LAFAYETTE – The 124th season of Ragin’ Cajuns Football kicks off a new era on Saturday when Louisiana hosts American Conference member Rice in the official unveiling of the renovated Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. with coverage on ESPN+ featuring Dan McDonald (play-by-play), Eric Mouton (analyst) and Ben Schafer (sideline). Fans can also tune in on the Ragin’ Cajuns Radio Network, with veteran play-by-play announcer Jay Walker joined by Cody Junot (analyst) and Dawson Eiserloh (sideline).
Single-game tickets are available for as low as $25 and can be purchased through RaginCajuns.com [ragincajuns.evenue.net] and its social media platforms (Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram).
Louisiana (10-4 in 2024), the preseason favorite to capture the Sun Belt Conference West Division, takes the field in its new home following a $65 million stadium renovation project that began after the 2023 season.
The matchup marks only the second all-time meeting in Lafayette between the Ragin’ Cajuns and Rice (4-8 in 2024), and the first since 1989. The two programs first met in 1921.
Fourth-year head coach Michael Desormeaux returns 40 letterwinners from last year’s squad, highlighted by All-Sun Belt standouts Jordan Lawson and Tyree Skipper. Preseason All-SBC selections Jax Harrington and George Jackson headline an offensive line that will feature three new starters in 2025.
At quarterback, Walker Howard returns home to lead an offense that features experienced wideouts Robert Williams, Caden Jensen and Jaydon Johnson, along with the running back duo of Zylan Perry and Bill Davis. Newcomers Shelton Sampson Jr., Brock Chappell and Trey Miller are expected to make an early impact.
Defensively, Louisiana brings back six starters under second-year coordinator Jim Salgado. Alongside Skipper and All-SBC honoree Cameron Whitfield, veterans Kadarius Miller, Jaden Dugger, Jalen Clark, Kody Jackson and Fitzgerald West Jr. will anchor a unit looking to build on last season’s success.
Season tickets for the 2025 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Football season are available now at RaginCajuns.com/tickets [ragincajuns.evenue.net] or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 482-GoUL (4685).
New this season, fans can park on the athletic footprint on a single-game basis for just $20 per game by clicking here [ragincajuns.evenue.net]. Fans will also be able to purchase single-game tailgate spots beginning at $100 by clicking here [ragincajuns.evenue.net].
Fans are encouraged to stay connected with Louisiana Football by downloading the official #GeauxCajuns App — click here [apps.apple.com] for iOS and here [play.google.com] for Android — and by following the Ragin’ Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (@RaginCajunsFB).
GAME 1 PREVIEW – Louisiana (10-4 in 2024) vs. Rice (4-8 in 2024)
Location: Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium (30,932); Lafayette, La.
Date/Time: Saturday, August 31 at 7 p.m.
Tickets: Available at RaginCajuns.com/Tickets [ragincajuns.evenue.net]
TV/RADIO
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Dan McDonald (play-by-play), Eric Mouton (analyst), Ben Schafer (sideline)
Radio: Lafayette – Hot 107.9 FM; 103.3 The Goat, 1420 AM; New Orleans/Slidell – WGSO 990 AM; Worldwide – Varsity Network powered by Learfield
Talent: Jay Walker (play-by-play), Cody Junot (analyst), Dawson Eiserloh (sideline)
LIVE STATS
Available at CajunStats.StatBroadcast.com
SERIES RECORD
Overall: Tied, 3-3
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 1-0
In Houston: Rice leads, 3-2
First Meeting: Rice, 54-0 (October 1, 1921 in Houston)
Last Meeting: Rice, 33-21 (September 17, 2022 in Houston)
KICKING OFF
• Louisiana officially kicks off its 124th season of intercollegiate football - and fourth under head coach Michael Desormeaux - when it hosts American Conference member Rice in the opening game of the new Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.
LOUISIANA STORYLINES
• Louisiana and Rice meet for just the second time in Lafayette with the Ragin’ Cajuns claiming a 41-16 victory on Sept. 24, 1988.
• The meeting with the Owls is the seventh all-time between the schools in school history with the series tied at 3-3.
• The last meeting between the schools saw Rice claim a 33-21 victory in Houston and snapping a school-record 15-game winning streak by Louisiana.
• The game marks the official opening of Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium, which went through a $65 million renovation beginning after the 2023 season.
• Louisiana is coming off its fourth 10-plus win season in the past six years and its seventh straight bowl appearance.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns made their fifth appearance in the 2024 Sun Belt Conference Championship Game in the seven-year history of the event.
• Louisiana is 57-58-3 (49.6%) in all-time season openers dating back to 1901.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns are 34-20 in openers at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium (formerly Cajun Field) dating back to 1971.
• Since the beginning of the 2020 season, the Ragin’ Cajuns are 22-8 overall on its home turf.
Louisiana has won 16 of its last 17 openers at home, including eight straight dating back to 2017.
• Louisiana is 3-0 in openers under head coach Michael Desormeaux.
• Desormeaux’s 23 wins in his first three seasons are second behind Billy Napier’s 28 set from 2018-20.
• Louisiana is 2-9 all-time (1-3 on August 30) in games played during the month of August.
• Twenty players on the 2025 Ragin’ Cajuns roster hail from the Lone Star State.
• Two players on Rice’s 2025 roster - Semaj Pierre (Slot, Baton Rouge) and Braylen Walker (WR, Sulphur) - hail from the Bayou State.
THE HERBERT HEYMANN CLASSIC
• The home opener for the Ragin’ Cajuns each year serves as the Herbert Heymann Classic with Saturday’s game against Rice being the 25th edition dating back to the 2001 season.
• It serves to honor the prominent Acadiana businessman, community pillar and Cajuns fan who passed away in 2001.
• Heymann is credited with having the largest impact on Louisiana athletics of any non-university employee. He served on the committee that was responsible for building the original Cajun Field.
• His fundraiser tournament helped Louisiana’s golf team for many years while his behind-the-scenes philanthropy helped the program grow in countless ways.
• The Cajuns are 20-4 overall in Heymann Classic games, have won eight straight home openers dating back to 2017 and 16 of their last 17 going back to 2008.
• The most common opponents for Louisiana have been in-state foes Nicholls (2001, 2011, 2013, 2021) and Northwestern State (2004, 2005, 2015, 2023).
THE CAJUNS ARE BUILT IN THE BOOT
• Louisiana has always prided itself on taking an “inside-out” approach in recruiting in-state products.
• When the 2025 season officially kicks off against Rice, the Ragin’ Cajuns will again lead all in-state FBS programs in the total number (59) and percentage (55.1) of in-state players on the roster.
• LSU (56/50.5), Louisiana Tech (44/41.1), Tulane (34/29.6) and ULM (20/20.0) round out the in-state FBS programs in recruiting Bayou State players.
AMONG THE BEST IN THE GROUP OF FIVE+
• Over the past five seasons, Louisiana has ranked among the top programs in the Group of Five (six if you count the new PAC-12 beginning in 2026) with 45 wins.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns are one of eight G5 schools to average eight or more wins during that span, ranking third overall with Coastal Carolina in total wins.
• The top 12 schools in the G5 are listed below:
School – Total WinsLiberty – 47
UTSA – 46
LOUISIANA – 45Coastal Carolina – 45
Army – 42
Boise State – 42
Memphis – 42
Tulane – 40
App State – 39
Marshall – 39
Toledo – 39
Western Kentucky – 39