Sun Belt Conference wipes out remainder of winter, spring sports seasons

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak across the globe, the Sun Belt Conference -- along with the rest of the NCAA -- announced the cancellation of the remainder of the winter and spring sports seasons.

The conference made the announcement official via Twitter:

UL baseball picks up third shutout of season with 7-0 win over McNeese State

Led by a three-run third inning, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette baseball squad shutout McNeese State University, 7-0, Tuesday night.

Carter Robinson tossed five shutout innings, surrendering three hits and striking out three for UL (8-9), while designated hitter Ben Fitzgerald led the offensive charge with three runs batted in on 3-of-5 from the plate. He was just a double shy of hitting for the cycle.

The Ragin' Cajuns host Coastal Carolina for a three-game weekend series beginning this Friday, March 13. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.

McNeese State (10-7) kicks off a three-game weekend series at Lamar on Friday.

O'Neal, Boswell homers lead UL to 7-6 softball win over Florida

Raina O'Neal's sixth-inning homer provided some momentum, while Carrie Boswell's long ball solidified University of Louisiana's 7-6 come-from-behind victory over sixth-ranked University of Florida in Gainesville Sunday afternoon.

It marked seventh-ranked UL's second consecutive win over UF, capping the Ragin' Cajuns two games to one weekend series win over the Gators.

After falling behind 4-0 through two innings, UL's offense plated one run in the third and then a combined six runs in the sixth and seventh frames to pull away for the nonconference win.

Summer Ellyson (9-1) picked up the win, striking out a pair of batters in her four innings of work. Megan Kleist threw three innings of relief.

The Cajuns (14-5) will return home Wednesday, March 4 for a showdown with unranked Campbell at 6 p.m.

UL baseball overcomes early deficit, picks up series win over Sam Houston State

After dropping four consecutive losses, the Louisiana baseball squad picked up its second consecutive victory Sunday afternoon with a 7-5 win over Sam Houston State University.

The two-run victory, which gives UL the 2-1 weekend series win over SHSU, improves the Ragin' Cajuns overall record to 4-8.

Trailing 4-1 in the fourth inning, Gavin Bourgeois drove in a trio of runs with a bases-clearing double to knot the game, 4-4. Sam Houston regained the lead with a fielder's choice in the sixth, but from there UL plated three unanswered runs to pull away with the win.

Will Moriarty made the start on the mound, striking out nine batters in his 3.2 innings of work before Brandon Talley, the winning pitcher, struck out four and allowed just one run in his four innings of relief to pick up the win. Jacob Schultz shut out SHSU in the final 1.1 innings to pick up his first save of the season.

The Cajuns travel to Rice Tuesday, March 3 for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch.

McNeese softball drops 2-0 showdown to No. 7 Arizona

It's been a tough couple of days on the road for the McNeese State softball squad.

With a 2-0 loss to No. 7-ranked Arizona Saturday afternoon at the Easton Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa, Al., the Cowgirls dropped to 15-6 on the season. It marked the second time in as many days that the Cowboys matched up with the highly-ranked Wildcats, following a 7-2 loss on Friday.

In the first game of McNeese's doubleheader on Saturday, UT-Arlington pulled away with a 5-4 victory.

The Wildcats (16-3) got off to the early 1-0 lead in the first inning with an RBI single from senior Jessie Harper, scoring Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza. Palomino extended the lead with her second run of the game in the fifth inning.

Freshman Whitney Tate (2-1) tossed a complete game with five strikeouts and one earned run in the loss for the Cowgirls, while senior Mariah Lopez (10-1) struck out 10 and surrendered just two hits in her complete game shutout for Arizona.

The Cowgirls will cap the classic with a showdown against No. 8 Alabama at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. They'll then return home to Lake Charles Friday, March 6 with the first of a three-game series against Abilene Christian. First pitch slated for 6:30 p.m.

Young tosses complete game shutout in 1-0 win over Sam Houston State

Brandon Young tossed a gem from the pitcher's circle Saturday afternoon to lead University of Louisiana to a 1-0 shutout win over Sam Houston State University.

Over his nine innings, the senior righty struck out 11 batters and surrendered just a trio of hits as UL picked up their third win of the season. The win snaps a four-game losing streak for the Ragin' Cajuns.

The first six innings went scoreless before designated hitter Ben Fitzgerald drove in Sebastian Toro on a fielder's choice to score the game's lone run.

Tremaine Spears registered two of Louisiana's three hits, going 2-for-3 from the plate. Toro had the other hit for UL.

Louisiana will look to pick up the three-game series win when they host Sam Houston State in a rubber match Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.

LSU softball defeats Colorado State 6-2 in Judi Garman Classic

The fourth-ranked LSU Tigers capped the Judi Garman Classic with a 6-2 softball victory over Colorado State Saturday afternoon in Fullerton, Cal.

