Marshall dropped its Sun Belt Conference opener Saturday, Sept. 27, in a 54-51 double-overtime loss to Louisiana at Cajun Field. The Ragin’ Cajuns were led by backup quarterback Lunch Winfield, who sparked a 17-point second-half comeback.

“I don’t know if there’s a whole lot to say. I mean, I don’t know if I’ve ever been prouder of a group of people in my life than these guys right here,” Louisiana head coach Michael Desormeaux said. “We knew we were going to have to scratch out a win, and that’s what it’s going to be the rest of the year.”

The first half was tight, with the teams trading field goals and touchdowns. By halftime, the score was even at 17.

Marshall pulled away in the third quarter, building a 34-17 lead behind quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson and receiver Demarcus Lacey. The pair connected for 146 yards and two touchdowns, including a go-ahead score with just over a minute left in regulation.

But Louisiana stormed back as Winfield accounted for five total touchdowns. The sophomore sealed the win with a 10-yard touchdown run in the second overtime.

“I’m really proud of our offense, but defensively tonight, we didn’t get it done,” Marshall head coach Tony Gibson said. “We’ve got a lot of stuff we have to get fixed. We’re going to keep fighting.”

Marshall (2-3, 0-1 Sun Belt) will look to bounce back when it hosts Old Dominion on Saturday, Oct. 11, at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

Ethan Peltier can be contacted at [email protected]