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Quarterback Terrance Broadway being rushed because receivers aren't getting open is among a multitude of issues for a UL offense looking to get back on track after consecutive blowout losses to Louisiana Tech, at nationally ranked Ole Miss and last Saturday at Boise State.
Breaking down those woes, Ragin' Cajun Mark Hudspeth suggested Broadway's recent ineffectiveness is the result of collaborative failures.
"It takes everybody all being on the same page," said Hudspeth, whose 1-3 Cajuns are idle Saturday and open Sun Belt Conference play Oct. 4 vs. Georgia State.
At 201.0 yards per game, UL's pass offense current ranks just 95th in the nation.
At 9.03, the Cajuns also rank 121st among 125 FBS teams in average yards per catch this season. Only Kent State, Texas, SMU and Eastern Michigan have lower numbers.
Beyond short completions prompted in large part but the absence of injured top-target Jamal Robinson, Broadway was forced to throw the ball out of bounds multiple times in a 34-9 loss at Boise State.
But on at least a couple of those occasions, according to Hudspeth, he simply didn't have anywhere to go.
Broadway – Sun Belt preseason Offensive Player of the Year – praised his protection after going 20-of-38 for 160 yards with interception and no touchdown throws in Boise, saying, "the offensive line did a helluva job two weeks in a row protecting."
But with no open wide receivers to throw to, not even Brink's-like protection is going to make a difference.
Usual starter James Butler, a senior, didn't manage so much as one catch at Boise State. No Cajun wideout, in fact, had one.
"He (Broadway) got pressure, and had no time to wait for his receivers to make (their) breaks," Hudspeth said.
"He's scrambling, and just tried to heave it out, because he (didn't) have time a couple of times to wait for his receivers to make the make the break on a third-and-long type of route. So, he's forced to throw the ball away before he gets sacked.
"Part of the responsibility is his too," Hudspeth added. "Still, though, we've got some receivers that ran the wrong routes the other night."
Cajun receivers also simply do not seem to be getting the separation they were a season ago.
There's a reason, Hudspeth suggested.
"If you think about it," he said, "when we got separation last year it was Darryl Surgent and Jamal Robinson.
"These guys (including juco-transfer C.J. Bates, redshirt sophomore Jared Johnson and redshirt freshman Devin Scott) are new guys, and they're not quite ready yet."
Surgent was a senior last season and started the 2014 NFL season on the practice squad of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Robinson has missed two-and-half games because of a knee injury that required surgery, but the Cajuns are optimistic he can return against Georgia State.
"They're getting better," Hudspeth said of the youngsters. "But we don't have as much speed, probably, at that position that we had on the field last year."
Beyond getting rid of the ball, Broadway – though billed as a dual-threat quarterback who loves to run – has been forced to scramble more times than ideal.
He ran seven times for 17 net yards against the Broncos, and had 12 yards in lost rushing yardage.
After watching him dive out of bounds trying to get a first down one week earlier in a 56-15 loss at Ole Miss, though, Hudspeth does not fault Broadway whatsoever for not taking more hits than he has this year.
"There are times you've got to know where the sticks are, and you've got to go get the first down," Hudspeth said. "And there are times also to where, as a quarterback, you don't have to take the big hit.
"I don't know if that's real smart, to put yourself in position to take big hits. But there's still time when you ought to run through, try to get extra yards.
"(It depends on) the down and distance," the Cajun coach added. "I think he did better the other night than what he'd done the first two games, and hopefully he'll continue to get better, get confidence."
Broadway is coming off a 2013 season in which he broke a bone in the forearm of his throwing arm late in the year.
The injury, which required surgery, caused him to miss a key loss at South Alabama that played a big part in UL not winning an outright Sun Belt title and instead having to share it with Arkansas State.
"I think any time you come off the type of injury he had, and (knowing) the team needs him – probably some of that is in the back of his mind," Hudspeth said.
Foremost in Hudspeth's mind during UL's current bye week is finding ways to get players like slot receiver Al Riles and Elijah McGuire more involved in the UL offense.
Riles, who moved from defense to offense after last season, had three catches for 29 yards at Boise State.
"I thought Al Riles … did show that he can be effective the other night," Hudspeth said. "I saw another gear from Al Riles, on the bubble screens. I thought he nicely put his foot in the ground, got vertical, made some plays. We (just) waited too late to come that.
"Al Riles is the only one on the field right now," he added, "that we feel like is doing enough to be able to stretch the field and use speed to get open. Our other guys right now are not getting open."
Riles is backed up by true freshman Gabe Fuselier, who dropped a pass at Ole Miss and played sparingly as a result at Boise State.
Fuselier could get more involved again as the season progresses, giving Broadway another weapon.
"His play at Ole Miss probably hurt his playing time a little bit (last week)," Hudspeth said.
"We felt like he (Fuselier) was getting close to maybe overtaking that spot, then that Ole Miss game came along. He's still a freshman; we know that. He's got a lot of great football ahead of him. But Al had a big game (at Boise State).
"We're still gonna need Gabe, though, because Al can't go every snap," Hudspeth added. " We're gonna need Gabe to be involved in the game plan."
The Cajuns also intended to use backup running back McGuire much more out of the slot receiver spot at Boise State.
That plan went awry, though, in part because usual starting running back Alonzo Harris both aggravated a thigh bruise and started the game on the bench due to violation of a team rule.
McGuire – quite capable of busting big plays, but hampered by a tailbone injury much of this season – did have 10 catches for 106 yards and one touchdown in Boise.
But rather than from the slot, his catches mostly were coming out of the backfield on check-downs when Broadway could not find open receivers downfield.
That must change going forward, Hudspeth believes.
"There are gonna be times we want to get Eli out there on the edge too," he said. "But with 'Zo (Harris) being down, banged up, once again he (McGuire) was forced to play the running back spot. For a third straight week, a different plan we sort of had in our pocket we couldn't really utilize.
"One of the two, it seems like, every week gets hurt, and that sort of hurts one of your game-plan (elements)."
Georgia State at UL
Game: 6 p.m., Oct. 4, Cajun Field.
TV: None.
Online: ESPN3.
Radio: 107.9 FM/1420 AM.
Records: GSU 1-3; UL 1-3.
Broadway's Passing
A look at Ragin' Cajuns starting quarterback Terrance Broadway's passing yards in four games to date this season, and career at UL coming into this year:
Southern, W: 237
Louisiana Tech, L: 150
Ole Miss, L: 129
Boise State, L: 160
Career: 210.4
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