2007 Football preview and offseason fan talk

[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.

[rhineaux]

Trying to figure out if the game is going to be on TV and came across this:

NCAA Football Preview - UL-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
By Ralph Lauro, Associate College Football Editor

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - 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. Fenroy however, is the key to this unit's success and he is among the top backs in the league, rushing for over 2,000 yards and 23 total touchdowns over the past two seasons. The 5-9, 180-pound junior is quick as well as tough and he should be in the running for SBC Player of the Year honors after posting 1,197 rushing yards and 10 scores in '06. Giving Fenroy a breather won't be a problem for ULL, as Wallace is more than capable of stepping in and being productive. The 5-9, 186-pound sophomore is extremely fast and with more touches he should easily surpass the 252 yards he gained last season. As for Desormeaux, he did a little of everything for the Cajuns last year, including playing defensive back. The junior however, will now focus solely on playing quarterback and that is good news for him and the rest of the team. Desormeaux hasn't passed much in his career at ULL, but he did rush for 587 yards as a freshman and 180 as a sophomore. He is an explosive player that has the ability to be an accurate passer if given the chance. The return of starting wideout Derrick Smith, who led the team with 41 catches and 551 yards last season, will give Desormeaux a solid target each week.

DEFENSE: ULL was nothing short of solid on the defensive side of the ball in '06, ranking 54th in total yards (331.1 ypg). Five starters return from that group, including defensive end Rodney Hardeway. The 253-pound senior came on strong in the second half of the season and finished with a team-high five sacks to go along with 39 tackles. Senior defensive tackle Korey Raymond posted 35 stops last season and he will anchor the middle of the line with his 299-pound frame. The linebacking corps welcomes back just one starter, but he was the team's leading tackler last season. Junior Brenton Burkhalter made a team-high 61 stops a year ago and although he is a bit undersized (6-0, 221 pounds) he is as tough as they come. In the secondary, Lamar Morgan returns to his safety spot and he is this unit's biggest playmaker. The 6-2, 210-pound senior is one of the team's top tacklers and he is coming off a campaign in which he posted 53 stops, including a 14-tackle game versus Texas A&M.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Junior placekicker Drew Edmiston put together a tremendous campaign in his first year as a starter in '06, converting on 11-of-14 field goal attempts. He made all seven of his attempts from 40-to-49 yards out and even connected on a 51-yard shot against Houston. He will also be the backup punter to redshirt freshman Tyler Albrecht, who has a good enough leg to average over 40 yards per kick this season.

OUTLOOK: Behind their ground attack, the Cajuns should have enough to compete for another six-win season and SBC title. The defense may be a bit shaky, but a favorable conference schedule should help this group. If Desormeaux can live up to his hype, ULL may be finally ready to earn its first-ever bowl bid in 2007.



08/20 10:22:30 ET



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[cajungirl23]

Does anyone know if they game will be televised in the Atlanta area? I'll be there with some fellow UL alums and was interested if the game would be televised there.

[DestinCajun]

If Desormeaux can live up to his hype, Louisiana may be finally ready to earn its first-ever bowl bid in 2007.

08/20 10:22:30 ET
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So, cutting to the meat and boiling it down to as few words as possible, we're going to be very good.

YEAH BABY!! GEAUX CAJUNS!!!!

[Cajun Express]

_ So, cutting to the meat and boiling it down to as few words as possible, we're going to be very good.

YEAH BABY!! GEAUX CAJUNS!!!!

_

And we can actually go to our third bowl ever. Be nice if the dude at least got the facts right.

[NOCajun]

Here's the one I've been talking on the last couple of days:

http://southcarolina.rivals.com/foru...=1017&fid=1825

[cajunhawk]

for directv, we wont know until about 2 days before the game at best, cox might have the schedule earlier. i will check cox and relay the info.

[CajunT]

Wednesday's scrimmage, was the final of the fall. Once again, the offense execution was sloppy being whistled for five penalties,one negating a 22-yard Tyrell Fenroy run.


Full Story

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?S=345#s...=3397&t=876624

[ShowDog]

_ Wednesday's scrimmage, was the final of the fall. Once again, the offense execution was sloppy being whistled for five penalties,one negating a 22-yard Tyrell Fenroy run.


Full Story

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?S=345#s...=3397&t=876624 _

Hopefully the old axiom-"you play like you practice" won't happen against SC.