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UL Ragin' Cajun football fans and opponents alike were shocked by the Cajuns' offensive success at the end of the 2005 season, most notably in the infantry attack.
Those good tidings, and five straight wins to end the year, have put the onus on that group to perpetuate that success.
"Of course we've got more expectations," said senior offensive tackle and returning first-team All-Sun Belt Conference pick Brandon Cox. "We know that. But I'd a lot rather be the guy on the top and have everybody gunning for us, than the guy down in the mud trying to dig out."
The Cajuns went 6-5 last season after a 1-5 start, and their share of the Sun Belt title was made possible by a running game that averaged over 291 yards in league games.
UL had its first-ever 1,000-yard running back in Tyrell Fenroy, and two quarterbacks each threw for over 500 yards and ran for over 400 yards.
"In the past, we threw it a lot more," said senior quarterback Jerry Babb. "Last year we tried to spread it around more and use all of our weapons, and we caught a lot of teams by surprise."
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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com
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"Because we were good fundamentally and technically, we became a team that people had to prepare for each week," said offensive coordinator Rob Christophel. "That's what our kids are starting to understand."
The understanding level is ratcheted up through the first three days of UL's fall training camp, a process made possible by the large number of offensive returnees. Only at wide receiver are the Cajuns not experienced.
The great majority of those offensive veterans and several of the newcomers worked together during voluntary summer drills. Babb said that UL's quarterbacks and receivers met four times a week and had throwing workouts twice a week during the summer.
"We put a lot of the offense in just by ourselves," Babb said. "We don't have seniors at wide receiver, but as quarterbacks we'll help them since we have the experience."
The front wall also met as a group regularly while taking part in strength coach Rob Phillips' off-season program.
"That helped with the feel of things," Cox said, "but the pace picks up with (offensive line coach Ron) Hudson being there. He expects 110 percent on every rep, everything you have to give him. The summer helped, but it wasn't like having him there."
The UL offensive staff hasn't harped on last year's effort, but they're aware that their players are thinking big again.
"You see a difference in the way they carry themselves," Christophel said.
"When they feel like they're making progress, it does carry over. When you have a veteran team, it gives us a chance to increase the learning curve because they've been in the system for a couple of years.''
"Now, even the guys that were backups have been in this system for two full years, and that allows us to move at a quicker pace and do more teaching."
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