LAFAYETTE — Louisiana relied on a dominant rushing attack and a stingy defense to ease redshirt freshman quarterback Daniel Beale into his first career start, rolling past McNeese 34-10 on Saturday night at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.
The Ragin’ Cajuns piled up 314 rushing yards, led by Bill Davis’ career-high 132 yards. Zylan Perry, a Franklin native, added 92, while St. Martinville product Steven Blanco chipped in 69 yards on just six carries.
“Everybody in the running back room can play,” Davis said. “When those guys get in there, they’re going to make the most of the opportunity.”
Head coach Michael Desormeaux said the rotation has been key.
“Bill had 19 (carries) and Zylan had 14 … I think having another guy that can get in there and go operate and play really well is a huge benefit,” Desormeaux said.
Defensively, Louisiana shut the door after giving up an early touchdown. The Cajuns held McNeese to 47 rushing yards, forced two turnovers that turned into touchdowns, and stopped the Cowboys on eight third-down attempts.
“It’s really just us doing our 1/11,” linebacker Jalen Clark said. “If we all do our job, it’s going to come together as a team and make us all look good.”
Beale managed the game efficiently, completing 14 of 22 passes, but for just 86 yards. Both he and Desormeaux acknowledged that the passing game needs to improve as the season progresses.
“It’s just rhythm and timing,” Beale said. “It’s elite focus and execution at the end of the day.”
Desormeaux added: “We’re not nearly as crisp as we want to be in the throw game … but we’re going to have to throw the ball this year, and we’ve got guys that can do it.”
Louisiana (1-1) now faces its first road test of the season, traveling to Missouri to take on an SEC opponent averaging more than 50 points per game. The is Saturday, Sept. 13 at 3:00 p.m.
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