The Ragin' Cajuns traveled to Houston to battle it out with the Owls of Rice in the first away game of the young 2022 season.

Rice is not a well-known opponent to this iteration of the Cajuns. The last time these teams met was 1989 and the Cajuns came away with an 18-3 victory.

This time, the Owls got the better of the Ragin' Cajuns.

The game started, unfortunately for the Cajuns, similarly to last week. The offense came out and looked sluggish, forcing the defense to play without momentum.

The defense responded by making their own momentum and intercepting the ball and scoring themselves, courtesy of Caleb Anderson.

The defense wasn't about to settle for just one turnover either. After sending the house on a blitz, Andre Jones stole the ball again. The first quarter ended not long after.

The Cajuns didn't get much done on offense for a majority of the second quarter, while Rice managed another touchdown.

With the half approaching, Louisiana's defense had to help out again, with a freakishly athletic interception by Nijel McGriff leading to a beautiful loft from Chandler Fields to Terrence Williams that put the Cajuns back on top.

Unfortunately, the Owls got the ball back with enough time to move the ball downfield and into field goal range. The Owls booted it through, and the game went to halftime.

After an electric halftime report from Blaise Breaux, the Cajuns re-entered the field aiming to improve their offensive situation.

 

They did not, and the Owls put up a touchdown to retake the lead.

Eventually, Ben Wooldridge came into the game and made some progress, but a crippling holding penalty on a 4th down run forced Preston Stafford to try a 52-yard field goal. It had the leg but he pushed it left.

The Cajuns defense started to show signs of fatigue as the third quarter ended.

The Owls would continue pushing downfield, and put the game away with a touchdown pass. They completed a two-point conversion to go up by 13.

The Cajuns, at this point were still under 100 yards of total offense, and they needed anything.

They got a determined drive from Ben Wooldridge, and finally, another offensive touchdown, this time on the legs of Chris Smith.

The Cajuns defense, exhausted, were unable to stop Rice's offensive onslaught. They gave up another touchdown and the game was all but over. One final turnover on downs sealed it.

The Cajuns lost their nation-leading 15 game win streak to Rice, 33-21.

The Cajuns will get a chance to bounce back next Saturday, September 24 in Monroe against the ULM Warhawks. ESPN Lafayette will have the game on air, with the pregame show starting at 5pm.

Pro Athletes From the Acadiana Area

Louisiana has produced some of the best pro athletes in the world, especially in Acadiana.

The 5 States That Produce Best College Football Players

When it comes to college football, five states produce more elite talent than the rest.

25 of Brad Kemp's Favorite Ragin' Cajun Sports Photographs

More From News Talk 96.5 KPEL