Louisiana football’s defense absolutely shut down Troy in Week 7, holding the Trojans to a season-low 6 points in a dominant 33-6 victory on Saturday, Oct. 17. The Ragin’ Cajuns, now 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the SBC, proved their defense is the real deal after Troy, an offense that dropped 55 points on Southern Mississippi just last week and averaged 28 points per game, looked completely lost.
A ‘Catalyst’ Defense With Something to Prove
This wasn’t just a good defensive outing, it was a statement. Coach Michael Desormeaux summed it up perfectly, calling the defense “the catalyst in the first half.” He saw them creating “takeaways and turnovers” that gave the offense short fields and allowed them to put points on the board. After letting their foot off the gas in Week 6, where they coughed up 19 second-half points in a 32-31 loss to Louisiana Tech, this crew came out with a chip on their shoulder. They were “much stingier” this time around, and it showed. Defensive lineman Fitzgerald West Jr. didn’t pull any punches either, dismissing opponent averages, saying, “I don’t worry about what anybody averages because UAB averaged 220 something and we saw what happened in that game… We worry about film… We trying to get back to goose eggs in the score column.” He’s not wrong when Troy, who rushed for an insane 437 yards last week, was limited to a measly 267 total yards all game long against the Cajuns. That’s a massive, massive difference!
All-Out Communication and Big-Play Makers
The “see ball, get ball” mentality was clear, but the players emphasized communication. Linebacker Jake St. Andre, who led the Cajuns with eight tackles, said they talked all week about needing better communication on defense. “No secrets on defense, that’s what Coach [Jim] Salgado always says, ‘Black and white, no gray.’” It paid off. Sophomore cornerback Brent Gordon Jr. was everywhere, leading the team with two pass breakups and adding five tackles. In the trenches, Maurion Eleam, West, and linebacker Micah Johnson were beasts, neutralizing Troy’s run game. Eleam racked up three tackles, a sack, and a tackle for loss. Johnson grabbed five tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and one of Louisiana’s two fumble recoveries. Freshman linebacker Harrison Kidder snagged the other fumble recovery on special teams. This was a total team effort, shutting down any hope Troy had of a comeback.
Defense Driving the Scoreboard
While the defense was putting on a clinic, the offense, led by Lunch Winfield, did their part to cash in. It might not have been “pretty,” but they chewed up yardage on the ground, rushing for 243 yards as a team. Winfield himself led the way with 65 yards on 15 carries. The defense set them up, and they finished the job. When this Louisiana squad has a “clear goal and has clear vision and focus,” as Coach Desormeaux put it, they’re “capable of being a pretty good football team.” This performance just screams “pretty good” and then some. This kind of dominant defense is exactly what you love to see, especially after a tough loss. With their communication locked in and players stepping up across the board, the Cajuns’ defense is proving they are the absolute stars of this season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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