By Malcolm Butler
It’s been more than a decade since Louisiana Tech and UL-Lafayette met on the football field. And more than three decades since the two longtime in-state rivals squared off as conference opponents.
Both streaks will end Saturday night when the Bulldogs host the Ragin’ Cajuns at Joe Aillet Stadium in a game that carries plenty of significance even beyond the final score.
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. at Origin Bank Field, with the contest televised on ESPN+. Malcolm Butler (PxP), Luke McCown (Analyst) and Katie McCown (sideline) will provide the call of the action.
For Louisiana Tech (2-2), the matchup marks its first football game as a member of the Sun Belt Conference, a league the Bulldogs belonged to from 1991-2001 but never competed in as a football member.
And for Tech head coach Sonny Cumbie, the significance of opening conference play against UL-Lafayette (4-1, 1-0) isn’t lost on him.
“There’s an awareness from our players’ standpoint of that, to get off to a great start in this league,” Cumbie said. “There’s a lot of underlying rivalry, underlying stories in this game that go beyond football.”
The Bulldogs couldn’t have drawn a much more interesting opening schedule in their new league. Following Saturday’s contest against the Cajuns, Tech will face another longtime in-state rival in ULM.
“There’s no irony in the first two games of our transition to this league,” Cumbie said. “We’re playing UL-Lafayette, and we’re playing ULM.”
The Bulldogs enter Saturday’s matchup with some momentum following last weekend’s 31-29 victory over Army, a game in which Tech rolled up 503 yards of total offense while averaging 8.8 yards per play.
Ruston native Dylone Brooks provided much of the fireworks, totaling 200 yards on just nine touches, including touchdown plays of 72 yards rushing and 74 yards receiving.
Brooks’ emergence could become a significant factor against a UL-Lafayette defense that has been particularly effective this season, allowing fewer than 20 points and approximately 267 yards per game entering the matchup.
The Cajuns, meanwhile, bring a three-game winning streak into Ruston following last Saturday’s 23-20 victory over Arkansas State.
Quarterback Lunch Winfield leads an offense that presents challenges both through the air and on the ground. His ability to execute designed quarterback runs while distributing the football to multiple receivers will test a Tech defense coming off a physical matchup against Army’s option attack.
But the history between these programs provides perhaps the most intriguing storyline. Saturday marks the 88th meeting in a series that began in 1910, with Tech holding a 48-33-6 advantage. The Bulldogs have won eight consecutive meetings dating to 1997, including a 43-14 victory in 2015. UL-Lafayette hasn’t defeated Tech since 1996.
The programs last met as conference opponents in 1995 when both competed in the Big West Conference.
Although many current players weren’t even born when the rivalry was at its peak, Cumbie doesn’t believe it will take long for them to understand its significance.
“I think it’ll take once they see each other pregame,” Cumbie said.
And if the Tech fan base has anything to say about it, the Bulldogs won’t need much additional motivation. Asked how many fans have reminded him about the importance of the games against UL-Lafayette and ULM, Cumbie offered a simple response.
“About every one of them.”
