Lamar University is headed into its first road test with momentum and a memory it would rather not carry. The Cardinals, 1-0 after beating No. 15 Abilene Christian, open a three-game road swing Saturday at UL Lafayette in Lafayette, La., and they will do it knowing how long this series has tilted the other way.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium, with the game on Newstalk 560 KLVI and streaming on +. That is enough to make this one easy to find and hard to dismiss: Lamar is searching for its first win over the Ragin’ Cajuns since 1981, and the program’s 10-17 all-time record in the matchup only tells part of the story.
The numbers behind this meeting explain why the search term is spiking now. Saturday will be the first time Lamar and UL Lafayette have played since 2012, even though the series dates back to the 1952 season. In Lafayette, Lamar is 3-12 all-time. It has also dropped four straight to UL Lafayette, so the Cardinals are not merely stepping into a road opener. They are stepping into a long-faded rivalry that has been dormant for more than a decade.
UL Lafayette brings its own baggage to the field. Saturday is the Ragin’ Cajuns’ 2026 season opener after a 6-7 finish in 2025 that still carried them to the 68 Ventures Bowl. They were picked second in the Sun Belt West Division Preseason Poll and received one first-place vote, and their 2026 roster includes four preseason all-conference selections. The setting gives Lamar an early chance to measure itself against a program that was expected to matter in its league before either team has settled into the season.
Lamar’s win over Abilene Christian made the opener look strong, but the details also underline how narrow the margin can be. Senior transfer Davin Driskell scored the first Lamar touchdown of the season and later caught the pass that secured the victory, finishing with five catches for 34 yards and two scores. Lamar also forced two interceptions, including one from freshman Mason Wuenschel and another from sophomore Zaylon Stoker in the second half. That kind of edge helped against a ranked opponent. It does not erase a four-game skid against UL Lafayette.
The hard part for Lamar is that both things are true at once. It has already shown it can beat a ranked team, and it has not beaten the Ragin’ Cajuns in four decades. Saturday will not settle the history between them, but it will tell whether the Cardinals’ fast start can travel, whether their defense can carry another night away from home, and whether Driskell’s opening performance was the start of a season or just the best part of one night.
