Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Face Charlotte for First Time Saturday
(LAFAYETTE, LA) - The Ragin' Cajuns hit the road this weekend for their final non-conference game of the season, and it's a first. Louisiana (2-1) travels to Charlotte, N.C., on Saturday to take on the Charlotte 49ers (0-3) at Jerry Richardson Stadium. The two programs have never played each other.
Cajuns Hold Off UAB for Fourth Straight Win Over the Blazers
Louisiana got out to a 21-7 lead at halftime last Saturday at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium, then held on to beat UAB 21-14. It was the Cajuns' fourth win in a row over the Blazers. It was also their first home win against UAB since a 34-0 shutout back in 2002.
Quarterback Lunch Winfield ran for a season-high 92 yards and two touchdowns, and Steven Blanco scored on the ground for the third week in a row. The defense did the heavy lifting, though. UAB finished with just 218 yards of total offense and only 74 yards rushing.
Conor McPherson had a career-high 13 tackles. Collin Jacob added six stops and an interception, and he forced a fumble late in the game that helped seal the win. A win Saturday would give Louisiana a 3-1 start for the second time since 2024.
Charlotte Is Still Looking for Its First Win
Charlotte is 0-3, but don't read too much into that record. The 49ers lost 26-21 at App State last weekend in a game that sat through a three-and-a-half-hour weather delay and didn't end until early Sunday morning.
Quarterback Cole Gonzales is the guy to watch. He has thrown for 7,461 career yards, which ranks 15th among Division I quarterbacks, and he has 55 career touchdown passes. Linebacker Gavin Willis has 271 career tackles, and Henry Rutledge's 1,245 career kickoff return yards rank fourth among active FBS players. Louisiana's special teams will need to keep an eye on him.
How to Watch or Listen to Louisiana vs. Charlotte
Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, September 26.
- TV/Streaming: ESPN+
- Radio: Hot 107.9 FM, and right here on 103.3 The Goat and 1420 AM.
- Worldwide: Varsity Network, powered by Learfield and 103.3 The Goat App
Jay Walker will call the game on the Ragin' Cajuns Radio Network, with Cody Junot as analyst and Dawson Eiserloh on the sideline. If you want to follow the numbers as they come in, live stats are at CajunStats.StatBroadcast.com.
Why Is Charlotte's Mascot the 49ers?
This is one of the better stories behind a college nickname. You'd think it was about the California Gold Rush, but it's closer to home than that.
According to Inside UNC Charlotte, the school started in 1946 as the Charlotte Center of the University of North Carolina. It was one of several locations set up to handle all the World War II veterans heading to college on the GI Bill. By 1949, the state was closing those centers down. Charlotte's supporters, led by educator Bonnie Cone, fought to keep their school open, and they won. The "49ers" name honors that 1949 fight.
There's a gold mining angle too. The first documented gold discovery in the United States happened in 1799 just outside Charlotte, at what became Reed Gold Mine. The area boomed after that, and in 1837 Charlotte even got its own branch of the U.S. Mint. That's where the pickaxe logo and the green-and-gold colors come from, along with the mascot, a gold miner named Norm the Niner.
Here in Acadiana, we know our nickname has a pretty good story behind it, too. Sporting News voted Ragin' Cajuns the best nickname in college sports in 1998. It's nice to see another school whose name actually means something.
Safe travels to the team heading to the Tar Heel State. Let's bring home a 3-1 record and get ready for Sun Belt play. Geaux Cajuns!
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Gallery Credit: Dave Steel
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