Louisiana QB Levi Lewis gives away New Orleans Bowl MVP to his running back Emani Bailey

Erik Hall, Lafayette Daily Advertiser

December 19, 2021 at 12:23 PM·2 min read

Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns quarterback Levi Lewis was selected the MVP of the 2021 New Orleans Bowl.

Lewis had thrown for 270 yards and one touchdown while also rushing for 74 yards as he helped the UL Ragin' Cajuns defeat Marshall 36-21.

UL running back Emani Bailey had accounted for two touchdowns in the win, and Lewis wanted him to have the MVP award. Bailey finished with 94 rushing yards and 26 receiving yards.

"I want to give it to the O-line, and EB had two tuddies," Lewis said. "This is for EB and the O-line."

Dec 4, 2021; Lafayette, LA, USA; Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns quarterback Levi Lewis (1) celebrates after a 24-16 victory over the Appalachian State Mountaineers in the Sun Belt Conference championship game. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

As soon as Lewis received the award, he handed it to Bailey, and it was Bailey that posed with the trophy on the stage during the postgame ceremony.

"He was true to his word," Jay Walker said on the Lousiana Ragin' Cajuns radio broadcast after Lewis gave Bailey the trophy. "He just handed it off."

"Pretty groovy," Gerald Broussard said on the radio broadcast.

"And pretty Levi," Walker said.

"The least surprising thing we've seen tonight," Broussard added.

Emani Bailey runs the ball as The Louisiana Ragin Cajuns take on Marshall University Herd in The 2021 R & L Carriers New Orleans Bowl at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Friday, Dec. 18, 2020.

After the game, Lewis said of giving Bailey the MVP award, "He really motivates people. He always just attacks the day, even at practice. I feel like no guy practices the way Emani practices, and I wanted to give it to him because … it’s just more motivation going into (next) season, that anything he wants to do he can accomplish."

Bailey responded to Lewis' gesture and said, "First and foremost, I just Levi, man. It just shows what a true leader he is. I can’t thank him enough. Since Day 1 he’s shown me how the ropes go around here. He’s No. 1 in my book."

Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football head coach Michael Desormeaux said of the MVP award handoff by Lewis, "The guy gives up his MVP trophy. I mean, that’s special. There’s not many people that are like that."

Dec 18, 2021; New Orleans, LA, USA; Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns head coach Michael Desormeaux raises the trophy to the crowd against Marshall Thundering Herd after the game at the 2021 New Orleans Bowl at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The UL Ragin' Cajuns, ranked No. 17 in the USA Today Sports AFCA Coaches Poll, improved to 13-1 overall. Marshall University went to 7-6 overall.

The New Orleans Bowl marked the first meeting between the Louisiana and Marshall football programs.

Here's more Louisiana, Marshall football news:

New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana football rallies behind Levi Lewis as Cajuns top Marshall, win New Orleans Bowl
Levi Lewis: 3 things to know about Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football quarterback Levi Lewis
Top plays: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns vs. Marshall football video highlights, score in New Orleans Bowl

Charles Huff is the Marshall University football head coach.

Erik Hall is the lead digital producer for sports with the USA Today Network. You can find him on Twitter @HallErik.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: UL's Levi Lewis gives away New Orleans Bowl MVP to his RB Emani Bailey

