Louisiana-Lafayette 2012 Recruiting

2012 Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns ... Head Coach: Mark Hudspeth

Louisiana-Lafayette

Ragin' Cajuns

2011 Record: 9-4

Sept. 3 at Oklahoma St L 61-34
Sept. 10 at Kent State W 20-12
Sept. 17 Nicholls State W 38-21
Sept. 24 at FIU W 36-31
Oct. 1 Florida Atlantic W 37-34
Oct. 8 Troy W 31-17
Oct. 15 North Texas W 30-10
Oct. 22 at WKU L 42-23
Oct. 29 at Middle Tenn. W 45-20
Nov. 5 ULM W 36-35
Nov. 12 at Arkansas State L 30-21
Nov. 19 OPEN DATE
Nov. 26 at Arizona L 45-27
R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Dec. 17 San Diego State W 32-30

2010 CFN Prediction: 2-10
2010 Record: 3-9

Sept. 4 at Georgia L 55-7
Sept. 11 Arkansas St W 31-24
Sept. 18 OPEN DATE
Sept. 25 MTSU L 34-14
Oct. 2 at No. Texas W 28-27
Oct. 9 Oklahoma St L 54-28
Oct. 16 at Troy L 31-24
Oct. 23 WKU L 54-21
Oct. 30 at Ohio L 38-31
Nov. 6 at Ole Miss L 43-21
Nov. 13 Fla Atlantic L 24-23
Nov. 20 FIU L 38-17
Nov. 27 at ULM W 23-22
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The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Louisiana-Lafayette Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. QB Brooks Haack
6-1, 180, Scout.com 91st ranked, two-star quarterback.

2. DT Darrien Batiste
6-2, 245, Scout.com 137th ranked, two-star defensive tackle.

3. S Will Burrowes
6-1, 200, Scout.com two-star JUCO transfer.

4. OLB Ryan Mosby
6-1, 220, Scout.com two-star JUCO transfer.

5. OG Terry Johnson
6-2, 285, Scout.com two-star JUCO transfer.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... Receiver. The offensive line got a slew of prospects last year, but head coach Mark Hudspeth is still going after more options, especially for the inside. The receiving corps is fine for next season, but it needs more options to battle it out for starting jobs in 2013 and beyond. This haul won’t have any one star target who’s an obvious No. 1, but it’ll be a strength in numbers class.

Team Concerns For 2012: Defensive line. The offense will be the star of the show again even with TE Ladarius Green and three starters gone, and it’ll have to be early on with Tyrell Gaddies and the entire defensive front, and a few backups, done. The 2009 recruiting class loaded up with players for the line, and now it’s time for Brandon McCray and others to come through.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: One of the biggest surprises of 2011, the Ragin’ Cajuns should come back even stronger. Star pass catching tight end Ladarius Green is done, but QB Blaine Gautier, top back Alonzo Harris, terrific WR Javone Lawson, and nine starters overall are back to the Sun Belt’s No. 2 scoring attack. The defense has a ton of work to do losing three starters up front and five in the back eight. New Orleans Bowl star Brett Baer is back as both the punter and kicker – and should rock at both spots.

The 2011 Class Was Heavy On … Offensive linemen. New head man Mark Hudspeth loaded up with lots and lots of bodies. RB Montrel Carter is the team’s best recruit, while Alonzo Harris is one of the nation’s top fullback prospects. There aren’t many stars for the offensive front, but JUCO transfer Brandon Bender should be part of the mix right away and guard prospect Jaylen Hunter and tackle Frederick Moore have decent potential. The secondary got plenty of help at corner, especially with speedster Dexter Aucoin.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 103. That Class Was Heavy On ... Bodies. Lots of bodies. A class of 24 players might might not seem like that much, but the coaching staff brought in a lot of key prospects for a lot of positions, most notably at running back where Aaron Spikes should be the new Ragin' Cajun rushing star. The secondary got the most attention with four decent safeties and two speedy corners, while the star of the class should be JUCO LB Bernard Smith, who could be the team's leading tackler this year.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 119. That Class Was Heavy On ... Defensive line. The receiving corps is also a strength, but the stars are on the defensive front with two JUCO transfers, Tyrell Gaddies for the middle and Jordan Topp for inside or out. Two of the team’s best recruits are for the future with Brandon McCray a top tackle and Justin Anderson an interesting tweener who could end up at linebacker or in a hybrid role.

R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Louisiana-Lafayette 32 … San Diego State 30
- CFN Thoughts on the Game

Louisiana-Lafayette: PK Brett Baer missed an extra point and got another blocked, but he hit a 22-yard field goal along with the 50-yard game-winner. He also put three of his four punts – averaging 36.8 yards - inside the 20 including two at the one. … QB Blaine Gautier completed 24-of-40 passes for 470 yards and three touchdowns and a pick, and he ran nine times for 22 yards. … RB Alonzo Harris ran 14 times for 62 yards. … WR Javone Harris caught nine passes for 193 yards and two scores, and TE Ladarius Green caught five passes for 121 yards and a score. … LB Lance Kelly made 11 tackles with two broken up passes, as did safety Jemarious Moten. 

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Brett Baer kicked a 50-yard field goal as time ran out, lifting Louisiana-Lafayette to 32-30 victory over San Diego State in the New Orleans Bowl on Saturday night.

Playing in their first bowl game as a Division I FBS team, the Ragin Cajuns (9-4) led most of the way but fell behind 30-29 when Aztecs quarterback Ryan Lindley connected with Colin Lockett on a 12-yard touchdown strike with 35 seconds to go.

