2011 Louisiana Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns Football Preview

The Louisiana-Lafayette Rajin’ Cajuns are entering this upcoming season under new leadership, joining North Texas as a Sun Belt program in search of a fresh start.

After head coach Rickey Bustle, who had piloted the program since 2002, was fired following a disappointing 3-9 finish in 2010, new man Mark Hudspeth took the reins. Having amassed a 66-21 record during his time at North Alabama of the FCS, Hudspeth has to hit the ground running in Lafayette.  While it’s true that the Cajuns return 12 starters in 2011, five on the offense side of the football and seven on defense, it has to be said that the seven returning defensive starters didn’t do very much of anything last year. Louisiana-Lafayette never allowed fewer than 22 points in any game last season. The Cajuns allowed at least 30 points in eight of their 12 games, and that’s how a 3-9 season generally unfolds. ULL’s offense struck fear into the likes of Oklahoma State and Troy, but the utter toothlessness of the team’s defense made victories hard to attain on a regular basis. The Cajuns could throw the ball, but they could do little else, and that almost always spells trouble on the gridiron; a passing offense has to be very special to endure a wretched defense, and while ULL’s attack was certainly good, it wasn’t nearly good enough.

Speaking of that passing attack, quarterback Chris Masson returns for his senior season, having thrown for over 4,200 yards in his two years as a starter. A target such as Ladarious Green, who was a Mackey Award semifinalist and the nation’s leader in receiving yards last year, will help Masson to a considerable extent. Green also topped the nation in receiving yards per game, yards per catch, and touchdown receptions for a tight end; it’s safe to say that he’s the go-to security blanket any quarterback needs, making the Lafayette passing game the least of Hudspeth’s concerns.

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Devon Lewis-Buchanan was Louisiana-Lafayette’s leading tackler last season. Along with defensive back Bill Bentley, the Cajuns should be improved on defense, but only in the sense that last year’s unit could not have been much worse. ULL has to make significant strides on that side of the ball if it is to compete; this is the phase of football in which Hudspeth needs to make a particularly significant impact.

The schedule is surprisingly easy to manage, not the norm among Sun Belt schools. Non-conference games at the beginning and end of the season, with trips to Oklahoma State and Arizona on the docket, will be difficult. Beyond that, the other non-conference opponents and the Sun Belt schedule both set up nicely for the Rajin’ Cajuns. Kent State is a very winnable game, and Nicholls State is an FCS cupcake. In terms of the Sun Belt slate, Troy and North Texas are home games, while lower-tier teams such as Western Kentucky and Arkansas State are road games. That’s a reasonable schedule combination for a team that needs all the leverage it can get in 2011.