College Fans Flock To Lafayette, Lake Charles

 College Fans Flock To Lafayette, Lake Charles

BOBBY ARDOIN

Editor/Consulting Writer

Potential raindrops probably won’t affect the enormity of crowds attending season-opening college football games scheduled along Interstate-10 in Lafayette and Lake Charles Saturday night.

Southern and Grambling, two rival state universities competing in the Southwest Athletic Conference, are expected to bring traditionally large crowds as they play separately in each city as opposition for McNeese State and Louisiana.

Louisiana hosts Grambling at Cajun Field, while Southern meets McNeese at Cowboy Stadium. Each contest starts at seven o’clock.

McNeese (0-1) is the only one of the four programs that has played already. The Cowboys lost at Tarleton State last Saturday 26-23.

Grambling At Louisiana

The Cajun Field configuration will look much different Saturday night as the west side of the stadium,dedicated in 1971, has been torn down for remodeling. The project has already started, but attendance on the west side is prohibited.

Spectators supporting both teams will sit on the east side of the stadium and end zones in a venue that is expected to be a sellout prior to kickoff.

Grambling last played Louisiana in 2018 when the Tigers lost in Lafayette 49-17 also in season openers for each team.

This year the game against the Cajuns represents the first game for new Grambling head football coach Mickey Joseph.

Joseph has an effective offensive weapon in quarterback Myles Crawley, who is a SWAC preseason Offensive Player Of The Year Selection.

The Cajuns are in their third season under head coach Mike Desormeaux. Louisiana is expected to start quarterback Ben Woolridge, who spent most of 2023 injured. Defensively Louisiana features linebacker K.C. Ossai, who recorded 95 tackles last year.

Southern At McNeese

Attendance at this game is also expected to be significant and probably sold out.

Terrance Graves is 1-0 as the Southern head football coach of a team that was 6-5 last season. The Jaguars finished third in the SWAC. Ckelby Givens, a Southern defensive end, is a preseason 2nd team All-American.

Southern also returns running back Kendric Rhymes, who gained nearly 700 yards in 2023.

The Cowboys feature a dual threat quarterback in Clifton McDowell, who accounted for over 300 yards against Tarleton.

Gary Goff starts a third year at McNeese. Goff is 4-18 in Lake Charles.

McNeese is 3-0 in the football series against Southern. The Cowboys beat Southern 34-28 in 1921 at Cowboy Stadium.