Louisiana teams went 0 for 3 in Division I conference title games this weekend.
The lost weekend was capped at Cajun Field with the UL-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns losing to Marshall, 31-3, in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game.
“It’s tough when you feel like you let these guys down because it’s a team I’m incredibly proud of,” head coach Mike Desormeaux said after the game. “It’s a group of seniors that are the best of what this thing is supposed to be about. They represent everything that’s good in the world. They work really hard. They’re good people. They care about each other, and they’re winners.”
Desormeaux said the team (10-3) could never get anything going against the Thundering Herd (10-3).
“Just kind of uncharacteristic things tonight,” said Desormeaux. “We were just a little off here and there, and they did a great job. My job is to get us ready to play and to get us some stuff that we can execute a little bit better.”
(L-R) Cajuns wide receiver Lance LeGendre, head coach Mike Desormeaux and linebacker K.C. Ossai address the media after their team’s 31-3 loss to Marshall (photo credit: Andrew Greenstein)
The Cajuns seemed to get the wind knocked out of their sail midway through the second quarter when redshirt senior quarterback Chandler Fields left the game due to an injury and didn’t return.
That left the offense to true freshman Daniel Beale, who completed nine of 24 passes for 95 yards and an interception, and he was sacked twice.
Receiver Lance LeGendre, who caught four passes on four targets for 81 yards, said the team has always had a next-man-up mentality, and this was no different.
“We have guys that’s behind guys,” said LeGendre, “and here you work while you wait.
“Desormeaux said it does not look good for Fields to be able to play in the team’s bowl game.
“Heartbroken for him,” Desormeaux said, “to work as hard as he did to get in this position to go out like that.”
Desormeaux says regardless of the lopsided result, he’s proud of everything that his team has accomplished to this point.
“We talked about this from the beginning,” said Desormeaux. “You work really hard for something. And in life, there’s no guarantee you’re going to get it. But I know that working hard for something never results in regret. You never regret working for it. And I regret that we didn’t get the result we wanted tonight.”
Senior linebacker K.C. Ossai said it’s a bitter way to end his final game at Cajun Field in front of his home fans.
“Despite the sorryness of losing, I still enjoyed every moment,” said Ossai.
In the American Athletic Conference title game Friday night, Tulane lost to Army at West Point, 35-14.
And on Saturday in the SWAC championship, Southern fell to Jackson State, 41-13.
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