Louisiana's Ragin' Cajun football team was overpowered Saturday afternoon in Oxford, Mississippi, falling to the #14 Ole Miss Rebels by the score of 56-14.

Ole Miss scored the first points of the game when running back I'Tavius Mathers ran 56 yards to paydirt. It was the first of 8 Rebel touchdowns on the day.

Louisiana didn't help their cause with four costly turnovers that led to 28 Rebel points.

Louisiana's first turnover came early in the game. Trailing 7-0, the Cajuns drove into the Rebel red zone before running back Alonzo Harris coughed it up at the 6 yard line. Ole Miss then drove 94 yards for their second touchdown of the game.

Quarterback Terrance Broadway (pictured) had a tough day at the office, going 15 of 30 for 129 yards and 3 interceptions.

One of his interceptions came on the first drive of the second half, with the Cajuns trailing 28-6. Nine players later, Rebel quarterback Bo Wallace hooked up with Cody Core on a 13 yard touchdown.

On the ensuing drive, Ole Miss DB Senquez Golson picked off his second pass of the day, returning it for 59 yards for a touchdown.

"I told our team before the game that the team who wins the turnover battle will win the football game," said Louisiana head coach Mark Hudspeth. "When you turn it over 4 times on the road in the SEC against a top 15 team, there is no hope of winning a football game."

Despite the lopsided score, Hudspeth was proud of the effort his team displayed throughout.

Photo by Brad Kemp/Ragincajuns.com
Photo by Brad Kemp/Ragincajuns.com
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"I thought they battled all the way to the end and played hard. You can definitely see that it matters to them," explained Hudspeth. "It was a matter of us not executing and not taking care of the ball."

Louisiana's lone touchdown came on a hard-nosed 8 yard run by Harris late in the 3rd quarter. On the day, the Cajuns rushed for 193 yards.

"Our offensive line went up against one of the best defensive lines in the country and held their own," Hudspeth said. "They gave our quarterback time to throw. They opened up holes for our running backs."

The Cajuns passing game is missing it's top wide receiver Jamal Robinson who injured his knee in last week's loss to Louisiana Tech. He's expected to return in 4 to 5 weeks.

Ole Miss feasted on the big play, scoring on plays of 56, 40, 59, and 71 yards.

"Our football team is not clicking on all cylinders," said Hudspeth. "We've got to, as coaches, find a way to get our team clicking on all cylinders. We've got a lot of football left."

Late in the game, the Cajuns added 2 points on a safety by defensive tackle Justin Hamilton (pictured below).

With the loss, Louisiana drops to 1-2 on the season. Next week, they travel to Boise, Idaho for a matchup with the Boise State Broncos. Kickoff on Saturday is set for 9:30 P.M., with pregame beginning at 7:30 on ESPN1420 and espn1420.com.

Photo by Brad Kemp/ragincajuns.com
Photo by Brad Kemp/ragincajuns.com
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