This was updated with new information.

The biggest test of the season is finally here for Louisiana football as it hosts a familiar in-state foe Tulane for Week 4 of the 2024 season.

The Cajuns (2-0) handled their first two opponents with ease, scoring close to 75 points and only allowing 20 points in two games. That was not the case with the Green Wave (1-2) in town as the matchup quickly became a shootout. Tulane is led by redshirt freshman quarterback Darian Mensah and in the backfield by redshirt sophomore Makhi Hughes made them pay on the ground leading Tulane to a 41-33 victory.

UL football attempted a comeback in the final two minutes of the game trailing by eight points. It just didn't have enough to top the Green Wave who iced the game with an interception to snatch the hopes of every Cajun fan.

"This was the kind of game we thought it was going to be and we knew we were going to have to make some plays and capture some momentum and we didn't do enough of that," UL football head coach Michael Desormeaux said. "We knew was a measuring stick for us, and we're not where we want to be. So we got to get back to work."

Watch Louisiana football vs Tulane live on ESPNU

Louisiana football vs Tulane score by quarters

First quarter

Wooldridge makes it happen with his legs

The offense began to click in the Cajuns' second drive of the game. Wooldridge saved their drive with a 17-yard scramble and from there he continued to help move them down the field. He connected with redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jaydon Johnson for UL football's longest play of the game so far a 32-yard gain.

On top of the big gain, Tulane's defense committed two passing interference fouls giving the Cajuns a wide-open shot at busting this game wide open. From the one-yard line, Wooldridge took it himself and hurdled over defenders to score the first touchdown of the game and give his team the lead.

The Green Wave responds

Tulane wasted no time after the Cajuns' touchdown score in the first quarter. With Hughes leading the ground attack the Green Wave drove down the field rushing for 28 yards on six carries in the quarter. Mensah also got involved on the ground rushing for 13 yards on a quarterback scramble to put his team just yards away from tying this game up.

Second quarter

Tulane gets on the board

After working their way down the field in the final seconds of the first quarter, the Green Wave get on the board thanks to senior quarterback Ty Thompson. He rushed for a two-yard touchdown as he serves as a running back quarterback for Tulane on short-yardage plays. Thompson ran the ball in with ease tying this game up.

Pass interference plagues Tulane

For the third time in the first half, the Green Wave committed a pass interference foul giving the Cajuns another shot at the endzone. This has been a red zone issue for them to start this game so far. Luckily for them, UL football couldn't capitalize off the great field position and had to settle for a 20-yard field goal from Kenneth Almendares.

The field goal gives the Cajuns back the lead after a solid offensive drive. Wooldridge is up to 66 passing yards so far connecting with four different receivers. The ground game is still trying to get established with 56 rushing yards compared to Tulane's 72 rushing yards.

Cajuns' defense stands strong

The run game has been hard to contain so far for the Cajuns who allowed Tulane to drive down the field with a flurry of rushing attacks. So far the Green Wave has rushed for 129 yards with Hughes leading them with 66 yards. The 5-foot-11 and 210-pounder broke out for a 29-yard run dodging tacklers along the way.

With Hughes and a host of other runners getting them down the field, the Green Wave was able to tie the game up with a 37-yard field goal from Ethan Head. Redshirt senior linebacker K.C. Ossai came up big on third and five standing up Hughes and forcing Tulane to settle for the field goal.

UL football makes a mistake

Just two minutes left in the first half and the Cajuns made their first big mistake of the game. Wooldridge dropped back for a pass before his intended receiver Terrance Carter could turn around. Tulane's freshman safety Jack Tchienchou was ready for the pass though.

"It was an option route that Ben saw one way and the tight end saw it another way," Desormeaux said. "The defender was kind of in a gray area so we'll go on the tape and we'll correct it. That's the one I would kill to take back right now. That's the one I would die to take back but you don't get them."

Tchienchou intercepted it and took it to the house giving the Green Wave their first lead of the game 17-10. This is Wooldridge's second interception of the season and first pick-six. To close out the half, Wooldridge got the Cajuns in the red zone trying to get some of those points back from the pick-six. They get an Almendares field goal from 31 yards out to close the gap to four points before halftime.

Third quarter

Loud start to the second half

Tulane got the ball to start the second half and the need to get a stop for the Cajuns was crucial. Tulane's redshirt sophomore Rayshawn Pleasant had different plans. He fielded the ball on the Cajuns kick-off and took it 94 yards for a touchdown beating every defender on his way to the house.

The Cajuns redshirt freshman Elijah "Bill" Davis took that loud start personally. On their following drive, he busted out for a 73-yard run to get the Cajuns just a yard shy from the endzone. Wooldridge capped off the drive by connecting with freshman tight end Caden Jensen for a one-yard touchdown. This marks Jensen's first career touchdown in Vermilion and White.

"It was a really good drive starter," Davis said. "Shout out to Caden Jensen you know he made a hell of a catch at the end of it. So we were still able to capitalize off that drive. I gotta go finish that though so I gotta be better in that aspect."

