Lafayette beats South Alabama to secure bowl spot
JJ Garner scored twice on the ground and special teams as the Ragin' Cajuns finished a nine-year streak of making the postseason.
By Pedro Barnes ·
Louisiana-Lafayette defeated South Alabama 28-26 on Saturday night to secure its ninth consecutive bowl berth.
The victory extended the Ragin' Cajuns' active FBS streak for nine straight seasons. They enter the postseason with a 6-3 overall record and a 3-2 mark in Sun Belt Conference play. South Alabama drops to 4-5 overall and 2-3 in league standings.
JJ Garner drove the offense on both sides of the ball. He returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. He later rushed 65 yards for a score in the second quarter. Garner finished with 136 rushing yards. Quarterback Lunch Winfield added a 27-yard touchdown pass to Shelton Sampson Jr. and 97 rushing yards, including a score, while passing for 147 yards. The team gained 312 yards on the ground.
South Alabama responded with big plays of its own. Jaylen Moson returned an interception 72 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 14-14. Bishop Davenport, the Jaguars' quarterback, threw for 210 yards and rushed for two touchdowns. He completed a 45-yard touchdown run to pull the visitors within 28-23. Dylan Freebury kicked a 50-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
Micah Johnson sealed the result with a defensive interception of Davenport with less than two minutes left on the clock. The Ragin' Cajuns will travel to UL Monroe on Thursday. South Alabama hosts Troy next Saturday.
