Eric Boggs 
The Louisiana Ragin Cajun celebrate after defeating Texas State.
Ben Wooldridge threw for 252 yards and a touchdown, Dre’lyn Washington rushed for 94 yards and another score, and Louisiana pulled off a 23-17 victory over Texas State on Tuesday night. With the win, the Ragin’ Cajuns (7-1, 4-0) remain the only undefeated team in Sun Belt play, solidifying their lead in the conference.
Washington ignited the offense with a 64-yard touchdown run in the closing seconds of the first quarter, giving Louisiana a 7-6 lead. Just before halftime, Wooldridge connected with tight end Caden Jensen in the back of the end zone for a 1-yard score, extending the lead to 14-6.
In the second half, Texas State (4-4, 2-2) briefly took a 14-13 lead before Louisiana’s Kenneth Almendares responded by nailing a 42-yard field goal with 4:59 left in the third quarter to put the Ragin’ Cajuns up 17-14. A key defensive play by linebacker Jaden Dugger—forcing a fumble recovered by Amir McDaniel near midfield—helped Louisiana keep the momentum. Almendares continued his clutch kicking, adding field goals from 24 and 44 yards in the fourth quarter.
With 3:29 remaining, Tyrone Lewis Jr. sealed the game by intercepting a tipped pass, preserving Louisiana’s win and their perfect record in the conference. For Texas State, RJ Martinez completed 11 of 14 passes for 113 yards but threw a critical interception, while Jordan McCloud went 12 of 18 for 88 yards. Running back Ismail Mahdi contributed 82 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Louisiana has now defeated Texas State in all 12 meetings in their all-time series, a streak dating back to 2013, including a 34-30 comeback win at Cajun Field last season.
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