The win came one day after dropping its third loss of the season with a 3-1 defeat to second-ranked Washington.

The Tigers finished the classic with a 3-2 record over a three-day span, picking up wins over No. 25 Texas Tech (6-5), California (5-1) and the Rams.

Sophomore Shelby Wickersham (4-1) picked up the win in the pitcher's circle, tossing a complete game and surrendering six hits with eight strikeouts.

Senior Amanda Doyle led the charge in the batter's box, registering a pair of hits, including an RBI double that scored freshman Taylor Pleasants to put the Tigers ahead 4-1 in the sixth inning.

LSU (16-3) returns home next Friday, March 6 against Campbell in the LSU Round Robin.

UL picks up 7-5 softball win over Florida

After falling behind 4-0 in the first inning, University of Louisiana plated seven unanswered runs to pick up a 7-5 softball win over University of Florida in Gainesville Saturday afternoon.

The win avenges a 6-0 shutout loss in the first of the three-game weekend series at UF on Friday. The series wraps up with an 11 a.m. (central time) showdown on Sunday.

Summer Ellyson picked up the win in the pitcher's circle for Louisiana (13-5), tossing 6.0 innings with three strikeouts. Megan Kleist picked up her second save of the season with a nine-pitch seventh inning to close out the win.

UL's offense registered seven hits from six different hitters, led by a pair of base hits from Kaitlyn Alderink. Carrie Boswell, Sarah Hudek, Melissa Mayeaux, Taylor Roman and Alissa Dalton registered one hit each, while Boswell drove in a pair of runs.

Top 5 Louisiana Tech players to make it in the NFL

Plenty of Louisiana Tech Bulldogs have enjoyed successful post-grad careers in the National Football League over the past few decades.

Here are our top five Bulldogs to ever grace an NFL uniform:

5. Cloyce Box, WR

Technically, Box was listed as an end/halfback (according to pro-football-reference.com), but let's just make it easier and listed him as wide receiver. The former Louisiana Tech standout spent just five seasons playing professional football with the Detroit Lions but his success over that short span is enough to warrant a spot on the list.

Drafted in the 20th round of the draft, Box played during an era that featured run-first offenses, but he still managed to reel in 50 balls for 1,0009 yards and 11 touchdowns in just 11 starts. Two years later, he led the league with 15 touchdown catches -- only two other players reached double digits in that category.

In his five-year tenure, Box was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and helped the Lions win two league championships.

4. Matt Stover, PK

Interesting to see a placekicker crack the top five, but considering Stover's success at the NFL level there's no way we can keep him out of the top three.

In 19 pro seasons with the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts, Stover kicked a lot of field goals. He was a Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection just one, in 2000, but led the league in kicking percentage twice, missed just three extra point attempts and was a clutch kicker when it mattered most -- the postseason.

In 16 career playoff games, Stover went 25-of-31 including a perfect 11-for-11 during the Ravens' Super Bowl run in 2000. He went 4-for-4 in that 34-7 Super Bowl win over the New York Giants.

3. Fred Dean, DE

Dean, an Arcadia native, was selected in the second round of the 1975 NFL Draft following his successful career at La. Tech.

In his 12 seasons with the San Diego Chargers and San Francisco 49ers, the defensive end was selected to four Pro Bowls, two First Team All-Pro teams and earned two Super Bowl championships with the Niners in 1981 and '84.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer recorded a career-high 17.5 sacks during the 1983 season and was a sack machine during the postseason, registering 9.5 in his 12 career playoff games.

2. Willie Roaf, OT

An eighth-round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft, Roaf spent much of the 1990s throwing blocks for the New Orleans Saints before spending his final four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs in the early 2000s.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame tackle was an 11-time Pro Bowler, six-time First Team All Pro and three-time Second Team All Pro across his 189 starts in 13 pro seasons.

There's not a single better offensive lineman who attended Louisiana Tech.

1. Terry Bradshaw, QB

As the story goes, Bradshaw was originally the second-string quarterback behind the famous Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson, but when it finally came time for Bradshaw to shine, the Shreveport native took full advantage.

Bradshaw led the Bulldogs to 9-2 and 8-2 records in his junior and senior seasons before being selected No. 1 overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970 NFL Draft.

The rest, as they say, is history. During his 14 professional seasons -- all with the Steelers -- the three-time Pro Bowler racked up nearly 28,000 passing yards and 212 touchdowns (but also 210 interceptions, as he was a true gunslinger) and led Pittsburgh to four Super Bowl championships during the 1970s.

In 19 postseason starts, including those four Super Bowls, Bradshaw went 14-5 and posted a QB rating of 83.0. Sure, he had plenty of help from those Steel Curtain defensive units, but I don't think Chuck Noll's squad could have won some of those games without Bradshaw leading the charge.

