This time, the UL defense delivered.

In the Ragin' Cajuns' two Sun Belt losses, opponents drove the field on their final drives for the game-winning touchdowns.

On Saturday at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium, South Alabama was threatening to inflict a similar fate on UL. Instead, linebacker Micah Johnson intercepted Jaguars quarterback Bishop Davenport at the UL 35 to preserve a hard-fought 28-26 victory.

The win earned bowl eligibility for the Cajuns, who improved to 6-3 overall and 3-2 in league play. It's the ninth straight year of bowl eligibility for UL.

Despite getting two flags on the clinching drive, the Cajuns logged a critical first down to ice the victory.

UL ran for 314 yards and put up 461 total yards. Running back JJ Garner ran for 138 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Quarterback Lunch Winfield ran for 97 yards and a score on 19 carries and was 10-of-14 passing for 147 yards with an interception and a touchdown.

Davenport started for South Alabama after missing the previous six games with an injury. He was 16-of-22 passing for 210 yards and an interception while also rushing for 61 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries.

The Cajuns had to overcome a season-high 10 penalties for 60 yards.

After the Cajuns stuffed South Alabama on its first two drives of the second half, it appeared UL might take control of a seesaw battle.

First, the Cajuns got a 35-yard pass to Trenton Chaney to set up a 27-yard TD pass to Shelton Sampson to give UL a 28-17 lead with 3:52 left in the third. It was Sampson's first touchdown of the season.

But the defense faltered, allowing the Jaguars to cover 89 yards in two plays and 29 seconds. Davenport hit Brendan Jenkins for 44 yards and then ran it 45 yards for the score to cut UL's lead to 28-23 with 3:18 left in the third. The two-point conversion run failed.

South Alabama pulled even closer with a 50-yard field goal to make it 28-26 with 10:26 left to play.  

UL pounded out 51 yards on 11 plays in 6:20 on its next drive, but penalties forced a 47-yard field goal try. It hit the left upright with 4:02 left to play.

Three plays later, the Jaguars faced a fourth-and-7 from their 35 just before the two-minute timeout. Davenport connected with Rod Gibbs for a 23-yard gain to reach the UL 42.

But two plays later, Johnson came up with the interception to sew up the win.

The game started as good as it could for the Cajuns, who got a 100-yard kickoff return from Garner to start the game for a 7-0 lead.

A Maxie Baudoin sack forced the Jaguars to punt on their first drive. The Jaguars backed UL up to the 9 and forced a punt after one first down.

The result was South Alabama driving 63 yards on 14 plays in 6:03 to tie the game. Davenport's plunge on fourth-and-goal from the 1 finished off the drive. 

The ensuing kickoff return didn't treat UL kindly and the Cajuns began the next drive at the 14, but the Cajuns marched 86 yards on five plays in 2:15 to regain the lead.

Garner was the star of the drive, running for 65 yards and a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter for a 14-7 lead.

Johnson tried to give the Cajuns a chance to build a two-score lead with two key stops on South Alabama's next drive, but it was all for naught when disaster struck again.

For the sixth time this season, a UL opponent scored with the UL offense on the field. This time it was a 72-yard interception return for a score from Jaylen Moson to tie the game at 14-14 with 9:28 left in the second quarter.

Winfield then ran three times for 28 yards before hitting tight end Caden Jensen on a 41-yarder to ignite an eight-play, 78-yard drive in 5:04. Winfield's 14-yard run accounted for the touchdown with 4:16 left until intermission.

The Jaguars added a 44-yard field goal by Dylan Freebury before halftime as the Cajuns led 21-17.

The Cajuns rushed for 174 yards in the first half and outgained the Jaguars 259-158, but the interception return spoiled most of those numbers. Winfield was 8-of-10 passing in the first half, despite the interception.