McNeese St. 38, Louisiana-Lafayette 17

9/15/2007 10:34 PM

LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) -Bryant Mason returned a fumble 87 yards for a touchdown and Kris Bush ran for two more as McNeese State beat Louisiana-Lafayette 38-17 Saturday night.

Bush finished with 83 yards for the Cowboys (2-0), including touchdown plunges of 4 yards in the second quarter and 3 yards in the third.

Jamie Leonard had 19 carries for 134 yards and a touchdown, and Derric Fourroux was 11-of-19 passing for 139 yards and one touchdown.

In spite of failing to score from inside the McNeese State 20-yard-line three times during the first half, the Ragin' Cajuns (0-3) were tied at 17-17 with 1:32 left in the half, which ended with McNeese ahead 24-17.

Mason's ramble put the score at 10-7, and Bush's 4-yard run made it 17-7 before Drew Edmiston made a 37-yard field goal and Derrick Smith caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Michael Desormeaux with 1:32 left in the period.

Carles Franklin caught a 22-yard TD pass from Fourroux to put the Cowboys ahead. They did all the second-half scoring, holding the Cajuns to 54 yards in the third quarter and 50 in the fourth.

Tyrell Fenroy led the Cajuns with 82 yards rushing on 20 carries.

Desormeaux was 11-of-24 passing for 162 yards and a touchdown, but had four interceptions and the lost fumble that Mason returned. Desormeaux also rushed for 46 yards.

The game was the schools' first meeting since November 1986. It brought an overflow crowd of 33,828, third largest ever at Cajun Field.