MT fries Ragin’ Cajuns

Sophomore running back D.D. Kyles ran for 177 yards and junior quarterback Dwight Dasher passed for two touchdowns as the Blue Raiders defeated the University of Louisiana at Lafayette 34-17 at Floyd Stadium Saturday.

The game for Kyles marks his third straight 100-yard performance.

Dasher threw for 219 yards and two touchdowns, completing 16 of his 25 passing attempts.

“This is a phenomenal win for our team,” head coach Rick Stockstill said.

Things didn’t look good early for the Blue Raiders, as the Ragin’ Cajuns put together a 14-play, 79-yard drive resulting in the game’s first touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

MT was able to answer immediately, as Desmond Gee’s kickoff return set them up at the 50-yard line. Six plays later, Dasher hit Patrick Honeycutt from 18 yards out for a touchdown to tie the game at seven.

The teams traded possessions until the second quarter, when ULL again assembled a methodical nine-play, 83-yard drive resulting in a field goal from kicker Tyler Albrecht at the 9:56 mark.

MT was able to drive into Ragin’ Cajuns’ territory on their next possession, but a field goal attempt by Alan Gendrau was blocked and recovered at the ULL 19-yard line.

The next play, a pass by ULL quarterback Chris Masson was intercepted by junior defensive end Jamari Lattimore, who then ran it back for a touchdown to give MT a 14-10 lead.

The Ragin’ Cajuns’ two-minute offense shined at the end of the first half, putting together a nine-play, 72-yard drive in which Masson completed five consecutive passes. Masson capped it off with a seven-yard touchdown to Vernon Wolfe with just nine seconds left in the half.

Kyles sent the Blue Raiders into halftime with a spark, breaking a 40-yard run to run out the clock.

“I challenged them at halftime to man up and prove who the tougher team was,” Stockstill said.

The defense responded by not allowing ULL to score the rest of the game. Entering the game, ULL had only allowed four sacks all season, tying them for best in the country. The MT defense sacked Masson five times.

Dasher started the second half strong, breaking a 46-yard run on the first play to set the Blue Raiders up at the ULL 14-yard line. Following a false start penalty, Dasher found junior receiver Garrett Andrews from 19 yards out to give MT a 21-17 lead.

Gendrau increased the lead to 24-17 at the 1:29 mark of the third quarter with a 30-yard field goal.

A seven-yard touchdown run by Desmond Gee at the 13:16 mark of the fourth quarter and another 30-yard field goal by Gendrau sealed the win.

“To me, we dominated them on both sides of the ball and in the kicking game in the second half,” Stockstill said. We just dominated them. I don’t know what the stats say, but it was an impressive second half.”

The seventh win earns the Blue Raiders its best start since 2006 and opens up new bowl possibilities. The team does not consider themselves close to being done yet, and are still eying much more than a bowl invitation.

“You can’t relax as a football team,” Stockstill said. “As soon as you relax, they catch up to you.”

Despite Troy University’s loss to the University of Arkansas Saturday, the Blue Raiders are still one game behind the Trojans in the Sun Belt Conference.

Kellem dominated the Ragin’ Cajuns offense, racking up two sacks, seven tackles and a forced fumble.

Dasher now has 15 touchdown passes this season, moving him into fifth place on the school single-season touchdown list.

Gendrau is now one field goal away from the school single-season record of 17.

The Blue Raiders return to action at 3:30 p.m. next Saturday at Floyd Stadium as they host Arkansas State University.

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