Bulldogs Mount Fourth-Quarter Comeback, Down Ragin’ Cajuns In Sun Belt Opener

Saturday, October 10

Ruston, La.

6:30 PM

Louisiana Tech University

3-2 , 1-0

UL-Lafayette

4-2 , 1-1

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Louisiana	0	10	14	7	31
Louisiana Tech	0	13	0	19	32

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Photo by: Josh McDaniel

Bulldogs Mount Fourth-Quarter Comeback, Down Ragin’ Cajuns In Sun Belt Opener

10/11/2026 12:15:00 AM | Football

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Louisiana Tech secured its ninth consecutive and 49th all-time win over UL-Lafayette in Ruston Saturday night.

By: Drew Parsley

RUSTON -- Louisiana Tech erased a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 46 seconds remaining to defeat in-state rival UL-Lafayette, 32-31, Saturday night at Origin Bank Field at Joe Aillet Stadium, securing the Bulldogs' first-ever Sun Belt Conference football victory in program history.

The Bulldogs (3-2, 1-0 SBC) earned their 49th all-time victory over the Ragin' Cajuns (4-2, 1-1 SBC), improving to 49-33-6 in the series while extending their winning streak over UL-Lafayette to nine consecutive games. The victory also marked Louisiana Tech's fifth consecutive victory at Joe Aillet Stadium.

Quarterback Blake Baker led the offensive effort, completing 32 of 42 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns while adding a rushing score. Eli Finley recorded nine receptions for 114 yards and two touchdowns, while Talyn Shettron added eight catches for 102 yards. Jalen Mickens finished with nine receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown.

After a scoreless opening quarter, Louisiana Tech struck first when Baker connected with Finley for a 10-yard touchdown early in the second quarter. UL-Lafayette answered with 10 consecutive points before the Bulldogs regained the lead on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Baker to Mickens with 1:48 remaining in the half, giving Tech a 13-10 advantage at the break following a missed extra point.

The Ragin' Cajuns took control in the third quarter, scoring on touchdown runs by JJ Garner and Trenton Chaney to build a 24-13 lead entering the fourth.

Louisiana Tech responded with an eight-play, 76-yard touchdown drive capped by a 3-yard rushing score from Mickens to cut the deficit to 24-19. UL-Lafayette answered just over a minute later on a 45-yard touchdown pass from Lunch Winfield to KeDarius Wade, extending its advantage to 31-19 with 11:34 remaining.

The Bulldogs mounted their comeback within the final four minutes, with Baker capping an eight-play, 63-yard possession with a 12-yard touchdown run to pull Tech within five at 31-26 with 3:44 remaining.

After the Bulldog defense forced a three-and-out, Louisiana Tech took over at its own 34-yard line with 2:41 remaining. Baker directed an eight-play, 66-yard drive before finding Finley for a 7-yard touchdown with 46 seconds left, giving the Bulldogs a 32-31 lead.

The Louisiana Tech defense sealed the victory on UL-Lafayette's ensuing possession when Jordan McRae intercepted Winfield with 27 seconds remaining.

Tech finished with 485 yards of total offense, including 338 through the air and 147 on the ground, while converting seven of 13 third-down attempts. The Bulldogs controlled possession for 33:18 and recorded 28 first downs.

Defensively, Sam Fongang led Louisiana Tech with a career-high nine tackles, while Alonzo Jackson Jr. and Taeden Rogers added seven apiece. Jackson Jr. also recorded a sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery, while Jordan McRae and Carter each registered interceptions.

The Bulldogs will return to Sun Belt action Saturday, Oct. 17, when they travel to Monroe to face ULM.

FINAL GAME LEADERS

Passing: Blake Baker – 32-of-42, 319 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
Rushing: Andrew Burnette – 14 carries, 85 yards (6.1 avg.)
Receiving: Eli Finley – 9 receptions, 114 yards, 2 TD
Receiving: Talyn Shettron – 8 receptions, 102 yards
Receiving: Jalen Mickens – 9 receptions, 92 yards, 1 receiving TD, 1 rushing TD
Tackles: Sam Fongang – 9
Tackles: Alonzo Jackson Jr. – 7; Taeden Rogers – 7
Tackles for Loss: Alonzo Jackson Jr. – 1.0; Donovan Rieman – 1.0; Kaleb Coleman – 1.0
Sacks: Alonzo Jackson Jr. – 1.0; Kaleb Coleman – 1.0
Interceptions: Jordan McRae – 1 (5-yard return); Kameron Carter – 1 (22-yard return)
Forced Fumbles: Alonzo Jackson Jr. – 1
Fumble Recoveries: Alonzo Jackson Jr. – 1
Punting: Lexington Matthews – 3 punts, 49.3-yard average, 67-yard long

QUOTABLES

Head Coach Sonny Cumbie

Opening Statement:
"I told the kids before the game that there's not many times that you get to write your own history. This is the first season for us to play as a football program in the Sun Belt. There are seven more games ahead of us, so this is not a finished product and there is a lot of things that we have to correct and get better at. I'm really proud of our players for how hard they played the first half. We did not play a very clean game or our best in terms of smart winning football. It was actually the opposite--and it continued into the second half. It was really hard for us to get out of our own way. We talked to our coaches on defense and offense on the headsets saying we are going to find out in these next eight minutes what type of football team that we have. I was really proud of how we were able to get a quick three and out. We scored, got another stop, went down there and scored, and then we got an interception. Another thing I want to say is that the football team that we played, it's a good football team. They were 4-1, and they are well-coached. They have really good players and they had a great game plan, and Coach Desormeaux has done a phenomenal job in terms of building that program. It was a great team win, and I'm looking forward to putting this one to bed tonight, learning from the things that we have to correct and we will be even better next week because we're going to have a team that's coming off a bye week. They are going to be rested, refreshed, and ready to go. I'm proud that we can put on a product that all of the fans can come here and watch on a Saturday night at 6:30. We also created such an environment for our players to feed off of. You saw early on in the first half, the false starts from them. I think it was a direct result of the sound that our student section provided. They stayed with us and we're appreciative of that environment and the excitement that our crowd brought to the table tonight. I know that travels, just like our ability to play winning football travels. The goal next week is to make sure our guys understand that this only counts once, and we have got a lot of work to do for next week."

