Louisiana's Ragin' Cajun football team opened up the 2014 season with an authoritative 45-6 win over the Southern Jaguars.

Despite heavy rain leading up to the kickoff, a wet field couldn't slow down Elijah McGuire and the Cajuns.

McGuire, the sophomore from Houma, scored the first touchdown of the year for Louisiana (pictured), trotting in from 8 yards out late in the first quarter.

"I was being patient and let the game come to me," explained McGuire.

It was the first of many scores for Louisiana, who racked up 512 yards of total offense on Saturday night.

McGuire finished the game with 129 yards rushing on 13 carries, good for an average of 9.9 yards a touch, showing off a stronger frame than he did last season.

"This year, I'm bigger, stronger and fast," said McGuire. "All the hard work I put in the weight room (in the offseason) showed tonight. I made some big plays and took some big hits."

Cajun quarterback Terrance Broadway shook off some early rust (a first quarter interception), to finish with 237 yards passing, and 4 total touchdowns (3 pass, 1 run). He ironed out 38 more yards on the ground.

With torrential downpours throughout the day, many expected the overall attendance to suffer. While the initial projections weren't met, the paid attendance of 36,170 is third largest in school history, an impressive crowd for a rainy day.

"I thought we executed well on both sides of the ball," said Ragin' Cajun head coach Mark Hudspeth. "I thought it was a good first game to build on."

Louisiana's defense wouldn't let Southern rain on their physicality, as they kept the Jaguar offense grounded all night. Allowing only 6 points, the Cajun D held the defending SWAC champions to only 279 yards.

Senior linebacker Trae Johnson started at inside linebacker, leading Louisiana in tackles with 8. Boris Anyama and Kevin Fouquier tallied 5 tackles a piece.

"A big thing coming into the game was to try and be physical," said Johnson after the win. "It was a good, physical effort tonight."

The Cajuns did a great job of feeding their skill players on offense. In all, 11 players caught at least one pass. Senior wide receiver Jamal Robinson began the season with a bang, reeling in 5 catches for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns.

"I thought Jamal Robinson had a great game," said Hudspeth. "I felt like he was a man amongst boys out there."

Backup quarterback Brooks Haack got some snaps in the fourth quarter, going 4-4 for 21 yards and a 2 yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Larry Pettis.

Louisiana (1-0) remains at home next week, renewing an old rivalry with Louisiana Tech (0-1). It will mark the first time in 11 years the Bulldogs have visited Cajun Field. LA Tech fell in their season opener tonight at #4 Oklahoma, 48-16.

Kickoff next Saturday is set for 6:00. Catch the entire broadcast, with pregame beginning at 4:00, on ESPN1420, and espn1420.com.

Photo by Brad Kemp/ragincajuns.com
Photo by Brad Kemp/ragincajuns.com
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