Shoot out third quarter

Both teams took big swings in the third quarter as the passing game is alive and well in this half. Mensah responded to UL football's one-yard touchdown with a touchdown of his own. He connected with senior Terrell Allen for a 33-yard touchdown extending the Green Wave's lead.

Then it was the Cajuns' turn to answer back and they did. Wooldridge found Carter with nothing but green surrounding him. Carter took the ball 36 yards for the longest touchdown catch in his career. The score helped close the gap to five points.

Catch him if you can

The ground game has been a problem all game long for the Cajuns and the woes continue with Hughes leading Tulane's rushing attack. He is up to 134 rushing yards on 16 carries with a quarter left to play finding every running lane in UL's defense.

"He ran hard I mean it was nothing crazy," UL football defensive lineman Jordan Lawson said. "He was just a hard runner, and we had a little bit of trouble wrapping up, finishing the tackles, finishing blocks. It is mostly just people not finishing plays, like not being in the right mind space."

He drove the Green Wave down the field as he had been all game long and this time he found the endzone from one yard out. This marks his first rushing touchdown of the game and gives his team a double-digit lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Fourth quarter

Two rushing touchdowns for Wooldridge

The Cajuns opened up the final quarter already with great field position but a passing interference on Tulane put them right on the goal line. This allowed Wooldridge to make it happen with his legs for the second time today rushing for a one-yard touchdown.

He has scored all of UL's rushing touchdowns so far this game. This puts the pressure back on the defense as they now trail by five points and desperately need to stop the Green Wave's relentless rushing attack.

Failed two-point conversion may dictate the game

After Wooldridge's second rushing touchdown, Tulane added three more points to its lead on an eight-minute drive that ended in a field goal. This made it an eight-point game but it could've been a seven-point game if the Cajuns didn't go for a two-point conversion in the third quarter.

"At the time, I felt like it was going to come down to a one-possession game," Desormeaux said. "The way the game was going. I thought points would be a little more at a premium. We were playing tough on defense but just kind of giving up some late-in-the-drive conversions so we were trying to get within a field goal. They had a call on that and the play wasn't very good so that was on me."

Wooldridge's second interception ends the game

The Cajuns had enough time to try and make a comeback but on a 4th and nine attempt the Green Wave brought pressure. Wooldridge got hit as he threw and it was picked off by graduate safety Jalen Geiger to ice the game.

Pregame notes:

Louisiana vs Tulane time, date

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 21

• Time: 11 a.m. CT

• Location: Cajun Field

What channel is Louisiana vs Tulane game on today?

TV channel: ESPNU

Streaming: ESPNU and ESPN+

Radio: Ragin' Cajuns Radio Network

Louisiana vs. Tulane will be available live on ESPNU in Week 4 of the 2024 college football season. Mike Corey and Rene Ingoglia will provide commentary from Cajun Field. Streaming options for the game include ESPN+.

Louisiana vs Tulane history

Series record: Tulane leads 23-6

In Lafayette: Tulane leads 2-1

In New Orleans: Tulane leads 20-5

Louisiana's last win: Dec. 21, 2013 (24-21)

Tulane's last win: Dec. 15, 2018 (41-24)

Louisiana vs Tulane weather update

Saturday's matchup will be played in mostly sunny weather with clouds passing through. It'll be a high of 92 degrees and a low of 74 degrees.

REQUIRED READING: 'Toughest challenge': What to know about UL football's Week 4 opponent Tulane

REQUIRED READING: What channel is Louisiana- Tulane football game on? Time, TV, streaming info

Louisiana football 2024 schedule

• Aug. 31: Grambling State (40-10 W)

• Sept. 7: at Kennesaw State (34-10 W)

• Sept. 21: Tulane

• Sept. 28: at Wake Forest

• Oct. 5: at Southern Miss

• Oct. 12: Appalachian State

• Oct. 19: at Coastal Carolina

• Oct. 29: at Texas State

• Nov. 9: Arkansas State

• Nov. 16: South Alabama

• Nov. 23: Troy

• Nov. 30: at ULM

• Record: (2-0)

Tulane schedule 2024

• Aug. 29: Southeastern Louisiana (52-0 W)

• Sept. 7: No. 17/16 Kansas State (34-27 L)

• Sept. 14: at No. 15/13 Oklahoma (34-19 L)

• Sept. 21: at Louisiana

• Sept. 28: South Florida

• Oct. 5: at UAB

• Oct. 19: Rice

• Oct. 26: at North Texas

• Oct. 31: at Charlotte

• Nov. 9: Temple

• Nov. 16: at Navy

• Nov. 28: Memphis

• Record: (1-2)

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Shannon Belt covers high school sports and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow her high school and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ShannonBelt3. Got questions regarding HS/UL athletics? Send them to Shannon Belt at sbelt@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Louisiana vs Tulane: Ragin' Cajuns fall short in a shootout