Cumbie on the mental shift for players to close out and win the tighter-contested games…

"It's learning and applying. When you go through what we went through--in certain seasons where there are close calls and then some where you win close calls--you learn from a tangible what went wrong, and wonder how do we correct it, how do we practice it better, how do we put our players in position and practice to have a chance to be successful in those situations. There's a lot of poise that our football team has from a player standpoint and a lot of poise that it derives from battle scars. We have been through some battles, we got some scars, and we learned from them. I'm really proud of their resiliency."

Cumbie on Alonzo Jackson Jr's performance…

"He missed last week's game for most of the game, so he was fresh and excited, He is a playmaker. I think that, defensively, it wasn't our best in the second half and then we found ways to get stops and a takeaway to end the game. We rose up there at the end and I'm really proud of Alonzo. He's going to continue to just ascend and make plays. He's a great Bulldog."

NOTABLES

Louisiana Tech earned its first Sun Belt Conference football victory, improving to 1-0 in league play.
The Bulldogs earned their 49th victory over UL-Lafayette, improving to 49-33-6 in the all-time series.
Louisiana Tech extended its winning streak over UL-Lafayette to nine consecutive games.
The Bulldogs have scored at least 30 points in 10 of their last 11 meetings against UL-Lafayette.
Louisiana Tech extended its home winning streak to five games.
The Bulldogs totaled 485 yards of offense, marking their third game with at least 450 yards this season. Tech recorded three such performances during the entire 2025 season.
Louisiana Tech had three players record at least 90 receiving yards in the same game for the first time since the 2015 New Orleans Bowl against Arkansas State on Dec. 19, 2015 (Trent Taylor, 119; Kenneth Dixon, 113; Paul Turner, 97).
The Bulldogs had two players eclipse 100 receiving yards in the same game for the first time since Oct. 10, 2023, at Middle Tennessee (Smoke Harris, 129; Cyrus Allen, 103).
Louisiana Tech had multiple players catch touchdown passes in the same game for the second time this season, joining the season opener against Northwestern State on Sept. 5, when six different Bulldogs recorded touchdown receptions.
Louisiana Tech has forced multiple turnovers in nine games since the start of the 2025 season, including four games with both a fumble recovery and an interception.
The Bulldogs have forced multiple turnovers in four games this season, including three games with at least one fumble recovery and one interception.
Louisiana Tech forced at least three turnovers for the second time this season and the seventh time since the beginning of the 2025 campaign.
Blake Baker threw for a season-high 319 yards, marking his second career 300-yard passing performance.
Baker tied his career high with three passing touchdowns, matching his performance against Northwestern State on Sept. 5.
Baker recorded a season-high 35 rushing yards and added a 12-yard rushing touchdown.
Baker completed 32 of 42 passes for a career-high 76.2% completion rate in games with at least 25 passing attempts.
Baker attempted at least 40 passes for the second time in his career.
Talyn Shettron set season highs with eight receptions and 102 receiving yards.
Shettron recorded his second career 100-yard receiving performance and first as a Bulldog.
Shettron's 102-yard outing marked Louisiana Tech's fourth individual 100-yard receiving performance of the season, which also includes Eli Finley's 114-yard performance against UL-Lafayette.
Jalen Mickens recorded nine receptions for 92 yards, marking his second consecutive game with at least eight catches.
Mickens has recorded at least 60 receiving yards in four of Louisiana Tech's five games this season.
Mickens caught his third touchdown pass of the season and fourth of his Bulldog career on a 14-yard reception in the second quarter.
Mickens scored his fifth total touchdown of the season on a 3-yard rushing score in the fourth quarter.
Mickens recorded the first multi-touchdown game of his career, finishing with one receiving touchdown and one rushing touchdown.
Andrew Burnette rushed for a season-high 85 yards on 14 carries, his most in a game since recording 132 rushing yards at Missouri State on Nov. 29, 2025.
Eli Finley recorded nine receptions for 114 yards and a career-high two receiving touchdowns.
Finley registered his second career 100-yard receiving performance and first since totaling 154 yards on six receptions against Southern Miss on Sept. 20, 2025.
Finley has recorded at least 65 receiving yards in three consecutive games.
Finley recorded the first multi-touchdown receiving game of his career, including the game-winning 7-yard touchdown reception with 46 seconds remaining.
Alonzo Jackson Jr. recorded seven tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Jackson registered his second career forced fumble and first career fumble recovery.
Jackson has recorded at least seven tackles and one sack in three games this season.
Sam Fongang recorded a Bulldog career-high nine total tackles, including five solo stops and four assisted tackles.
Jordan McRae recorded an interception for the second consecutive game, returning it five yards, while adding six tackles and one pass breakup.
McRae also intercepted UL-Lafayette quarterback Lunch Winfield with 27 seconds remaining to seal the Bulldogs' 32-31 victory.

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