Louisiana makes its late FG, Wake Forest misses as the Ragin’ Cajuns cruise to a 41-38 road win

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) Kenneth Almendares hit the go-ahead 31-yard field goal with 52 seconds left to help Louisiana beat Wake Forest 41-38 on Saturday.

The game ended with Wake Forest’s Matthew Dennis attempting a 42-yard field goal on the final play of the game to tie the game, only to see the ball bounce off the left upright and bounce back downfield for a miss. That began the celebration for the Ragin’ Cajuns (3-1), with coach Michael Desormeaux leaning forward with his hands on his knees to process those stressful final moments.

Desormeaux was emotional afterward and his voice shook as he spoke to reporters about the win.

“For two years it just seemed like nothing was going our way,” he said, adding; “I just know that hard work pays off and it just felt good to see it happen for her.”

Almendares also hit a 50-yarder in the win, helping Louisiana hold on in a shootout in which they also lost four defensive players to targeted ejections. The game also featured Wake Forest’s top running back Demond Claiborne being forced off the field in the second quarter with a knee injury, only to briefly return in the third quarter to break off a 60-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 24-all. In what turned out to be his last play, he equalized.

Ben Wooldridge threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Ragin’ Cajuns, while Lance LeGendre had a career-high six catches for 123 yards and two scores. Wooldridge also scored on a keeper, while Bill Davis (95 yards) added his own trip to the end zone on the ground.

“You don’t come out and win a game like this against a good team if you don’t have great quarterback play,” Desormeaux said of Wooldridge. “We did it tonight and he’s really played like that all year for us.”

Hank Bachmeier threw for 254 yards and a score to give the Demon Deacons (1-3) the lead, while Tate Carney scored three 1-yard touchdowns – the last coming with 1:55 left – to tie the game at 38 .

“We just didn’t play well enough across the board,” Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said. “We got off to a slow start offensively and defensively they had us on our heels the whole game.”

Louisiana: The Ragin’ Cajuns entered this game fresh off a home loss to Tulane and arrived in Winston-Salem looking to begin a stretch of four of five games played on the road. Louisiana earned its first win against a power conference opponent since defeating Iowa State in September 2020.

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons had an open week after home losses to Virginia and top-ranked Mississippi. The offense moved the ball effectively in this game, but the defense struggled to stop them.

Claiborne appeared to be dealing with a serious injury when he was transported with a dislocated kneecap, according to the ACC Network broadcast. But after trainers attended to his left knee, Claiborne was able to get up and onto the cart under his own power. Then he returned to the sideline at the start of the second half, wearing a brace and jumping around to warm up.

Claiborne returned a kickoff before Wake Forest’s first possession of the third quarter, then got two runs before going into the end zone on a fourth-and-1 play down the right side with 8:19 left in the third quarter Capper turned out to be right on his day..

“His kneecap was kind of damaged and we were really concerned,” Clawson said. “They were able to adapt it. And then at halftime he felt good. … Then in the third and fourth quarters it just got sore and painful and he couldn’t continue.”

Louisiana: The Ragin’ Cajuns visit Southern Miss to open their Sun Belt Conference campaign next Saturday.

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons open Atlantic Coast Conference play next Saturday at in-state opponent North Carolina State.

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