Cajuns @ OSU Preview
Week 1 - Louisiana at Oklahoma State
Louisiana (0-0) at Oklahoma State (0-0) Sept. 3, 6:00 (DirecTV 617/623, Cox 256, LUS Fiber 127)
Here’s The Deal… They tried this last year and it almost turned out to be a shocker.
For a half, on the road, Oklahoma State got all it could handle as the Ragin’ Cajuns went on a 21-point second quarter run for a 21-17 halftime lead to shock the heavily-favored visitors from the Big 12. And then reality set in and Justin Blackmon went bananas finishing with 13 catches for 190 yards and two touchdowns, and Brandon Weeden threw for 351 yards and five scores in the 54-28 Cowboy win.
This season, the spotlight will be bright on the new coaches, with head coach Mark Hudspeth taking over at Louisiana after running the Mississippi State offense last season. With a rough defense and inconsistent, but occasionally dangerous, offense, UL isn’t expected to do too much, picked to finish at or near the bottom of the Sun Belt. On the other side, Oklahoma State is expected to be a major contender for the Big 12 title.
Most of the offense stars are back, but new offensive coordinator Todd Monken has to prove he can step in for new West Virginia head man Dana Holgorsen and keep the nation’s No. 3 offense rolling as usual. With Arizona, at Tulsa, and at Texas A&M to follow, the attack needs to use this tune-up to be ready for the shootouts ahead, but the defense could be in for a firefight of its own.
Why Louisiana Might Win: Oklahoma State has the talent, the athleticism, and the experience to come up with a huge season, but the defense is still going to be a soft spot for a little while. The defensive front should be fine with a little bit of time, but the back seven might be among the shakiest in the Big 12 after finishing 115th in the nation in passing. The Ragin’ Cajuns don’t have the defense to slow down OSU, but they should have a good attack that should be able to bomb away a bit. If the offensive line can give the quarterbacks time – and there’s a big question mark about who that should be for the entire game – the passing game should be able to put up some yards. Chris Masson threw for 308 yards and two scores in last year’s game, and he and possibly Blaine Gautier should be able to crank out the stats, even if it’s in catch-up mode.
Why Oklahoma State Might Win: The Oklahoma State offense should be able to do whatever it wants. Hudspeth is a good offensive coach and he should get the Ragin’ Cajuns rolling in Sun Belt play, but he has a ton of work to do with a defense that finished 82nd in the nation and 112th in scoring D. The defensive front doesn’t have any semblance of a pass rusher to worry about, and if Weeden gets ten days to throw, he should pick apart a UL secondary that should be among the best in the Sun Belt, but doesn’t have the talent at corner to stay with the Cowboy targets. It shouldn’t come down to special teams, but Ragin’ Cajuns had among the worst in America last year and finished last in the nation in kickoff returns. OSU’s special teams are going to be a major strength.
What To Watch Out For: So who’s going to replace Kendall Hunter? Justin Blackmon and the passing game got all the national attention last year, and it was deserved, but Hunter and the Oklahoma State ground attack was more than terrific, too, averaging 174 yards per game with Hunter averaging 119 yards per game and finishing ninth in the nation. It’ll take a few backs to pick up the slack, with Joseph Randle likely to be the best of the lot with tremendous speed and quickness. He’ll work on the outside, while Jeremy Smith will be a smasher who mostly works up the middle. He’s a workhorse type with the talent to set the tone for the offense, but Randle and freshman Herschel Sims will put up big numbers, too.
What Will Happen: Expect lots of points and lots of yards. The Ragin’ Cajuns will have their moments and they’ll come up with some nice stats, but Oklahoma State will take target practice. The Cowboys will get up early, the backups will take over in the third quarter, and the production will keep on going. Everything will be humming, and for a brief moment, no one will miss Holgorsen.
CFN Prediction: Oklahoma State 52 ... Louisiana 20
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Originally Posted by wcd35
Re: Cajuns @ OSU Preview
