1st and Ten – The
First – Where ever you go and whatever you do, being the first to do
anything is special. The first man to walk on the moon. The first
defensive player to win the Heisman. The first rap music star. The
first one is always remembered, always thought of in a special light.
In that case, Tyrell Fenroy etched his name in the ULL record books for
eternity as the first RB to ever rush for 1,000 yards. Brian Mitchell
once did it for the Ragin’ Cajuns, but as a QB, so for Fenroy to finally
break the seal on the 1,000 yard season, it couldn’t have come at a
better time. With multi-threat QB Jerry Babb in and out of the lineup
with injuries, the offense would’ve been truly stagnant without the
running of Fenroy last season. The true freshman power back ran for
1,053 yards on only 179 carries, a stellar 5.9 yards per carry average
and he should be the focal point for the Ragin’ Cajuns offense again
this season. Whether Babb or Michael Desormeaux are behind center, ULL
has a versatile rushing threat taking snaps, so Fenroy’s presence, along
with one of the two QBs, gives head coach Ricky Bustle and the offensive
staff a go-to carry hog who benefits from defenses that have to account
for the two QBs running ability. But, before long, Fenroy will be the
guy that teams must focus on, and when that happens, watch how good this
ULL offense becomes. Well, that’s exactly what happened over the last
half of the season as Fenroy ran for over 140 yards per game in the
final third of the season and the Ragin’ Cajuns probably looked as good
offensively as at any time in school history. With the youngster fully
entrenched in the starting spot to start the season, ULL should be a
consistent 440+ yard per game offense. Then, maybe another first will
take place – an outright SBC championship and a New Orleans Bowl.
2nd and Seven –
Bookends – Fenroy gets all the publicity, and the offensive line
always gets overshadowed, right? Well, not in this case. The two ULL
offensive tackles, Brandon Cox and Jesse Newman, might be the best pair
of tackles in the conference. Cox was first team All-SBC last season
and as the team’s focus fell more on the running game, his role was that
much more defined and necessary. Over the last three games of the
season, the Ragin’ Cajuns ran the ball 61, 65 and 67 times which is
music to offensive linemen’s ears. Newman was second team All-SBC and
didn’t allow a sack last season. Now, with a mobile pair of QBs, that’s
not as impressive as might sound, but still ULL did throw the ball 237
times last season. The middle of the line has some holes, but if Bustle
and his staff can find some solid replacements, this line will be
extremely good. Especially with the great bookend tackles.
3rd and Three –
Strengths and Weaknesses – Similar to the way that running backs are
only as good as their offensive lines, linebackers are typically only as
good as their defensive line. In that case, well, it’s hard to really
say how this front seven will perform this year. The linebackers
returning, starters Mark Risher and Brenton Burkhalter, combined for 112
tackles last season and should be the leaders of the defense. The flip
side is the defensive line that is perceived as the defense’s weakness,
especially up the middle. DE Anthony Hills is a potential All-SBC
candidate, but the interior of the line returns one starter Marshall
Delesdernier who isn’t a guy who demands double teams throughout a
game. The good news is that Korey Raymond, a JUCO transfer, should fill
the other tackle spot and should keep guards and centers off of Risher,
Burkhalter and inside backer Tre Green.
4th and One – So
close, oh so close – Ricky Bustle came to Lafayette thinking
championships, but this remodeling project took a little more effort
than even Bustle had imagined. But, then last year, when everything
seemingly could go wrong – Hurricane Katrina off the field and Babb’s
injuries on the field – the Ragin’ Cajuns had their best season in quite
some time. But, a three point loss to Arkansas State kept them from
playing at home for a bowl game, the first since 1970’s Rice Bowl
against Tennessee State. The Rice Bowl?!? Either way, after that loss,
the Ragin’ Cajuns were 1 – 5. Five games later, they were 6 – 5. The
turnaround is nearly complete, but it won’t be completely finished until
ULL wins the conference outright. After two ‘guarantee’
games at LSU and Texas A&M, keep an eye on this team, as they’re the
favorite to win the SBC this year. Is that pressure? Sure, but that’s
the type of pressure Bustle, his staff and his players crave.