It has been a pretty good bowl season for schools form the state of Louisiana. Louisiana (11-3) knocked off Miami Ohio (8-6) in the 2020 Lendingtree Bowl Monday night, 27-17, for the program’s first bowl victory since 2014. It also improved schools from the state of Louisiana to a clean 4-0 in bowl games this bowl season.
Louisiana quarterback Levi Lewis passed for 246 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 58 yards in the win. The Ragin’ Cajuns defense clamped down on Miami after halftime to help Louisiana reach the fourth quarter with a 24-10 lead. Miami had a chance to create a one-possession game in the fourth quarter, but the RedHawks imploded with a bad snap shortly after a 63-yard pass from Brett Gabbert to James Maye brought up a 1st & Goal from the Louisiana two-yard line.
Louisiana head coach Billy Napier, who just dismissed the idea he would leave the program to take the vacant job at Mississippi State, now owns his first bowl victory with Louisiana. Napier lost his bowl debut last season in the Cure Bowl, dropping the team to 7-7 on the season. The 11 wins this season is the most by Louisiana in a single season in program history.
Louisiana is the fourth school form the state to play in and win a bowl game this season. Prior to Louisiana’s win Monday night, Louisiana Tech defeated the Miami Hurricanes, Tulane defeated Southern Mississippi, and LSU scored a blowout victory over Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl (College Football Playoff semifinal). LSU will have a chance to put the cherry on top of a perfect 5-0 bowl season for the state next Monday when they face the Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff national championship game in, appropriately enough, New Orleans.
Louisiana’s 2020 season opens up on Saturday, Sept. 5 with a home game against McNeese State. Miami will begin the next season on the same day with a road game at Pittsburgh.