From the other side: UL-Lafayette
November 20, 2008
Thanks to Joshua Parrott, who covers UL-Lafayette like a blanket for The Daily Advertiser, for this series of Q and A.
1. What’s the QB situation looking like?
Mike Desormeaux is still going to start. He isn’t 100 percent, but he’s learning to play better with the injury. He ran for 70 yards last week against FAU on 11 carries after rushing 13 times for 87 yards the previous two weeks. If Mike cannot go, back-up Brad McGuire will take his place. The redshirt freshman led the Cajuns on two scoring drives in the final eight minutes in a comeback win over Arkansas State. McGuire actually leads the Sun Belt in pass efficiency with a 140.6 rating, completing 66.7 percent of his passes for 233 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
2. If Desormeaux isn’t 100 percent, how does that change his game?
Mike cannot run near as much as he’d like. While his injury won’t get any better or worse – he’s going to need surgery to repair a torn meniscus – he is tolerating the pain much better. The coaches called more running plays last week and will probably do so again against Troy. The key for Mike is whether he can make better decisions throwing the ball. He’s thrown five interceptions in the past two weeks.
3. Did the injuries finally catch up against FAU, or were there other reasons the game was lopsided?
For some reason, still unknown, it looked like some of the Cajuns were lacking intensity, especially on defense. Four turnovers hurt the offense. The Cajuns turned down a short field goal attempt on fourth down and failed to convert. Down 19-7 just before halftime, the Cajuns were deep in FAU territory but Mike was picked off. The Owls went down and scored. Instead of a possible 19-14 game at half, it was 26-7. They added 22 points at the end, but it was too little, too late.
4. The last two years, Troy has had a running back put up big numbers against the Cajuns. Has the run defense got better, or could someone like DuJuan Harris have a big night? What about the pass defense?
If the same defense shows up as the past two weeks, Troy could have a field day. Kansas State, North Texas, UTEP and Florida Atlantic all tore up the Cajun pass defense through the air. But they were strong against Illinois, Arkansas State and FIU. I think it depends on which UL defense shows up.
5. Is Troy catching UL at a good time, or vice versa?
UL is definitely banged up. Five starting linebackers have missed a game this season. The Cajuns had to start two true freshmen last week at linebacker. They won four in a row and were 5-3 before the lack of depth at linebacker really hurt them. Senior Brent Burkhalter, third on the team last year in tackles, was dismissed going into the ULM game on Oct. 4. Sophomore Grant Fleming, the team’s second-leading tackler last year, was lost for the year with a knee injury against ULM. Redshirt freshman Richard Brooks suffered a season-ending knee injury at UNT on Oct. 11. Mike Desormeaux also got hurt in the fourth quarter against UNT. So, really, the timing could not be much worse.
Prediction
UL 28, Troy 25
Somehow, I think the Cajuns have enough left in the tank to pull this out. These seniors were freshmen on the 2005 team that had to share the Sun Belt title and are eager to reach a bowl game. I think Mike Desormeaux takes care of the ball, RB Tyrell Fenroy breaks off some big runs and the defense does just enough to hold off the Trojans. But hey, I’ve been wrong before.
