Levi Lewis, Louisiana Hold Off Miami (OH) to Win 2020 LendingTree Bowl

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns completed their winningest season in program history by defeating the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks 27-17 in Monday's LendingTree Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.

Louisiana seemed to pull away when quarterback Levi Lewis connected with receiver Ja'Marcus Bradley for a 12-yard touchdown to help put the Cajuns up 24-10 with 2:26 remaining in the third quarter, but Miami responded on the ensuing drive with a 14-play, 77-yard touchdown drive.

Running back Jaylon Bester punched it in from one-yard out for his second score of the day to help pull the Redhawks back within seven points and cap the team's longest drive of the season:

The Redhawks forced Louisiana into a three-and-out and were driving again when Bester fumbled at his own 48-yard line. Louisiana converted the turnover into a 38-yard field goal to extend the lead to 27-17 with 4:35 left in regulation.

Miami was still threatening. Quarterback Brett Gabbert found receiver James Maye for a 63-yard gain to the Louisiana 2-yard line. However, a mistake cost them again when a wild snap on 4th-and-goal resulted in a 23-yard loss and turnover on downs to essentially seal the game for Louisiana.

The Ragin' Cajuns improved to 11-3 with the victory and claimed their first bowl win under second-year head coach Billy Napier, having lost last year's Cure Bowl to Tulane.

Louisiana's last bowl win came in the 2014 New Orleans Bowl, capping off a four-year run of topping the New Orleans Bowl, but two of those titles along with 20 other victories were vacated by an NCAA Committee on Infractions' ruling in March 2016.

The Redhawks had won six of their last seven regular-season contests entering the LendingTree Bowl but dropped to 8-6 with this loss.

Miami's last bowl appearance came in 2016, a loss to Mississippi State in the St. Petersburg Bowl. The program has not won a bowl since the 2011 GoDaddy.com Bowl.

Notable Performances

Louisiana

QB Levi Lewis: 246 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT; 8 carries, 62 yards

RB Elijah Mitchell: 11 carries, 55 yards, 1 TD

WR Ja'Marcus Bradley: 7 catches, 88 yards, 2 TD

WR Calif Gossett: 2 catches, 79 yards

Miami (Ohio)

QB Brett Gabbert: 248 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT

RB Jaylon Bester: 19 carries, 52 yards, 2 TD

WR Jack Sorenson: 10 catches, 107 yards

WR James Maye: 3 catches, 74 yards

Levi Lewis Takes Full Advantage of National Stage

The junior signal-caller clinched an individual achievement before the Cajuns secured the LendingTree Bowl victory, becoming the first quarterback in program history to throw for 3,000 yards in a single season:

Lewis dazzled en route to surpassing 3,000. The Baton Rouge native's most impressive play came early in the third quarter. The Redhawks forced Lewis out of the pocket, but he avoided a potential sack in order to throw across his body to an open Bradley in the back of the end zone to help put the Cajuns up 17-7.

Having an athlete like Bradley at Lewis' disposal only adds to his playmaking ability. The redshirt senior receiver ended his collegiate career with two touchdowns, bringing his 2019 total to 10 receiving touchdowns to match his career-high set last season.

Lewis was named the game's MVP with Bradley earning Offensive MVP honors, per Tim Buckley of the Lafayette Daily Advertiser.

Lewis finished this season with a career-best 3,050 yards, 26 touchdowns and four interceptions across 14 games.

Jaylon Bester's Fumble Shouldn't Overshadow Otherwise Solid Performance

The junior running back might spend the offseason replaying the fumble that kept Miami from having a chance to tie the contest at 24.

But Bester was the reason the Redhawks came as close as they did.

While Gabbert was efficient—at a historical pace, actually—in his bowl debut, Bester was the only Redhawk to find the end zone:

Bester accounted for more touchdowns (14) than Gabbert (11) this season and led the Redhawks with 741 yards. In his two prior seasons at Miami, Bester posted 296 yards and one touchdown combined.

While it would be easy to hastily pin this loss at least in part on Bester's shoulders, that would be unfair considering just how crucial he was to the Redhawks offense all year long.