NBC News
Trump fires USAID's inspector general after his office released a report critical of the administration
Paul Martin's office put out a report Monday detailing the negative impact of the Trump administration’s push for drastic cuts at the agency.
Reuters
Russia's missile attack on Kyiv kills one, sparks fires, Ukraine says
Russia's early morning missile attack on Kyiv killed at least one civilian and sparked several fires throughout the city, Ukrainian officials said. "Russia carried out a missile strike on Kyiv and the Kyiv region," Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff, said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
Associated Press
Connecticut Rep. John Larson says a complex partial seizure caused him to stop speech on House floor
Connecticut U.S. Rep. John Larson, who inexplicably stopped speaking during a speech Monday on the House of Representatives floor, said Tuesday night he had suffered a complex partial seizure. The 76-year-old Democrat, who is serving his 13th term, said the House attending physician referred him for further evaluation following the incident. During his speech, Larson is speaking normally before he suddenly stops, drops his arm and stares ahead, appearing to make chewing movements.
Associated Press
Louisiana seeks to resume executions imminently after a 15-year pause
Louisiana will seek to resume carrying out death sentences in the coming months after a 15-year pause, this time using nitrogen gas as the execution method, the state's attorney general said Tuesday. Attorney General Liz Murrill told The Associated Press that she expects at least four people on death row to be executed this year.
AFP
India's Hindu mega-festival supercharges economy
The unfathomable scale of the world's largest religious festival in India overshadows many nations in size -- and for the economy, its impact is just as dramatic.They are staggering statistics even for the world's most populous nation of 1.4 billion people.
Associated Press
Stock market today: Asian shares mostly rise as region continues watching Trump's latest tariffs
Asian shares mostly rose Wednesday, as regional markets continued to watch President Donald Trump’s latest tariff escalation. The latest from Trump is his announcement of 25% tariffs on all foreign steel and aluminum coming into the U.S. Last month, Trump decided to impose 10% duties on all Chinese imports.
CBS News
$500 million in food at spoilage risk after USAID pause, report says
A report from the USAID inspector general says that almost $500 million in food assistance is sitting in ports, ships and warehouses.
USA TODAY
Montana man linked to Alicia Navarro case sentenced to 100 years for child sex abuse
Edmund Davis, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual abuse of children in September after authorities discovered illicit material on his cellphone.
Politico
DOGE order triggers firings at SBA of employees prematurely fired Friday
Federal workers who mistakenly got termination notices last week got real ones Tuesday just hours after the president’s executive order.
NBC News
Justice Sotomayor defends courts amid criticism from Trump and his allies
Liberal Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor said that courts must use their “soft power” to persuade people to comply with rulings on contentious issues.
CNN
Wrongfully detained American teacher Marc Fogel returns to US after being released from Russia in an ‘exchange’
Marc Fogel, an American teacher detained for more than three years in Russia, landed in the US on Tuesday night after the Trump administration secured his release in an “exchange.”
NBC News
Appeals court rejects Trump administration bid to immediately reinstate funding freeze
The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Justice Department's request to pause a judge's order while it challenges the order in court.
NBC News
Winter storms threaten snow, extreme cold and travel warnings across the U.S.
New York City and Washington, D.C., were among the cities urging unsheltered people to get in from the cold Tuesday as the Northeast, Great Plains and Midwest faced winter storms that put tens of millions under weather alerts.
Associated Press
US aid freeze sets back fight against human trafficking in Cambodia
President Donald Trump’s freeze on foreign assistance has dealt a blow to organizations fighting human trafficking and forced labor in Cambodia, where tens of thousands of people are held captive and forced to work in call centers running telephone scams. Hundreds of thousands of people work in remote compounds in countries including Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos where they run online scams targeting people all over the world, including Americans, according to U.N. estimates. A shelter for people who manage to leave these compounds run by the Catholic charity Caritas recently let some victims go and may stop accepting further victims due to the funding squeeze, two sources with direct knowledge of the situation said.
AFP
'What would you have us do?': the plastic credits problem
Twice a day, sirens sound at Cambodia's Chip Mong Insee cement kiln, warning limestone will soon be blasted from the karst mountain that overlooks the sprawling industrial site.AFP and SourceMaterial placed air quality monitors around the Chip Mong Insee kiln and at a baseline location away from industry and roads.
AFP
Asian stocks rise as Powell rate warning taken in stride
Equities rose in Asia on Wednesday as traders took in their stride a warning from Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell that the US central bank "did not need to be in a hurry" to cut interest rates again.Powell told lawmakers at a congressional hearing that with policy "now significantly less restrictive than it had been and the economy remaining strong, we do not need to be in a hurry to adjust" rates.
CBS News
How one school is making changes to combat pandemic losses
While nationwide scores are still below pre-pandemic levels, some local districts are seeing improvements in math and reading.
Associated Press
Sotomayor says presidents have largely followed rule of law, offers words of caution
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor said presidents have historically obeyed judicial rulings with a few exceptions as she advocated for the court to move cautiously to maintain a system of checks and balances, but without directly referencing President Donald Trump’s efforts to test the limits of the executive power. “But it’s also because the court has proceeded cautiously, and has proceeded understanding that it has to proceed slowly.” Judges have blocked Trump from moving forward with mass federal resignations and from implementing an executive order that seeks to end birthright citizenship for anyone born in the U.S.
AFP
Trump's new defence chief to pressure allies on first NATO visit
New US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrives for his first meetings at NATO headquarters Wednesday looking to push European nations over support for Ukraine and ramping up military spending.Several countries -- such as Britain -- are expected to make announcements of fresh military support for Ukraine at the meeting. del/ec/jhb
CBS News
New Orleans rescue dog Scrim found safe again after going missing for months
After being on the run for months in New Orleans, Scrim was captured yet again Tuesday. He had been missing since he jumped 13 feet out of a second-story window in November.

Here's more Louisiana, Marshall football news:

Latest Stories