern (Sept. 25).
• Accounted for 261 of Louisiana’s 378 yards of total offense against the Eagles after adding 12 yards rushing in the game.
• Was efficient against Ohio, throwing for more than 200 yards for a third consecutive game after completing 21 of his 29 attempts for 212 yards and touchdown.
• Lewis had a strong showing against Nicholls (Sept. 11), going 19-for-33 for 304 yards and throwing two touchdown passes.
• Lewis’ 304 passing yards were the third-most of his career and marked the third time he eclipsed the 300-yard passing threshold. It was also the 37th 300-yard passing performance in program history.
• Lewis went 28-for-40 for 282 yards and a touchdown in the team’s Week 1 loss at No. 21/19 Texas.
• His 282 passing yards were the fifth most in his career and the most in a season opener by a Ragin’ Cajun since Chris Masson threw for 283 yards against Southern on Sept. 5, 2009.
• The yardage total also marked the most by a Ragin’ Cajun against a Power 5 opponent since Blaine Gautier threw 236 yards against Oklahoma State on Sept. 15, 2012.
• Lewis is first in program history for career passing touchdowns and second in career passing yards.
QB Chandler Fields
• Fields is 7-for-9 on the year for 81 yards and has thrown one touchdown.
• Took one snap and completed a pass for 17 yards in the win over ULM (Nov. 27).
• Went 2-for-3 for 32 yards, including a long pass of 21 yards, in the Homecoming win over Texas State on Saturday, Oct. 30.
• Completed one pass for nine yards in the win at South Alabama (Oct. 2).
• Saw the first significant action of his career against Ohio (Sept. 16), going 4-for-5 for 40 yards and a touchdown pass.
• The 13-yard touchdown pass to John Stephens, Jr., was the first passing score of Fields’ career.
• Took one snap in the season opener against No. 21/19 Texas. QB Ben Wooldridge
• Transferred to Louisiana from Fresno State.
• Appeared in five games for Fresno State, going 8-for-16 for 117 yards as a sophomore in 2020.
• Played in three games in 2019 for the Bulldogs, going 4-for-6 and throwing a 17-yard touchdown pass.
