UL - Louisiana moved inside the Leon Moncla Indoor Practice Facility for the third practice of the spring. The Cajuns put on the pads during Saturday’s practice for the first time this March.

The hitting definitely energized the defense and pushed the momentum for practice completely to one side of the ball.

“The kids came out with good focus and a good mentality,” defensive coordinator Kevin Fouquier said. “They played within the scheme and executed what we had in.

“It wasn’t all one-sided, we have to get better on stopping the run.”

The offense struggled at times even when the defense was unable to disrupt the play. The Cajuns fumbled quite a few snaps, dropped passes and missed assignments.

“A lot of it has to do with timing (on offense). On defense we are reactors and must react to the ball, trying to control what we see.”

It’s very typical for the offense to struggle on the first day in pads because the physical element adds another factor into the equation. The offensive players usually need a practice or two to get in synch. On Saturday, regardless of the offensive struggles, the Cajuns defense looked sharp. UL swarmed to the ball, disrupted the pocket and played excellent coverage in man and zone schemes.

“Our (defensive) staff is doing a great job and the players know what to do,” Fouquier added.

“We have more depth this year and they understand the schemes. We have a long way to go, but everyday we talk about getting better. The defense is going to stay true to what we do and try to get better at it.”

The team will practice on Monday at 3:30pm.

RaginCajuns.com