BOONE, N.C. — Through a run of matching divisional titles, App State and Louisiana met frequently, including twice during 2018, 2019 and 2021 seasons that included Sun Belt Championship Game showdowns.
The Sun Belt expanded in 2022, meaning there have been fewer division-crossing matchups, so App State's visit to Lafayette, La., will be the first meeting between the Mountaineers (2-3, 0-2) and Ragin' Cajuns (4-1, 1-0) since that 2021 championship game.
From seven meetings in a span of 1,142 days between 2018 and 2021 to 1,044 days of distance between Saturday's game at 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 CT) in an under-construction Cajun Field and the last one.
A lot has changed since then.
Billy Napier left Louisiana late in its record-breaking 2021 season, creating an opening filled by Michael Desormeaux, who had played quarterback for the Ragin' Cajuns in the mid-2000s and was their co-offensive coordinator in Napier's final season.
Following a pair of 6-7 seasons in 2022 and 2023, Louisiana's strong start to 2024 has included a 41-33 loss to Tulane, a 41-38 victory at Wake Forest and a 23-13 victory at Southern Miss in the last three games.
Under
Shawn Clark, who led App State to the 2021 Sun Belt title game to face Napier in his final Louisiana appearance, the Mountaineers returned to the championship game last year before finishing a nine-win season with a bowl victory. They were 2-1 this year before opening Sun Belt play with disappointing losses to South Alabama (48-14) and Marshall (52-37).
In the two-plus weeks between those losses, Hurricane Helene arrived to make a devastating impact on the western part of North Carolina, leading to the cancelation of a Sept. 28 date with Liberty. App State led 10-7 in its return to competition at Marshall, but two Thundering Herd touchdowns in a span of 12 seconds put the Mountaineers behind by double digits the rest of the way.
With four turnovers committed and 100 points allowed over the first two conference games, App State is seeking to make fewer mistakes and miss fewer assignments against a well-rounded Louisiana club.
App State had more pile-moving "dirty" runs with yardage after contact — even if that meant a gain or 3 or 4 yards instead of none — en route to a season-best 180 rushing yards at Marshall.
Joey Aguilar threw for 293 yards with two touchdowns to
Dalton Stroman and two interceptions — both occurred on the first play after a Marshall touchdown, with a mishandled swing pass contributing to a pick-six interception return and the other interception coming when a Marshall defender caught the throw after knocking
Makai Jackson to the turf in front of App State's bench.
The Mountaineers and Thundering Herd traded touchdowns the rest of the way, but the 12-second stretch with a 14-0 run sandwiched around the first turnover and a 10-0 run sandwiched around the other turnover negated the good things App State accomplished during a game in which it gained 473 yards on 84 official plays and possessed the ball for 11 more minutes than Marshall.
Louisiana is moving forward from a lower-scoring Sun Belt matchup in which linebacker Cameron Whitfield was named the national defensive player of the week thanks to his four sacks and two forced fumbles against Southern Miss. The Ragin' Cajuns rank eight nationally by allowing 147.2 yards through the air per game and 19th nationally by allowing 289.8 yards of total offense per game.
Offensively, Bill Davis (a 5-foot-9, 235-pound back with 360 yards, or 72.0 per game) and Zylan Perry (with 303 yards, or 60.6 per game, a year after being the top kick returner by yardage at the FBS level) lead a balanced attack directed by quarterback Ben Wooldridge, who has done more damage with his arm than legs to this point in the season. He averages 242.8 passing yards per game, with 10 touchdowns and just three interceptions.
Wooldridge started in the second half of the 2022 season, the first year following Levi Lewis' departure, and started the first three games of 2023 before suffering a season-ending injury.
Cajun Field will look different for this night game in Lafayette. A stadium renovation that began in December, with plans to be completed before the 2025 season, includes the entire west side (lower bowl and upper deck, with the press box torn down) having no fan seating in 2024.
