Big 12 notebook: Ragin' Cajuns beat No. 23 Iowa St for first Top 25 road win

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Louisiana-Lafayette wide receiver Peter LeBlanc (29) celebrates with teammate (80) Devon Pauley in front of Iowa State defensive back Lawrence White IV (11) after catching a 78-yard touchdown pass Saturday in Ames, Iowa. Louisiana-Lafayette won 31-14. [AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall]

Ragin’ Cajuns beat No. 23 Iowa State for first Top 25 road win

Perseverance, confidence and two long kick returns propelled Louisiana-Lafayette to one of its biggest wins in program history, 31-14 win over No. 23 Iowa State on Saturday.

The Ragin’ Cajuns beat a Top 25 opponent on the road for the first time, having gone 0-26 against ranked foes away from home. Their only other win over a Top 25 team was in 1996 at home against Texas A&M.

Both offenses seemed overmatched at times, but the Ragin’ Cajuns were ignited by Chris Smith’s 95-yard kickoff return in the second quarter and Eric Garror’s 83-yard punt return in the third.

Levi Lewis added a 78-yard touchdown pass to Peter LeBlanc, giving Louisiana-Lafayette a 17-14 lead late in the third quarter.

The Ragin’ Cajuns limited Cyclones quarterback Brock Purdy to 16-of-35 passing for 145 yards, with no touchdowns and an interception. It was ISU’s fewest passing yards in two years.

The Cyclones’ offense sputtered early with a series of dropped passes before putting together consecutive touchdown drives of 49 and 69 yards.

Arkansas State beats Kansas State in final minute

Jonathan Adams Jr. caught three touchdown passes, including the game-winner with 38 seconds remaining, and Arkansas State defeated Kansas State 35-31 on Saturday.

Layne Hatcher threw a 17-yard pass to Adams for the winning score after the Wildcats (0-1) had taken a 31-28 lead on a Blake Lynch 35-yard field goal with 2:30 remaining.

Arkansas State (1-1) faked a punt that led to a pass interference call, keeping a drive alive and leading to a 5-yard TD pass to Adams from Logan Bonner for a 28-21 lead with just under 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Kansas State responded with Harry Trotter’s 5-yard touchdown run before Lynch’s go-ahead field goal.

Kansas State scored on its first possession on a 17-yard catch by Phillip Brooks following a blocked punt. The Wildcats scored on consecutive drives in the second quarter to take a 21-7 lead. Adams got the Red Wolves’ first TD on a 2-yard pass from Bonner.

Arkansas State held the Wildcats to 91 yards rushing.

WEST VIRGINIA 56, EASTERN KENTUCKY 10: Jarrett Doege threw three touchdown passes, Leddie Brown and Alec Sinkfield gave West Virginia’s running game a lift it hadn’t seen in quite some time, and the Mountaineers beat Eastern Kentucky 56-10 Saturday. Brown and Sinkfield both finished with career highs of 123 yards and two rushing TDs in the Mountaineers’ season opener.

Wire reports