Football – Believe It: UL shocks Kansas State, 17-15; see photos from Cajun Field

BCS curse ends for Ragin’ Cajuns on Albrecht’s dramatic field goal

Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • September 13, 2009

One week after a school-record crowd crammed into Cajun Field, UL enjoyed another historic moment at home on Saturday night.

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Photos by Brad Kemp at Kemp/bbkepm@theadvertiser.com

It took some magic from Tyler Albrecht in the final minute to make it happen.

Albrecht stayed calm under pressure to drill his first college field goal attempt from 48 yards out with 32 seconds left to lift the Ragin’ Cajuns past Big 12 member Kansas State for a thrilling 17-15 win. The junior’s kick gave UL its second win over a BCS conference school — and first since upsetting Texas A&M in 1996.

"I hit it real solid and knew it had the distance, but it was leaning to the left a little," said Albrecht, who played his prep ball at St. Thomas More. "They (my teammates) grabbed me before I saw."

One of his teammates let him know the final verdict.

"I gave him a kiss after the game," said UL defensive end Chris Lanaux. "And I wasn’t afraid to do it."

The Cajuns (2-0) held a 14-2 lead going into the fourth quarter but saw K-State (1-1) respond with two touchdowns in the final period to take a one-point advantage with eight minutes left.

After the two teams traded punts, UL got the ball back at its own 33-yard line down one with 3:50 on the clock. Quarterback Chris Masson answered the call with his first fourth quarter comeback in only his second college start.

With the Cajuns facing third-and-3 from its 40, Masson hit Ladarius Green on third-and-3 for an 18-yard gain to move the Cajuns into K-State territory. The sophomore then connected on two more short passes before running back Undrea Sails picked up another first down with a four-yard run to the K-State 30.

Masson fired three incomplete passes in a row, leaving UL with one more short at the upset. The Wildcats called a time out with 37 seconds left in an attempt to ice Albrecht, but he calmly kicked the go-ahead field goal seconds later to send the crowd of 16,431 at Cajun Field into a frenzy.

K-State got the ball back one more time at its own 33 with 32 seconds remaining. After quarterback Carson Coffman threw two incomplete passes, he hooked up with Attrail Snipes on a 36-yard gain to UL’s 31 but was tackled by UL cornerback Orkeys Auriene.

With no time left on the clock, the Cajuns got some revenge for last year’s bitter 45-37 loss to the Wildcats in Manhattan.

That marked the end of a frustrating night for K-State, which lost despite out-gaining the Cajuns in total yardage (377 to 287) and committing fewer turnovers (two to three). The Wildcats, who converted only 4-of-17 third downs, also struggled on special teams as kicker Josh Cherry missed two field goals and one extra point.

UL is 2-0 for the first time since 1990 going into next weekend’s game at LSU.

"They’re a fine football team, and I said that at the beginning of the week," K-State coach Bill Snyder said of UL. "And I’m not just saying that because it’s the right thing to say. I’m saying it because it’s the truth."

Early on UL looked nothing like it did in last week’s 42-19 win over Southern University. On the Cajuns’ first play, wide receiver Andrew "Rico" Joseph lost a fumble on a run around the right end. After Cherry’s first missed field goal from 24 yards, UL turned it over again late in the first quarter on a lost fumble by Sails.

On their fourth series, the Cajuns had a bad snap that resulted in a safety to give the Wildcats a 2-0 with 2:43 left in the opening quarter.

UL answered two touchdowns in the second period – a 13-yard scoring run by Sails and Masson’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Luke Aubrey – to take a 14-2 halftime lead despite three first-half turnovers.

After a scoreless third quarter in which Cherry missed a 47-yard field goal wide right, K-State responded with two long-touchdown drives in the first six minutes of the fourth period behind the all-around abilities of running back Daniel Thomas, who ran for a game-high 136 yards.

Thomas, a quarterback in junior college, lined up in the shotgun on the first play of the fourth quarter and connected with tight end Jerod Mastrud on a 3-yard scoring jump pass to make it 14-8. Cherry, though, missed the extra point after clanking the ball off the left upright.

Following a three-and-out by UL, K-State got a 3-yard scoring run from Thomas to cap an 11-play, 72-yard drive. Cherry hit the extra point to give the Wildcats a one-point lead.

Albrecht, who struggled with injuries and inconsistency in the preseason, helped the Cajuns claim redemption in the final seconds.

UL head coach Rickey Bustle called it the biggest win in his eight years with the program.

"This is where our football team probably hasn’t ever been," Bustle said. "We were down in a close game, able to keep it close and found a way to win."