Louisiana-Lafayette got kick and punt returns for touchdowns to help secure one of its biggest wins in program history, 31-14 win over No. 23 Iowa State on Saturday.
On a day when both offenses seemed overmatched, the Ragin’ Cajuns were ignited by Chris Smith’s 95-yard kickoff return in the second quarter and Eric Garror’s 83-yard punt return in the third.
Levi Lewis also threw a 78-yard scoring pass to Peter LeBlanc to give Louisiana-Lafayette a 17-14 lead late in the third quarter.
Louisiana-Lafayette beat a Top 25 opponent for the first time, having gone 0-26 against ranked foes away from home. The Ragin’ Cajuns’ only other win over a Top 25 team was in 1996 at home against Texas A&M.
The Ragin’ Cajuns limited Cyclones quarterback Brock Purdy to 16-of-35 passing for 145 yards, with no touchdowns and an interception. It was ISU’s fewest passing yards in two years.
Iowa State’s Breece Hall rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
The Cyclone offense sputtered early with a series of dropped passes before putting together consecutive touchdown drives of 49 and 69 yards.
Smith put Louisiana-Lafayette on the board immediately after Iowa State’s first score. The Ragin’ Cajuns drove 61 yards in the final 70 seconds of the first half, pulling within 14-10 on Nate Snyder’s 30-yard field goal.