Dion named in nation's Top 150 pitchers by D1Baseball

Release from McNeese athletics website:

LAKE CHARLES – McNeese sophomore pitcher Will Dion has been tabbed by D1Baseball as one of the top 150 pitchers in the nation based off its analytics.

Dion, a first team Freshman All-American by Baseball America in 2019, is ranked as the 97th-best pitcher in the country and No. 4 in pitchability with a 95.2 score.

The analysis is based off the 2019 spring season stats and does not consider how a pitcher fields his position or holds baserunners. Nor does it consider a pitcher's athleticism, arm action, delivery, projection or any other in-person scouted qualities. It is simply a list to identify pitchers who have statistically performed in areas that are proven to correlate into professional baseball. Pitchers are graded from 0-100.

Louisville's Reid Detmers is rated No. 1 with an overall score of 94.0. Dion posted an overall mark of 82.3. Breaking it down and in addition to his 95.2 pitchability score, he registered an 86.5 in zone control and 64.2 in durability.

The Sulphur native posted a 5-0 record with a 1.98 ERA and six saves in 2019 while earned All-SLC honorable mention honors.

Pelini named LSU football's next defensive coordinator

From LSUSports.net:

BATON ROUGE – Bo Pelini, who helped LSU to the 2007 BCS National Championship, is returning to the Tiger coaching staff as defensive coordinator, head coach Ed Orgeron announced on Monday.

Pelini returns to LSU after serving as the head coach at Youngstown State for the past five seasons where he guided the Penguins to a 33-28 overall mark and an appearance in the FCS National Championship Game in 2016. Pelini has a head coaching record of 100-55, which includes seven years as head coach at Nebraska.

Pelini's hire is pending approval from the LSU Board of Supervisors.

"We are privileged to have one of the top defensive coordinators in all of football in Bo Pelini join our staff," Orgeron said. "Bo has had some of the best defenses in football during his career and we are looking forward to him bringing his tremendous amount of knowledge and expertise back to LSU to continue to win championships."

In his three years as defensive coordinator with the Tigers from 2005-07, LSU went a combined 34-6, claimed the 2007 national title and beat Notre Dame to win the Sugar Bowl during the 2006 season.  LSU also appeared in the SEC Championship Game twice, winning the league title in 2007.

In his first stint as defensive coordinator with the Tigers, LSU's defense ranked No. 3 nationally in total defense all three years. LSU finished No. 1 in the Southeastern Conference in total defense in both 2006 and 2007 and ranked No. 2 in the league in 2005.

"The opportunity to return to LSU is truly unique," Pelini said. "Culturally, with my prior experience at LSU, I know it is a great fit for me. The chance to work with Coach Orgeron, the ability to take charge of the Tigers defense, is something that I'm extremely excited about. All of that in a place that both my family and I immensely enjoyed when we were there before is very exciting for us.  We are very honored and looking forward to this next chapter."
With Pelini as defensive coordinator, LSU led the SEC in scoring defense twice in 2006 and 2007. LSU allowed only 12.6 points per game in 2006, which ranked No. 4 nationally, while the 14.2 points per game the Tigers gave up in 2005 rated No. 2 in the league and No. 3 in the nation.

Under Pelini, LSU averaged 38 sacks a season over that three-year span and the Tiger defense was credited with a combined 71 turnovers, which included 36 in 2007, a figure that led the SEC and ranked No. 3 nationally.

In Pelini's three years with the Tigers, LSU had defensive players earn seven first team All-America honors and had eight defenders selected in the NFL Draft, which included first round picks in Glenn Dorsey and LaRon Landry.  Dorsey also became the most decorated defensive player in LSU history claiming four national awards – Outland, Lombardi, Nagurski and Lott.

One of the most respected and innovative defensive minds in the game, Pelini spent seven years at head coach at Nebraska from 2008-2014 where he led the Cornhuskers to a mark of 66-27. Pelini's Nebraska teams won at least nine games all seven years he was in Lincoln, which included three 10-win seasons from 2009-11.

Pelini guided Nebraska to appearances in the Big 12 Championship Game in 2009 and 2010 and then followed that with a Big Ten Legends Division Crown in 2012 and the school's lone appearance in the Big Ten title game. Nebraska appeared in a bowl game in all seven of Pelini's seasons with the school.

Louisiana Take Two From Prairie View A&M, Improves to 6-1

From UL athletics:

LAFAYETTE — Louisiana (6-1) blanks Prairie View A&M beating them 7-0 in both matches on Monday afternoon at Cajun Courts. Due to Prairie View A&M only having five players, Louisiana own a 1-0 advantage in each match.

