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UL's football squad will wrap up its spring practice session today, and like normal it'll be in the Red-White game. However, this year's game will look different from spring games of the recent past.
During the past several years, the senior members of the squad were divided into groups, and the seniors drafted the rest of their teammates. It made for fairly equal squads, but players did not see action with the units they had worked with all season.
"When we looked at that, it's a little counter-productive," said Cajun head coach Rickey Bustle. "When you've been lining up next to somebody all spring, it makes sense to have them line up the same way in what's supposed to be a game-type atmosphere."
When today's game kicks off at noon at Cajun Field, the Red unit will include the number one offensive and defensive units with a handful of backups available. The White unit will be the number two offenses and defenses, as well as most of the reserves.
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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com
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"We felt like we needed that one more scrimmage with the same guys working together," Bustle said. "We'll look at it a little different because of the format."
Because of the division, the White team will get a 10-point head start in the game, which will be played with eight-minute quarters and will feature several rule changes. There is no charge for admission.
Special-teams play will be limited, with no kickoffs (offenses will start at their own 30 to start each half and after scores) and no rush or returns on punts. The 25-second clock will not be used, teams are allowed one trick play and teams may not use goal-line defenses.
From scrimmage, though, all plays will be live including hits on the quarterbacks, and field goals will be live.
Some of the changes are a by-product of a major overhaul during spring drills. The Cajuns have four new coaches, including new offensive coordinator Blake Anderson and defensive coordinator Kevin Fouquier, and Bustle said much of what UL will be doing in the Sept. 1 opener at South Carolina isn't installed yet.
"You never really get finished installing," he said. "We got a good bit in, but with 13 real practices you don't get everything done. We felt like we needed to hold it where we were and get better on the things we have in."
Quarterbacks Michael Desormeaux and John Hundley will head up the Red and White units respectively. Desormeaux accounted for two touchdowns in a brief 40-play scrimmage at the end of Wednesday's practice, one running and one throwing, after the UL defense pitched a shutout in last Saturday's second scrimmage of spring drills.
The quarterbacks' performance, as well as every other position, will be evaluated next week and will go a long way toward determining starting slots and depth charts entering fall practice in August.
"We've thrown a lot at them," Bustle said, "and pulling back some has helped us the last three or four practices. You never know what pace you're going to be able to put things in. We're going to be looking at competition and be looking for effort more than anything else."
Captains
RED
Mike Desormeaux
Jesse Newman
Greg Hathorn
Brent Burkhalter
WHITE
John Hundley
Lanier Coleman
Daylon McCoy
Chris Lanaux
Coaches
RED
Brian Mitchell
Ike Taylor
D'Anthony Batiste
Blake Anderson
Ron Hudson
Walt Bell
Shawn Quinn
Hurlie Brown
Rob Phillips
Nick Fouquier
WHITE
Brandon Stokley
Antwain Spann
Bill Sampy
Troy Wingerter
Brian Jenkins
Darryl Mason
Sam Robinson
Kevin Fouquier
Jim Jackson
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