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.

Welcome to Cajun Report!

Cajun Report's Ben Heck, conducting a post-game interview while a sportswriter in southern Delaware.

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