Match 1
Louisiana and Prairie View A&M only played two doubles matches, with Louisiana earing victories in both. Jamie Fraser and Karlo Kajin posted a statement win over Xavier Lawrence and Jorge Caballero by a score of 6-1, while Kacper Dworak and Silvio Cocito-Monoc showed tremendous fight in their match, coming back from a 4-1 deficit to snag a 7-5 victory.

As for singles, Fraser and Stefan Gazo dominated the opposition with a pair of 6-1, 6-0 victories. Dworak and Kajin also won their singles matches, while Cocito-Monoc came from behind to defeat PVAMU's Kevin Ugarteche, 6-4, 6-3, 12-10.

Match 2
With no lineup changes from the day's earlier match, Fraser and Kajin claimed their second win by beating Lawrence and Caballero, 6-3. Cocito-Monoc and Dworak matched their score from earlier in the day at 7-5.

The Ragin' Cajuns cruised through the singles matches, taking five of the available six points. Gazo had a terrific contest one again, taking care of business early to cap off a day in which he only dropped three games.

Cocito-Monoc once again found himself in a battle with Ugarteche and earned another within three sets, 6-2, 6-4, 10-6.

RESULTS
Singles
Lawrence (PVAM) def. Dworak (UL), 3-6, 6-3, 11-9
Fraser (UL) def. Caballero (PVAM), 6-2, 6-4
Kajin (UL) def. Yoshikata (PVAM), 6-1, 6-0
Stefan Gazo (UL) def. Juan Malham Viada (PVAM), 6-1, 6-1
Silvio Cocito-Monoc (UL) def. Kevin Uarteche (PVAM), 6-2, 4-6, 10-6

Doubles
Fraser/Kajin def. Lawrence/Caballero (PVAM), 6-3
Dworak/Cocito-Monoc def. Yoshikata/Malham Viada (PVAM), 7-5

Singles
Kacper Dworak (UL) def. Xavier Lawrence (PVAM), 6-3, 6-1
Jamie Fraser (UL) def. Jorge Caballero (PVAM), 6-1, 6-0
Karlo Kajin (UL) def. Rodrigo Yoshikata (PVAM), 6-4, 6-1
Gazo (UL) def. Malham Viada (PVAM), 6-1 6-0
Cocito-Monoc (UL) def. Ugarteche (PVAM), 6-4, 3-6, 12-10

Doubles
Fraser/Kajin (UL) def. Lawrence/Caballero (PVAM), 6-3
Dworak/Cocito-Monoc def. Yoshikata/Malham Viada (PVAM), 7-5

Smart Scores 20 as LSU Earns Road Win at Ole Miss, 80-76

From LSU athletics:

OXFORD, Miss. — The LSU Tigers played to its specialty, the six-minute game, rallying from six points down in the final 6:57 of the game to score an 80-76 win over Ole Miss Saturday night at The Pavilion at Ole Miss.

LSU remains the only undefeated team in the Southeastern Conference at 13-4, 5-0 in the SEC, and Ole Miss falls to 9-8 and 0-4 in the league.

The Tigers are now winners of 12-straight games on the road in the SEC, 10 straight Southeastern Conference games overall and six games in a row this season.

Javonte Smart led LSU with 20 points and six rebounds, hitting four treys, while Emmitt Williams had 17 points and seven boards. Skylar Mays had 15 points and four assists. Marlon Taylor in his best game since his return several games ago had 13 points and six rebounds. Taylor did not make the trip to Texas A&M on Tuesday so doctors could evaluate his foot, which has given him problems since summer left leg surgery.

Breein Tyree had 36 points with Blake Hinson adding 13 and Khadim Sy 10.

LSU shot 42.1 percent for the game with eight treys and 24-of-27 at the free throw line. Ole Miss shot 44.6 percent overall with nine treys and 9-of-19 from the free throw line. Ole Miss started the second half 0-of-7 at the free throw line in the first four minutes of play.

Coach Will Wade has talked since he has been here about getting into a six-minute game and being around at that point to be able to finish the game. LSU has been a finishing team. After winning by 14 at Tennessee, the Tigers have won by two against Arkansas, one against Mississippi State, four in overtime at A&M and four at Ole Miss.

A big Ole Miss run put the Rebels up 67-61 inside seven minutes but two free throws by Williams and a three-pointer by Smart quickly got LSU back to within one.

The Tigers would eventually tie the game and take the lead on free throws by Taylor at 70-69 with 4:30 to play. A Tyree jumper put Ole Miss back briefly at 71-70 but when Williams scored on a layup, the Tigers had the lead for good.

But teams had a couple of empty possessions before Mays got a layup to make it 74-71, LSU, with 2:23 to play. Ole Miss then missed two three-pointers before Mays drove and scored again to put the game to 76-71 with 52 seconds to play.

LSU would make 4-of-4 at the free throw line in the waning seconds to clinch the win, the second team in the Tigers 12-game road streak to have been defeated twice in their building by LSU.

