2007 Football preview and offseason fan talk

[Zeebart21]

McNeese fans, your "behind enemy lines" thread is going South...fast! LOL!!!

Lots of confusion in the last few posts. Ya'll help 44 distinguish between the good guys and the bad guys!



Z.

[RaginEsquire06]

...we came within a touchdown the last time we played them. While they might have upgraded their coach a lot; as a team, we've improved a lot more than them since then.

It seems to me that no one remembers the outcome of the last time these two teams played...Yes, SC upgraded at the head-coach position...but as far as I'm concerned...the "players" play the game! This is in my opinion one of the best offensive units UL has ever had! Will be very interesting to see the outcome of this game....if our defense shows up...it may provide for a very memorable night!...and I'll try my best to be there to witness it!

[NewsCopy]

2006 SEASON IN REVIEW: There was no more bigger disappointment in the Sun Belt Conference in 2006 than the UL-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, who stumbled to a 3-4 finish after being picked to win the league in the preseason. ULL, which earned a share of the SBC title in '05, returned a healthy group of players and was expected to compete for its first-ever bowl appearance. Following an expected 0-2 start against LSU (45-3) and Texas A&M (51-7) in '06, the Cajuns ripped off four straight wins, including a 31-28 decision over Conference USA champion Houston, and that had everyone feeling good. The team however, dropped its next three games against SBC foes, eliminating it from any contention of winning the league title. Still, ULL didn't give in and instead posted back-to-back wins over Florida International (17-7) and Arkansas State (28-13), giving it a 6-5 record with one game left. A 39-20 beating at the hand of UL-Monroe in their season finale dropped the Cajuns to an even 6-6 overall, as their once promising campaign crumbled before them. Despite the disappointment, ULL's 12 combined wins over the past two seasons is the most in a two-year span in over a decade for this program. 2007 ANALYSIS: OFFENSE: The Cajuns ranked 11th in the nation in rushing (188.4 ypg) last season and with the return of tailbacks Tyrell Fenroy and Deon Wallace and running quarterback Michael Desormeaux they should be just as potent this year on the ground. The rest of the story By Ralph Lauro, Associate College Football Editor

[CrazyCajun]

Just wanted to discuss the thoughts on the new offense. First i'll start with the pros of the offense. I like the idea of moving at a fast pace and keeping defenses off balance and geussing. it will be good for the offense to stay in a rythm when we are moving the ball. However, i do have some concerns. First, obviously i worried of the lineman getting tired as well as the other offensive players causing them to get sloppy. Also, i think alot of our success in 2005 was being able to run,move the chains and control the clock. If our offense struggles then that will result in our defense getting right back on the field with no rest which in turn causing them to get tired. Our biggest asset for our defense in 2005 was not being on the field alot b/c we would put together long, time consuming drives. At some point you have to slow the tempo. basically i'm wondering if we will run this offense no matter what or if we get up on somebody will we slow it down and control the clock. As much as i think it will help us i thinking it could back fire in our faces. its going to be interesting to see.

[BabbForHeisman]

Just wanted to discuss the thoughts on the new offense. First i'll start with the pros of the offense. I like the idea of moving at a fast pace and keeping defenses off balance and geussing. it will be good for the offense to stay in a rythm when we are moving the ball. However, i do have some concerns. First, obviously i worried of the lineman getting tired as well as the other offensive players causing them to get sloppy. Also, i think alot of our success in 2005 was being able to run,move the chains and control the clock. If our offense struggles then that will result in our defense getting right back on the field with no rest which in turn causing them to get tired. Our biggest asset for our defense in 2005 was not being on the field alot b/c we would put together long, time consuming drives. At some point you have to slow the tempo. basically i'm wondering if we will run this offense no matter what or if we get up on somebody will we slow it down and control the clock. As much as i think it will help us i thinking it could back fire in our faces. its going to be interesting to see.

I think that in order to be successful, this offense is going to have to be run both ways. There are going to be plenty of times when coming out with a fast tempo is going to be exactly what we need to deliver the first punch. But controlling the clock is equally important, and I think this offense definitely has the ability to due so. An 8-minute drive that leads to a touchdown is often times more damaging than a quick strike. And with a ground game like I am anticipating the Cajuns having this year, I think we will have the ability to dictate the tempo however we want it.

[NewsCopy]

Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns returned to practice on Tuesday following two days of much needed rest. The Cajuns hit the practice field for the first time this fall following a morning filled with classes. The days off combined with practicing for the first time after attending class had the Cajuns sluggish early. “It was a little slow,” said offensive coordinator Blake Anderson. “I don’t think the guys have gotten into the routine of having class and then coming to practice. “They were in the two-a-day routine and anytime you change things up it will be a little slower the first day. “I think we were a lot fresher, having the two day layoff. You don’t just get that rhythm back instantly.” Despite the slow start, the Cajuns picked things up in the team periods. The offense faced the defense in first-and-10 situations and then in a two-minute drill. “We did some good things at the end of practice,” stated Anderson. “The two-minute drill was okay. It was really just about operation. “We kind of feel like we are in a two-minute all the time. We go no huddle and our tempo is fast, so performing a two-minute drill should not be a huge transition.” The Cajuns will hold their third and final fall scrimmage on Wednesday at 3:30pm. After a tough second scrimmage, the offense is hoping it can regain its success from the first scrimmage. “We made so many mental mistake (in the second scrimmage),” added Anderson. “The guys were a little overloaded after putting in so many different plays. There were probably 10 times more than we had in the spring with all the motions and movements. “They made some simple mistakes that cost us and we are looking to correct that on Wednesday afternoon. “You want the offense and the defense to perform well, but somebody is going to come off the field feeling that it didn’t go so well. “If we can execute well and play with good intensity, then we can feel like we had a good day.” RaginCajuns.com

[NewsCopy]

  Ah, to be a quarterback. The big man on campus, the guy everyone watches, the one that makes the calls, handles the ball, and more or less determines the success or failure of every offensive play.

It's the glamour position on just about every college football team.

Michael Desormeaux wanted no part of that. His entire football career, he always wanted to hit someone.

"I always thought the quarterbacks were pretty boys growing up," Desormeaux said at this year's Sun Belt Conference media days. "They were wimps. I never wanted to have anybody think of me that way, so I always wanted to play somewhere else."

Not the typical mid-set of a starting quarterback on college football's top level, but that's the position the New Iberia native is in as UL heads into its Sept. 1 opener at South Carolina.

The rest of the story

Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

After a rare two-day break from on-field activities, UL's football team returned to practice Tuesday and opened its next-to-last week of preparation for the Sept. 1 season opener at South Carolina. Some were anxious to get back to work. For others ... "It was kind of like pulling teeth," said defensive coordinator Kevin Fouquier. "Everybody had their first day of school yesterday, and now it's a matter of getting them going again." "Any time you change the routine, you're going to have to make adjustments," said offensive coordinator Blake Anderson. "They were all used to a schedule, coming here in the morning and again in the afternoon, and now they've got school going. They'll get used to it." Classes began for the fall semester on Monday, and head coach Rickey Bustle gave the team the day off from practice to get classes and books organized. The team did have a meeting and some positional film sessions Monday after a full day off Sunday. The rest of the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

[AstroCajun]

Can we sticky up a thread with all opponent's links on them?

[rhineaux]

Has there been anything announced in Lafayette about the game being shown on CST or anything? I'll be in town that weekend and want to be able to check it out if its on.