Cajuns Fall Short In Comeback against Arizona

Louisiana's Ragin'Cajuns traveled to Arizona with a bowl game invitation in hand. At the end of the game Saturday, the Cajuns came close to notching their first road win over a BCS program too.

Despite scoring the second most points in a game this season and rolling up 409 yards, the Ragin’ Cajuns football team came up short against the University of Arizona falling 45-37 on Saturday afternoon at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz.

The two teams combined for 82 points and 902 yards of total offense in the contest. Junior quarterback Blaine Gautier led the Cajuns, passing for 300-plus yards for the fourth time this season. Gautier posted 315 yards and a touchdown through the air while also rushing for 21 yards and a touchdown.

QB Nick Foles, whose status for the game had been uncertain because of bruised ribs, threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns, two of them late in the first half to put Arizona up 21-13 after the Cajuns had taken leads of 7-0 and 13-7.

"They were very deflating," Louisiana quarterback Blaine Gautier said. "I feel we have a great team, we could have done some things better that first half that definitely wouldn't have put us in that hole."

Jemarlous Moten led Louisiana defensively, posting a career-high nine tackles, a tackle-for-loss and two interceptions - including the Cajuns seventh “pick six” of 2011. The interception return for a touchdown ties the NCAA record in a single season set by Tennessee in 1971.

"The quarterback, he reads good," Cajuns cornerback Jemarious Moten said. "He slowed the game down, he speeded it up when they got the momentum; the quarterback is pretty good."

Gautier tied Jake Delhomme's school record of touchdown passes in a season at 20. Lavon Lawson caught five passes for 137 yards for the Cajuns.

"We still continued to fight, as we always do," Gautier said. "We're a four-quarter team. We continue to battle. It's very unfortunate to come out of here with the loss."

The Cajuns of the Sun Belt Conference accepted a bid to the New Orleans Bowl on Monday, their first postseason appearance in 41 years. A first victory over a Pac-12 team would have been a nice addition to that accomplishment.

"Just too many mistakes," Louisiana coach Mark Hudspeth said. "Penalties absolutely killed us, 10 to their three. I'm totally shocked they only had three and totally shocked we had 10."