Fitzgerald Has Career Night In Loss To Ragin' Cajuns

DENTON, Texas (10/108) Jason Chery scored five touchdowns to lead the Louisiana-Lafayette football team to a 59-30 victory against North Texas on Saturday night at Fouts Field.

The Mean Green falls to 0-6 and 0-2 in the Sun Belt Conference, while Louisiana-Lafayette improves to 3-3 and 2-0 in conference play. NT still holds an 8-5 lead in the series.

Jason Chery caught three touchdown passes, rushed for a score and returned a kickoff 97 yards to give ULL a 35-20 lead in the first half. The wide receiver scored all five of ULL first-half scores.

The Mean Green held two leads early in the first half but was hurt by two fumbles and the big plays. Chery caught TD passes for 81, 49 and 57 yards. North Texas posted a season high in points (30) and total yards (528) but it was not enough against the Ragin’ Cajuns.

North Texas wide receiver Casey Fitzgerald had another career night. He caught 14 passes for 231 yards. His 231 receiving yards are the second most in school history. Fitzgerald holds the single-game receiving record, set at SMU last year with 327 yards. His 14 receptions are the most in the Sun Belt this year and ties for third in school history. The senior’s 171 career catches ranks third and his 16 touchdowns ties for sixth in school history.

Cam Montgomery had his first career 100-yard rushing game, making him the first 100-yard rusher of the season for North Texas. The running back rushed 20 times for 116 yards. Giovanni Vizza completed 29 of 44 passes for 361 yards. His 43-yard touchdown pass to Fitzgerald in the third quarter was the longest play of the year for North Texas.

Tobe Nwigwe forced two turnovers, intercepting a pass and recovering a fumble, but the Mean Green was unable to put any points on the board on the resulting drives. Nwigwe was second on the team with 11 total tackles on the night. Darien Williams led the Mean Green with 12.

For his first score, Chery took a reverse on the Ragin’ Cajuns’ second play of its second series and ran 81 yards to give ULL its first lead, 7-3. The senior helped ULL regain its lead with a 17-yard touchdown reception, 14-10. In the second quarter, Chery scored on a 49-yard touchdown reception, a 97-yard kickoff and a 57-yard TD catch.

Jeremy Knott made two-of-three field goals in the first half. His first, a career-long 46-yard kick, gave North Texas its first lead of the season, 3-0. Roderick Johnson put North Texas up for a second time, 10-7, with a 12-yard touchdown reception, his second of the year.

North Texas scored twice in the second quarter with a 43-yard field goal by Knott and a Cam Montgomery one-yard touchdown run. The rushing touchdown cut the ULL lead to 35-20. Knott missed a 43-yard field goal with seconds left in the half.

North Texas cut the lead to eight points, 35-27, with a Vizza-Fitzgerald connection on the first drive of the third quarter. Vizza threw a 43-yard touchdown strike to Fitzgerald, capping an 80-yard drive. ULL outscored NT, 24-3, the rest of the way to hold onto the win.

North Texas returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 18 when it travels to Monroe, La., to face Louisiana-Monroe.

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Casey Fitzgerald

Roderick Johnson

Jeremy Knott

Cam Montgomery

Tobe Nwigwe

Darien Williams

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University of North Texas Athletics