Louisiana Football Game 4 Preview: The Wake Forest Game

Published 10:01 am Friday, September 27, 2024

LAFAYETTE – Two of the most unique nicknames in college football square off Saturday afternoon when the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns travel to meet the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Kickoff for the first-ever meeting between the schools is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT (3:30 p.m. ET) with the game televised nationally on the ACC Network. Chris Cotter (pxp), Rocky Boiman (analyst) and Coley Harvey (sideline) will provide the commentary.

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Fans can listen to the game on the Ragin’ Cajuns Radio Network with Jay Walker (pxp), Cody Junot (analyst) and Dawson Eiserloh (sideline) on the call. Live stats will be available at CajunStats.com.

Louisiana (2-1) looks to bounce back after dropping a 41-33 contest to in-state rival Tulane last Saturday at Cajun Field. The loss was the Ragin’ Cajuns first in a non-conference home game since the 2016 opener against Boise State – a span of 14 games.

The Ragin’ Cajuns outgained Tulane, 421-355, with quarterback Ben Wooldridge throwing for 238 yards while redshirt freshman Bill Davis rushed for 103 yards.

Wooldridge has completed 59 of 86 passes for 735 yards and six touchdowns in the first three games for Louisiana with Davis adding a team-high 218 yards on the ground with a pair of TDs. Jacob Bernard and Terrance Carter have paced the team with 10 receptions each with Kenneth Almendares leading the team in scoring with 26 points (five field goals, 11 PATs).

Wake Forest (1-2) looks to get back into the win column after dropping contests to ACC rival Virginia (Sept. 7) and nationally-ranked Ole Miss (Sept. 14). The Demon Deacons opened the season with a 45-13 victory over North Carolina A&T and plays their fourth straight game at home.

Hank Bachmeier, a transfer from Louisiana Tech, has thrown for a team-high 905 yards and four TDs for Wake Forest with Taylor Morin leading the team with 18 receptions. Demond Claiborne has rushed for 241 yards and three TDs for the Deacs with Nick Anderson recording 36 tackles through three games.

Single-game tickets for Louisiana’s six home games – which include remaining games against App State (Oct. 12), Arkansas State (Nov. 9), South Alabama (Nov. 16) and Troy (Nov. 23) – are currently on sale now. Tickets start as low as $15 and can be purchased through RaginCajuns.com and its social media platforms (Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram).

LOUISIANA FACES ACC MEMBER WAKE FOREST IN FINAL NON-CON TUNEUP

• Louisiana heads east for its final non-conference tuneup before opening Sun Belt Conference when it travels to face Atlantic Coast Conference member Wake Forest on Saturday at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium

• The game will be televised on the ACC Network.

• Louisiana looks to rebound from its first loss of the season – a 41-33 setback to in-state rival Tulane last Saturday at Cajun Field – while Wake Forest returns to action and looking to snap a two-game skid in the process, which included losses to ACC rival Virginia and nationally-ranked Ole Miss.

• Saturday’s trip to Wake Forest begins a stretch where Louisiana will play four of its next five games on the road.

• Louisiana’s lone home contest during the five-game stretch will be October 12 against SBC rival App State.

A LOUISIANA WIN WOULD …

• Give the Ragin’ Cajuns a 3-1 record heading into its SBC opener on October 5 at Southern Miss.

• Give the Ragin’ Cajuns their first win over a current ACC opponent in the modern era.

• Be the first over a P4 program since a 31-17 victory at Iowa State on Sept. 12, 2020.

• Improve its record in the month of September (since 2020) to 13-6 overall.

• Be its second win on the road, equaling its total from 2023.

• Be the first win in the state of North Carolina since a 24-21 win at App State on Dec. 4, 2020.

UPCOMING LOUISIANA MILESTONES

• With 261 career points, kicker Kenneth Almendares is nine points shy of tying Alonzo Harris (270, 2011-14) for sixth-place in school history.

• Almendares, who has converted on 46 field goals in his career, is seven shy of tying Stevie Artigue (53, 2015-19) for the school record while his 123 PATs are six shy of tying Brett Baer (129, 2010-12) for the all-time lead.

• Senior linebacker K.C. Ossai is 15 tackles shy of reaching 200 in his career.

• Junior running back Dre’lyn Washington is 110 rushing yards shy of reaching 1,000 for his career.

• Jacob Bernard is 114 receiving yards shy of reaching the 1,000-yard mark in his career.

AGAINST THE DEMON DEACONS AND THE ACC

• Saturday’s matchup between Louisiana and Wake Forest will be the first-ever on the gridiron between the schools.

• The game will be the fifth in school history against a current member of the ACC with Louisiana (1-3) splitting games against Miami (1929-30), and before dropping contests at Pitt (1997) and Florida State (2022).

“KEEP YOUR DIRTY LAUNDRY”

Among all FBS programs, Louisiana leads all schools in fewest penalties called (9) and is third in both fewest penalties per game (3.00) and fewest penalty yards per game (20.0).

TEAM NOTES

• Louisiana is one of 20 FBS teams nationally and three teams in the Sun Belt Conference which has not lost a fumble through the first four weeks of the season.

• Louisiana has punted twice through the first three games to rank as the fewest among FBS programs.

• The Ragin’ Cajuns have allowed 114.0 yards through the air in their first three games to rank first in the Sun Belt Conference and sixth nationally in passing yards allowed.

• Louisiana enters the week ranked 21st nationally among FBS schools in total defense allowing 266.7 yards per game and 36th in total offense (452.0).

• Six players – King McGowen (OT), Kaden Moreau (OG), Quinton Williams (OT), Caden Jensen (TE), Zylan Perry (RB) and Carmycah Glass (LB) – have each earned their first career starts during the 2024 season.