The Tigers again had the big advantage on the road at 47-31 and 12-8 on the offensive board. The Tigers had a 21-9 advantage in second chance points.

Trendon Watford led LSU with 10 rebounds. Five players combined for the good night at the line.

LSU now faces a big home game on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. against the Florida Gators. The teams split games last year with each team winning on the opponent's home floor. The game will be televised on the SEC Network and broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network. Tickets will be available at LSUtix.net.

Explosive Second Half Sends Louisiana Past Texas State, 73-67

From UL athletics:

SAN MARCOS, Texas — Trailing 18 points with 9:40 to play in the third quarter, Louisiana mounted a massive comeback behind a season-high 52 second-half points to stun Texas State on the road, 73-67.

Louisiana (11-6, 4-2 SBC), which only led Saturday's game for 2:57, used a perfect 23-for-23 effort at the free throw line in the final 20 minutes to complete the comeback win, the team's largest come-from-behind victory since overcoming a 15-point deficit against Texas State on March 9, 2017, to win, 66-64.

Juniors Ty'Reona Doucet and Skyler Goodwin stole the show, combining for 42 points and 13 rebounds in the win. Doucet led the way with a season-high 22 points and pulled down seven boards, while Goodwin also contributed a season-high scoring performance with 20 points.

The only other Ragin' Cajun to score in double figures was Brandi Williams, who added 15 points in 36 minutes of action.

Despite being narrowly outrebounded, 34-30, Louisiana was able to feast in the paint, outscoring Texas State, 34-24, down low. The Ragin' Cajuns also forced 19 Bobcat turnovers and notched 11 steals.

After trading buckets early in the first quarter, Goodwin gave Louisiana its first lead of the game at the 6:12 mark when she drove through the lane and deposited a layup to put the team up 6-4. The lead quickly dissipated when Texas State used a 7-0 run to take an 11-6 lead with 2:32 on the clock.

Up 17-12 after the opening quarter, Texas State pushed its lead out to 26-16 when Bailey Holle drained a 3-pointer 3:36 into the second period. Louisiana was unable to respond over the remainder of the half, being held scoreless over the final 2:28 to find itself down 36-21 at halftime.

Holle opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer to give Texas State its largest lead of the game at 39-21 before Louisiana took control and used a 15-7 run to trim the lead to 46-36 at the media timeout following a layup from Doucet. Over the final 4:55 of the third period, the Ragin' Cajuns used another big run (14-7) to trim the lead down to one possession (53-50) with 10 minutes to play.

Texas State (7-10, 0-6 SBC) gave itself some breathing room early in the final stanza, but it could not slow a surging Louisiana squad that tied things up at 56 all with 6:27 to play after Andrea Cournoyer made two free throws, her only points of the game.

Two minutes later, Doucet gave Louisiana its first lead since the first quarter when she made two free throws, but the Bobcats answered with two free throws of their own to tie things up once again, 63-63.

That was as close as the game would get, though, as the Ragin' Cajuns made 10 free throws in the final 2:04 of the game to fend off any potential momentum from the Bobcats and ice the 73-67 comeback victory.

Louisiana will play six of its next seven game in the Cajundome, beginning on Thursday, Jan. 23, when it welcomes in Arkansas State. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+ and ESPN1420.

LSU wins its fourth national title, 42-25 over Clemson

Press release from LSUsports.net:

NEW ORLEANS — Led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow's six-touchdown performance, Ed Orgeron's top-ranked Fighting Tigers of LSU earned the title 2019 National Champions and arguably The Best Team Ever.

LSU (15-0) proved its dominant season by ending Clemson's 29-game winning streak in a 42-25 victory over the defending champs.

The Tigers - playing 60 minutes southeast of the Baton Rouge campus - won the fourth national championship in program history: 1958, 2003, 2007 and 2019. Orgeron became the third-straight LSU head coach to win a title.

Burrow, Offensive Player of the Game, was 31-of-49 passing for 463 yards with five touchdown passes, while adding another 58 rushing yards and including a TD run. He accounted for all but 107 of LSU's 628 yards of total offense, as the Tigers broke NCAA records for points and yards in a season. Burrow set NCAA single-season marks for passing touchdowns (60) and total touchdowns (65).

After facing its biggest deficit of the season - 17-7 early in the second quarter - LSU scored 21 unanswered points to lead 28-17 at halftime. Though Clemson narrowed the margin to three, LSU scored the final 14 points of the contest including a 24-yard dagger from Burrow to Terrace Marshall Jr. with 12:08 to play that gave the Tigers the final margin.

LSU linebacker Patrick Queen was named Defensive Player of the Game after leading the Tigers with eight tackles including 2.5 behind the line of scrimmage.

Wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase broke Josh Reed's single-season receiving yards record in the second half. He caught nine passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns, while Justin Jefferson added 106 yards on nine catches. Tight end Thaddeus Moss also scored twice and caught five passes for 36 yards. Marshall finished with three catches for 46 yards.

Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran 16 times for 110 yards.

Ragin’ Cajuns claim 1st win of season, defeat West Florida 6-1

From UL Athletics:

PENSACOLA, Fla. – The Louisiana Men's Tennis team (1-0) picked up its first victory of the season Tuesday afternoon defeating West Florida, 6-1. It was the Ragin' Cajuns first season-opening win of a spring season since 2014.

The Ragin' Cajuns claimed four of their five singles triumphs in straight sets. Ivailo Keremedchiev and Stefan Gazo earned wins in their spring season collegiate debut.

Louisiana's doubles pairings of Jan Galka and Kacper Dworak and Keremedchiev and Jamie Fraser tallied wins to capture the doubles point. Galka added to his solid day by battling West Florida's No. 1 singles player to earn a 6-2, 6-7, 10-3 decision.

"I'm very proud of Jan Galka today stepping up and clinching doubles and beating a very good West Florida player in three sets," head coach Mark Jeffrey explained. "The guys approached this match very professionally for their first match. Everyone is buying in on problem solving and getting better, it was a good day against a team that is always ranked top two or three nationally in Division II."

Louisiana will head to Tallahassee, Fla., for a three-match swing at Florida State starting with Florida A&M on Thursday and Friday, then taking on the Seminoles on Saturday.

Full Results:
Singles
Galka (LA) def. Bojedjiev (UWF), 6-2, 6-7, 10-3
Keremedchiev (LA) def. Cabrera (UWF), 6-4, 6-2
Fraser (LA) def. Svensson (UWF), 6-2, 6-2
Dworak (LA) def. Cordeiro (UWF), 6-2, 6-2
Motta (UWF) def. Gilheany (LA), 6-4, 4-6, 10-2
Gazo (LA) def. Racine (UWF), 6-2, 6-0

Doubles
Galka and Dworak (LA) def. Bojedjiev and Svensson (UWF), 6-3
Keremedchiev and Fraser (LA) def. Cabrera and Cordeiro (UWF), 6-2
Motta and Racine (UWF) def. Gilheany and Gazo (LA), 6-2

Louisiana Uses Balanced Attack To Rally Past Troy, 79-62

From UL Athletics:

Five players reach double figues as short-handed Ragin' Cajuns earn first SBC win

LAFAYETTE – Freshman Mylik Wilson recorded his first career double-double, establishing career-bests with 18 points and 13 rebounds and Louisiana (6-9, 1-3 Sun Belt) got a balanced attack from its revised starting lineup as it earned a 79-62 win over Troy in a Sun Belt Conference game on Saturday at the Cajundome.

Doug Gueye and freshman Calvin Temple, making his first career start in place on an injured Trajan Wesley, scored a season-high 16 and 12 points each for Louisiana (6-9, 1-3 Sun Belt). Tirus Smith matched his season-high with 15 points for the Ragin' Cajuns while Cedric Russell added 15 points, including four 3-pointers.

The game started slow with neither team scoring until Smith's three-point play at the 17:36 mark of the first half for the Ragin' Cajuns. Troy (5-10, 1-3 Sun Belt) built a 16-8 lead with 13:05 remaining on Ty Gordon's three-point play, and the Trojans took their biggest lead of the night, 23-13, on Darian Adams' bucket.

Louisiana would rally to tie the game at 31-all on a basket by Russell and would regain the lead when Wilson converted on a three-point play with 4:32 left in the half.

Troy would use an 11-0 run that was capped by Desmond Williams' 3-pointer with 2:00 left before intermission, but the Ragin' Cajuns would get a free throw by Smith and a bucket by Wilson to close to within 42-37 at the break.

Louisiana got off to a hot start in the second half opening with on 15-3 run and taking a 52-45 lead on a three-point play by Temple with 14:02 left. Gueye, who finished 6-for-11 from the field, help provide the spark early accounting for eight points during the run.

Troy, which was held to 7-for-26 (27 percent) from the floor in the second half, closed to within 57-54 on a pair of free throws by Gordon with 7:51 remaining, but Louisiana would respond with a 9-2 run that was capped by a three-point play by Wilson with 4:58 remaining.

The Ragin' Cajuns finished 29-for-57 (51 percent) from the floor, 8-for-18 (44 percent) from behind the 3-point line and 13-for-15 (87 percent) from the charity stripe. Louisiana held a decisive 42-27 advantage on the glass with Wilson getting three of his 13 rebounds on the offensive end.

Gordon and Adams scored 15 points each to lead Troy, which lost its third straight game after leading at the half. Adams hauled in six rebounds for the Trojans, who went 6-for-15 from behind the 3-point line in the first half before going 2-for-12 after intermission and finishing 8-for-27 (30 percent) overall.

