A year ago in Langston, Oklahoma, Louisiana Christian and Langston traded punches for four quarters before the Wildcats finally delivered the last one.

LCU watched a 13-point third-quarter lead disappear. It trailed twice during the fourth quarter. Then, with the game balanced on the blade of a knife, the Wildcats marched 77 yards and reclaimed it.

Datlan Cunningham powered across the goal line from two yards out with 1:38 remaining. Brenan Hawkins caught the two-point conversion, and the Wildcats escaped Langston with a 31–24 victory.

Now the Lions are coming to Pineville.

Louisiana Christian (1–0) hosts Langston (0–0) at 6 p.m. Saturday inside Wildcat Stadium, opening the Sooner Athletic Conference schedule with a rematch that already carries a warning label:

Do not leave early.

Last Year’s Roller Coaster

The 2025 meeting was never comfortable for either side.

LCU opened with a Levi Hilborn field goal, but Langston answered in the second quarter and carried a 7–6 advantage into halftime.

Then the game caught fire.

Bryce Perkins connected with Xavion Butler for an 81-yard touchdown, and Lyric Hawkins returned a fumble 30 yards for another score. In just 86 seconds, Louisiana Christian turned a one-point halftime deficit into a 20–7 lead.

That should have settled things.

It did not.

Langston quarterback Aden Hooper scored on a one-yard run before finding Gerald Martin for a 19-yard touchdown. The Lions had erased the entire deficit and entered the fourth quarter leading 21–20.

Hilborn’s third field goal put LCU back in front, 23–21. Langston responded again, taking a 24–23 lead with 5:50 remaining.

The Wildcats needed a touchdown.

They drove 77 yards in 11 plays, taking 4:12 off the clock before Cunningham finished the march. Langston still had one final possession, but David Voorhies III intercepted Hooper with 30 seconds remaining.

Only then could LCU breathe.

A Different Beginning for the Wildcats

Louisiana Christian arrives at this year’s meeting carrying considerably more momentum.

The Wildcats opened the season by defeating NCAA Division I Northwestern State, giving LCU a signature victory before the conference race even began.

But Saturday presents a different challenge.

Northwestern State offered the bright lights of a cross-division opportunity. Langston brings something more immediate: a conference game with November consequences attached to it.

The victory in Natchitoches made people look.

What LCU does next will tell us whether they should keep watching.

Last year’s matchup provides the perfect cautionary tale. The Wildcats outgained Langston 398–363 and averaged 5.4 yards per play compared with the Lions’ 3.9, but two interceptions, a lost fumble and 131 penalty yards kept Langston within striking distance.

LCU survived those mistakes once. It should not make a habit of testing the football gods.

Cunningham Remains at the Center of It

Cunningham carried the ball 26 times for 84 yards in last year’s win. His average was modest, but his final carry helped decide the game.

He entered the end zone when LCU absolutely had to have it.

One year later, Cunningham returns as one of the central figures in the Wildcats’ offense—and he comes into Saturday after rushing for 117 yards and two touchdowns against Northwestern State.

That makes the question fairly obvious: can Langston prevent Cunningham from becoming the closing argument again?

LCU will want to remain balanced, but last season’s game proved the Wildcats can lean on Cunningham when the field shrinks, the clock matters and everyone in the stadium knows where the football is going.

What Last Year Tells Us About Saturday

Three lessons travel particularly well from Oklahoma to Pineville.

1. Explosive plays can change this game instantly

LCU completed only 10 passes last year, but those completions produced 258 yards. Edward Scott Jr. finished with 112 receiving yards, while Butler added 110 and the 81-yard touchdown.

The Wildcats did not need a high completion total. They needed a few lightning strikes.

2. Langston will make LCU finish the job

The Lions ran 92 offensive plays, converted 14 of 25 third downs and twice answered after falling behind.

They were not pushed out of the game when LCU went ahead 20–7. They simply kept playing until the Wildcats had to win it again.

3. Discipline could decide the rematch

The teams combined for 25 penalties and 264 penalty yards last season.

LCU was flagged 13 times for 131 yards. Langston committed 12 penalties for 133.

That is not a statistic. That is a small parade.

The team that avoids replaying that chaos will give itself a significant advantage Saturday night.

Five Numbers From the 2025 Thriller

The Stakes Have Arrived Early

Langston finished last season 3–7 overall and 3–5 in the SAC, closing the year with a 17–10 victory over Oklahoma Panhandle State. The Lions officially begin their 2026 campaign Saturday in Pineville, the first stop on a schedule that sends them on the road for their opening two games.

Louisiana Christian already owns one of the season’s loudest victories. Now the Wildcats must turn the page from historic to important.

The Northwestern State win will live on highlight reels.

Conference wins live in the standings.

The Bottom Line

Last year, Louisiana Christian needed an 81-yard touchdown, a defensive score, three field goals and one final 77-yard march to beat Langston.

The Wildcats survived the storm in Oklahoma.

This time, the storm is coming to Wildcat Stadium.

Louisiana Christian enters 1–0. Langston arrives with a clean slate. The Sooner Athletic Conference standings are untouched, the possibilities are wide open, and two familiar big cats will begin writing the next chapter Saturday night.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. from Wildcat Stadium in Pineville.

Last year gave us a thriller.

Saturday gives them a sequel.

Watch it here if you can’t make it to Wildcat Stadium: Langston at LC