2 weeks Ago
UL quarterback Ben Wooldridge (10), shown here running the ball at Texas State last week, is hoping to continue his historic season Saturday. Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save The thing about UL coach Michael Desormeaux is he’s not as politically correct as most head coaches in the public eye. He’s also not very good at hiding his true feelings.
So when asked if last year’s 37-17 road loss to Arkansas State played a role in preparation for Saturday’s 4 p.m. homecoming rematch with the Red Wolves at Cajun Field, he tried his best to remain calm.
“Our guys know ...
I told them and I don’t say this very often, I was embarrassed at the way we performed last year when we played them,” said Desormeaux, who is 0-2 in homecoming games as a head coach. “We’ve had to live with that for a year. It’s one thing to get beat, but it’s another to feel like you just did not perform.
We’re excited to get to play these guys again.” So if any members of the first-place Cajuns fall victim to a “trap game” for homecoming coming off a stellar road trip, shame on them. “You’re not going to every game that you play,” he added.
“Over time, that’s going to happen. But there’s a way I expected us to play and we didn’t play that way. I was embarrassed.
That was a disappointing thing for us.” On paper, there’s a lot of reasons to believe it’ll be a different story when the Cajuns (7-1, 4-0) meet the Red Wolves (5-3, 3-1) Saturday. For starters, UL has defeated Arkansas State 12 of the last 13 games in Lafayette.
Also, Desormeaux is calling plays for a much more consistent and explosive offense this season. UL’s offense has now scored in 23 of the last 24 quarters behind an offensive line that has the Cajuns 11th nationally in time of possession and third-down conversions. “Stay out of third-and-long,” UL right tackle George Jackson said.
“That’s one of the best things we’ve emphasize - stay above the sticks. Of course, we always want to get explosives and just be able to manage the clock. “Time management to march ball down the field and get in end zone.
We’ve emphasized during the week that we can’t keep kicking field goals. We actually need to score.” Another reason for optimism is UL didn't have quarterback Ben Wooldridge (160-232-4, 2037 yds, 16 TDs) running the show in Jonesboro last year after suffering a season-ending foot injury in week 3.
“We’ve got to play better than we did last year in all three phases, but on offense, we’ve got to play a lot better than we did last year,” Desormeaux insisted. But the other quarterback on the mind of UL’s staff in this game is Arkansas State sophomore Jaylen Raynor (1867 yards, 7 TDs, 6 ints), who threw for 194 yards and ran for two scores in last year’s win. “The key is keeping him contained and staying in our rush edges,” UL defensive lineman Mason Narcisse said.
“We know he’s going to look to get out of the pocket, because we’re going to lock the wide receivers up. We just have to keep him contained.” The other big weapon is seasoned wide receiver Corey Rucker (47-703, 3 TDs).
“I don’t know how long this guy’s been in college, but I feel like it’s been about 10 years,” Desormeaux said. “He’s a really good player. I’ve always been impressed with him.
He plays hard, he’s tough and he’s got a great skill set. He’s not the biggest cat out there, but he plays big. I think he’s a really good player.
” Making that even more difficult is cornerback Keyon Martin is out for the game in concussion protocol and cornerback Caleb Anderson remains “doubtful” to return. Even if he does play after missing three weeks with a leg injury, it’ll be “very limited.” In addition to redshirt sophomore Lorenzell Dubose and freshman Avery Demery beefing up the depth chart there, linebacker Jaden Dugger could help as well in containing Raynor.
“Probably so, especially with some of the DBs out,” Desormeaux said of Dugger playing an expanded role. “For him, playing the 'Sam' for us when we get into our big personnel, there’s a lot of things he can do in space.” On the offensive side, UL fans could see special teams star Dalen Cambre get more snaps at wide receiver this week.
“He’ll be Lance’s (LeGendre) tap whenever he needs it,” Desormeaux said. “He deserves to play a little bit more. He does everything right and performs well at practice.
Everything we talk about that matters, he does, so he deserves to get a little bit more time here.” Currently, UL is in the drivers seat to win the Sun Belt West, but that changes if the Red Wolves win. “We have to keep the intensity up,” Jackson said.
“Everything we’ve done the past six games, we just have to keep it going and understand what needs to be done.”.