Gauchos hold off Louisiana on hardwood, 85-77

From UL Athletics page:

LAFAYETTE – Matt Freeman and Jaquori McLaughlin each scored 17 points to lead four players in double figures and UC Santa Barbara went 17-for-24 from the floor in the second half to hold off the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, 85-77, in a non-conference basketball game on Sunday at the Cajundome.

Devearl Ramsey added 16 points, going 3-for-5 from behind the 3-point line, while Robinson Idehen scored 10 points with eight rebounds as UCSB (10-4) won for the ninth time in its past 10 games. Louisiana (5-8), which dropped its fifth straight game, was led by Cedric Russell's 19 points with Trajan Wesley adding a career-high 15.

The teams traded the lead eight times in the opening half before a putback by Idehen at the 8:19 mark gave the Gauchos a 19-18 lead. UCSB, which scored 12 second chance points off 11 offensive rebounds in the first half, extended its lead to 29-23 on a three-point play by Ramsey with 2:45 remaining in the half before Louisiana chipped away at the lead.

The Ragin' Cajuns twice cut the deficit to one late in the half as Wesley hit a pair of free throws to cut the UCSB lead to 30-29 with 1:32 remaining before Dou Gueye eventually scored on a baseline jumper just before the first-half buzzer.

Louisiana trailed 41-36 after a McLaughlin bucket with 15:40 remaining in the game before answering with a 9-4 run. Gueye, who tied a season-high with 15 points, scored seven points during the run as his 3-pointer from the right wing knotted the game at 45-all with 13:09 remaining.

But a 3-pointer by Ramsey on the ensuing possession would start a 16-5 run as UCSB took a 61-50 lead on a pair of free throws by Freeman with 8:53 left.

UCSB finished 29-for-56 (51.8 percent) from the floor for the game and was 22-for-30 (73.3 percent) from the free throw line. The Gauchos held a 36-22 advantage on the glass, including a 13-3 advantage in offensive boards that resulted in 16 second-chance points.

Mylik Wilson added 15 points and three steals for Louisiana with Jalen Johnson scoring 12. The Ragin' Cajuns went 17-for-33 (51.5 percent) from the floor in the second half and was 26-for-55 (47.3 percent) overall.

Louisiana will return to action on Thursday when it resumes Sun Belt Conference play. The Ragin' Cajuns will tip off the 2020 portion of their schedule hosting South Alabama in a 7 p.m. contest at the Cajundome.

Burrow, Jefferson lead LSU to CFP title game, 63-28

From LSU Athletics:

ATLANTA -- Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow tied an NCAA record with seven first-half touchdown passes, as top-ranked LSU imposed its will on No. 4 Oklahoma to advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship, 63-28, in the 2019 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

LSU (14-0) earned its first College Football Playoff National Championship berth in the sixth season of the current format. The Tigers will face No. 3-seed Clemson in the title game scheduled for Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. CT in New Orleans. LSU has won three football national championships (1958, 2003, 2007).

LSU's road to the national championship game hasn't come easy, as the Tigers recorded a record sixth victory over an AP Top-10 opponent in 2019.

Burrow, who won virtually every major college football award earlier this month, finished 29-of-39 passing for 493 yards and an SEC-record tying seven touchdowns - all in the first half. He added another rushing touchdown in the second half, as LSU built a 49-14 halftime advantage and never looked back.

With 71 passing touchdowns in two seasons in Baton Rouge, Burrow also passed Tommy Hodson (1986-89) for LSU's career record.

Four of Burrow's touchdown passes were caught by junior wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who finished with 14 catches for 227 yards. Terrace Marshall Jr. added six receptions for 80 yards and two touchdowns, while Thaddeus Moss catch four passes for 99 yards including a 62-yard touchdown catch-and-run.

With leading rusher Clyde Edwards-Helaire being used sparingly due to an injury, LSU turned to running back Chris Curry, who led LSU with 89 yards on 16 carries.

LSU dominated the contest from the start.

The Tigers outgained Oklahoma (12-2), 692-322, and set countless program postseason, Peach Bowl, New Year's Six and CFP records along the way.

Defensively, LSU was led by linebacker's Jacob Phillips (eight tackles; now 105 in 2019), Patrick Queen (eight tackles, 1.5 for loss), and defensive MVP K'Lavon Chaisson who had six tackles including two sacks.

LSU held Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts to 15-of-31 passing for 217 yards with an interception. Hurts ran 14 times for 43 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb led the Sooners with four catches for 119 yards including a 51-yard reception.

Louisiana places 9 players on LSWA Teams

Six of the Ragin’ Cajuns’ nine selections garnered First Team recognition

LAFAYETTE – Nine members of the Louisiana Football team were recognized for their efforts during the 2019 season when they earned spots on the Louisiana Sports Writers Association's (LSWA) All-Louisiana Teams.

