Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
Sun Belt
Louisiana came into the 2011 campaign with very low expectations. Following a 3-9 season in 2010, the Ragin’ Cajuns picked up a new coach and seemed destined for a couple years of rebuilding. But Coach Mark Hudspeth and company had a different idea. Their rebuilding effort finished before it ever began as the Ragin’ Cajuns had a superb season. This is not a team that does any particular thing extremely well, but they play steady football and do a decent job of avoiding mistakes.
2011 Record: 8-4, 6-2
Last Bowl Appearance: none
Big Wins: 9/10 at Kent State (20-12), 9/24 at Florida International (36-31)
Bad Losses: 10/22 at Western Kentucky (23-42), 11/12 at Arkansas State (21-30)
Coach: Mark Hudspeth (8-4 at Louisiana, 8-4 overall)
Bowl Record: 0-0 at Louisiana, 0-0 overall
Offensive Coordinator: Jay Johnson
Defensive Coordinator: Greg Stewart
Strengths:
Louisiana’s efficient offense has been in large part due to quarterback Blaine Gautier. The junior was not the starter at the beginning of the year, but it did not take him long to take over that role. The Ragin’ Cajuns will not go to the air a ton, but Gautier is great at throwing touchdown passes and avoiding turnovers. The offense as a whole does not gain an eye popping amount of yards, but they do score a lot of points. It is that efficiency that has led them to a bowl game. Gautier also has a few quality wide receivers and one of the best tight ends in the nation to work with. Javone Lawson and Harry Peoples are the big play receivers. Darryl Surgent will not catch as many passes, but it seems like just about every time he touches the ball he ends up scoring six points. Ladarius Green has missed some time this season, but the tight end is a big target who will be playing on Sunday’s next year. Gautier does a lot of work on the ground as well, but Alonzo Harris has had a surprisingly good campaign and helps make this a very balanced offense.
Weaknesses:
The defense is not bad, but they are opposite of the offense. While the offense scores more points than they should based on their yardage, the defense gives up more points than they should. Linebacker Lance Kelley is the star of the unit. He leads the team in tackles, spends plenty of time in the backfield tallying sacks, tackles-for-loss and forced fumbles and drops back into coverage. Kelley picked off three passes and broke up six more. There is nothing he cannot do. Bernard Smith is the big playmaker on the defensive line and fellow senior Derreck Dean is a decent run stuffer in the middle. Corners Dwight Bentley and Melvin White and safety Lionel Stokes can make some big plays, but overall the defense has been pretty erratic.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Alonzo Harris, RB, 638 yards
Passing: Blaine Gautier, QB, 2,488 yards
Receiving: Javone Lawson, WR, 899 yards
Tackles: Lance Kelley, LB, 107
Sacks: Bernard Smith, DE, 6.5
Interceptions: Dwight Bentley, CB, 3; Lance Kelley, LB, 3; Jemarlous Moten, CB, 3
2011 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 129.25 (85th in nation, 6th in conference)
Passing Offense: 250.92 (41, 4)
Total Offense: 380.17 (67, 5)
Scoring Offense: 32.33 (33, 2)
Rushing Defense: 144.50 (55, 5)
Pass Defense: 248.67 (90, 7)
Total Defense: 393.17 (72, 6)
Scoring Defense: 29.83 (83, 5)
Turnover Margin: .08 (54, 5)
Sacks: 2.25 (34, 4)
Sacks Allowed: 2.08 (70, 7)
