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The Ragin' Cajuns are one-third of the way through spring football now that practice number five has been completed. The team worked out Wednesday afternoon on the practice field for an hour before moving down to Cajun Field for another hour of practice.
Once inside the stadium, the Cajuns enjoyed special teams drills before live offense versus defense work.
The defense had been getting the better of the offense once the players put on the pads, but Wednesday was a little different.
“I was very disappointed (with practice) today,” defensive line coach Gerald Broussard said. “We were sluggish. I though maybe our lack of depth played a part in that, but the guys decided to get by instead of get better.
“We were not as physical or as crisp as we had been.”
The Cajuns played without defensive lineman Jermaine Rodgers, who was injured in practice on Monday and held out Wednesday for precautionary reasons. LaQuincy Williams and Sharrick Moore both missed practice because of class conflicts. Jordan Topp has not been cleared for live contact, which left the team without four veteran defensive linemen.
“I thought the guys up front felt sorry for themselves (being short handed),” Broussard added. “No team you play, including our own offense, is going to feel sorry because you have guys hurt. I’m disappointed that we didn’t compete harder.”
The quarterbacks faced pressure from the defense but moved in and out of the pocket to avoid the rush very well. So far this spring the team has been taking snaps under center more than in previous years.
“The offense found some success,” Broussard stated. “The quarterbacks were more live than they had been and that helped them out.
“It is frustrating (for the players) when you get a good rush and somebody gets out of their rush lane and the quarterback buys more time or gains ground with his feet.”
The biggest play of the day came when quarterback Brad McGuire hit a wide open Jawanza Mitchell for a 60-yard touchdown strike.
Offensive coordinator Ron Hudson stated after the play that he thought defensive tackle Derreck Dean pulled up in an effort not to hit McGuire and the play could have been ruled a sack.
Broussard saw things differently.
“McGuire might have been hit but I think he manages to get the ball off. On the back end of the play, we can’t allow a guy to get that far past us that deep.”
The Cajuns will practice on Friday in shorts to review Wednesday’s practice and to prepare for the first scrimmage of the spring. The team will scrimmage on Saturday morning in Cajun Field at approximately 10am.
<center>UL Press