Of the nine selections, Kevin Dotson, Robert Hunt, Elijah Mitchell, Jacques Boudreaux, Rhys Byrns and Raymond Calais earned first-team honors, while Ja'Marcus Bradley and Zi'Yon Hill were named to the second team. Joe Dillon rounded out the team's honorees with a spot on the honorable mention team.

Dotson was one of three back-to-back selections on this year's LSWA Teams and recently earned his 51st start on the offensive line against Appalachian State on Dec. 7. During the season, he helped pave the way for a Louisiana ground attack which ranks second nationally in yards per carry (6.39), third nationally in rushing touchdowns (41), seventh nationally in rushing yards per game (265.3) and fifth nationally in total rushing yards (3,449).

 

The redshirt senior offensive lineman picked up numerous postseason honors, including becoming Louisiana's first-ever Associated Press First Team All-American. He also picked up All-America recognition from USA Today, Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Focus and Sporting News.

 

Joining Dotson on the first team was Hunt, who also helped pave the way for a Louisiana ground attack. Along with his senior counterpart, Hunt was part of an offensive line that ranks eighth nationally and first in the Sun Belt in sacks allowed (1.15). After a stellar senior campaign, he was invited to the 2020 Reese's Senior Bowl, the first Ragin' Cajun to be invited to the postseason all-star game since Tracey Walker and was also recognized by Pro Football Focus as a Midseason Second Team All-America selection.

 

Mitchell was Louisiana's most productive runner during the regular season, becoming the sixth Ragin' Cajun to rush for over 1,000 yards with 1,092 on the season and leading the team with 15 rushing touchdowns, ranking him second in the league and 12th in FBS. Mitchell's best game came on Oct. 17 at Arkansas State when he carried the ball 17 times for 143 yards and three scores, earning him Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week honors. He finished the year as a Second Team All-Sun Belt selection.

 

The team's lone defensive selection on the first team was Boudreaux. The senior had a career year, anchoring one of the best defensive units in the Sun Belt Conference, tallying 102 total tackles, 2.0 tackles-for-loss, 0.5 sacks, four pass break-ups and a forced fumble. He posted a career-high 13 tackles and passed the century mark in total tackles for the first time in his four-year career at Louisiana. Not only did Boudreaux become the first Ragin' Cajun since Tre'Maine Lightfoot in 2016 to post a 100+ tackle season, he tallied the most tackles in a single-season since Justin Anderson in 2013, while also recording six double-digit tackle games this season, the most since Justin Anderson in 2012.

 

Byrns earned first team honors despite only punting in 11 of the team's 14 contests in 2019. Byrns owns the second highest yards-per-punt average in the conference (44.1) and is just one of four punters to record a punt of 70 or more yards this season. In just 38 punting attempts, Byrns has downed 14 balls inside the 20-yard line, which is accounts for 36.84% of his total punts. He is currently on pace to set the school record for punt average in a single season.

 

Calais also earned first team honors as a return specialist by averaging a whopping 29.4 yards per kickoff return, which leads the Sun Belt Conference and ranks fourth in the nation. Calais has amassed 500 total kick return yards on 17 returns and sits just 136 yards behind the conference clubhouse lead for the kickoff return yards. Calais has also managed to tally six kick returns of 30+ yards on the year. He recently recorded his longest return of the season against South Alabama, going for 60 yards which led to a Louisiana touchdown.

 

Bradley has produced 818 receiving yards on 53 catches this season, ranking him third in the Sun Belt Conference. The wideout brought in eight touchdowns on the year, good for fourth in league and the most on the team. Entering the bowl game, Bradley is tied for third all-time in receiving touchdowns (21), needing just two more to move into second place.

 

Hill tallied 47 total tackles in 2019, ranking him fourth on the Louisiana squad, while notching 2.0 sacks. Hill posted a season-high seven tackles three times, producing those performances in back-to-back games against Appalachian State (Oct. 9) and Arkansas State (Oct 17) and then again against Appalachian State in the Sun Belt Conference Championship on Dec. 7.

 

Dillon, who earned a spot on the Honorable Mention team, dazzled with his pass rushing abilities, recording 7.0 sacks this year, ranking him third in the conference. He is currently tied for sixth on the team with 40 total tackles. Most notably, Dillon is quickly chasing down the all-time sacks record in school history and is just 3.0 away from the all-time lead.

 

The 2019 Sun Belt West Division Champion Ragin' Cajuns close out the 2019 season against Mid-American Conference Champions Miami (Ohio) in the 21st Annual LendingTree Bowl on Monday, Jan. 6. Kickoff for the primetime matchup in Mobile, Ala., is slated for 6:30 p.m. on ESPN.