Louisiana-Lafayette was able to drive to the Aztecs 38 to set up what was initially a 55-yard attempt, but a pre-snap penalty on SDSU (8-5) moved the winning kick 5 yards closer.

Cajuns quarterback Blaine Gautier passed for 470 yards and three touchdowns. He finished with 2,958 yards passing and 23 TDs on the season, breaking Jake Delhomme's single-season school records.

Delhomme held those records since 1996, when he passed for 2,901 yards and 20 TDs.

Gautier threw two of his touchdown passes to Javone Lawson, from 18 and 11 yards out, and had a 20-yard scoring strike to Ladarius Green

Darryl Surgent returned a punt 87 yards for a score, slicing through SDSU's punt coverage with a quick cut to his right and a sprint back to the left.

The Ragin' Cajuns had not appeared in a bowl of any kind since playing in the Grantland Rice Bowl 41 years ago.

They weren't expected to contend for a bowl bid this season, either, but earned one with a surprisingly quick turnaround under first-year coach Mark Hudspeth.

Thousands of red-clad, bowl-starved fans followed the Ragin' Cajuns to New Orleans, a drive of just more than two hours east from Lafayette, turning the Superdome into a de facto home field. They also helped set a New Orleans Bowl attendance record of 42,841.

Lawson, who grew up in suburban New Orleans, made nine catches for 193 yards, including a 52-yard catch and run that set up Green's TD. Green caught five passes for 121 yards.

Ryan Lindley was 28 of 49 for 413 yards. He found Colin Lockett for a pair of 16-yard scoring passes in the third quarter, when the Aztecs trimmed a 19-3 deficit to 19-17. Lockett's second TD capped a seven-play, 99-yard drive that was helped by a pass interference penalty that wipe out an interception.

The Ragin' Cajuns responded with a 14-play, 78-yard drive that included three third-down conversions and finished with Lawson's second touchdown catch.

Adam Muema's 5-yard touchdown run up the middle pulled SDSU back to 26-24 with 5:40 left, then Baer's 22-yard field goal set up the wild finish.

Nov. 26 at Arizona 45 … UL Lafayette 27  

(AP) TUCSON, Ariz. -- Nick Foles threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns in his final game for Arizona, and the Wildcats held off Louisiana-Lafayette 45-37 on Saturday. Foles, whose status for the game had been uncertain because of bruised ribs, tied the school record for career (64) and single-season (31) touchdown passes. He already held virtually all other passing records at the school. Foles also topped 4,000 yards passing for the season and 10,000 for his career.

Juron Criner caught nine passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns for the Wildcats (4-8), breaking the school career record for TD receptions at 32.

Blaine Gautier threw for 315 yards and a touchdown and ran for a score for the Ragin' Cajuns (8-4), who cut the Arizona lead to eight points three times in the fourth quarter.

Javon Lawson caught five passes for 137 yards for the Cajuns.

Gautier tied Jake Delhomme's school record of touchdown passes in a season at 20.

Louisiana-Lafayette tied an NCAA record when Jemarious Moten intercepted Foles' pass and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, the seventh pick-six of the season for the team. That tied a mark set by Tennessee in 1971.

The Cajuns of the Sun Belt Conference accepted a bid to the New Orleans Bowl on Monday, their first postseason appearance in 41 years.

Arizona (4-8) finished 3-3 under interim coach Tim Kish after Mike Stoops was fired halfway through the season. New coach Rich Rodriguez visited with tailgaters before the game and was introduced to the crowd at halftime.

Louisiana-Lafayette, 0-4 against Pac-12 teams, pulled within one possession for the final time when Gauthier scored on a 10-yard quarterback draw with 5:05 to play. But the Cajuns never got the ball again as Arizona moved downfield and ran out the clock.

Moten's TD return, on his second interception of the day, cut Arizona's lead to 31-23, but the Wildcats' Daniel Jenkins returned the ensuing kickoff 81 yards to the Louisiana 2. Two plays later, Keola Antolin scored on a 5-yard run to make it 38-23 with 13:28 left.

Again the Ragin' Cajuns came back, going 71 yards in 10 plays, with Alonzo Harris scoring on a 5-yard run to cut it to 38-30 with 10:26 still to go.

Foles' 35-yard pass to Criner at the 6:08 mark boosted the lead to 45-30.

The Cajuns used a fake punt and an onside kick in the first half, both of them successful, to take leads of 7-0 and 13-7.

Backup Bryson Bierne started in place of Foles, who was knocked out late in last week's 31-27 win at Arizona State. Bierne drove the Wildcats to the Louisiana 25, but his pass was intercepted by Moten, who returned it 19 yards to the Cajuns' 40.

Gautier's 40-yard pass to Lawson set up Harry Peoples' 11-yard TD run to make it 7-0. Foles came on for Arizona's second series and directed a 16-play, 80-yard scoring drive, with fullback Taimi Tutogi bulling in from the 1 on fourth down to tie it at 7-7.

After the kickoff, Louisiana-Lafayette faked a punt on fourth-and-11 from its 40, with punter Brett Baer throwing 13 yards to the Arizona 47. Ladarius Green's 20-yard run on a reverse set up Gautier's 4-yard touchdown pass to Alonzo Harris. Baer's conversion try bounced off the right upright and was no good, so the Ragin' Cajuns led 13-7 with 9:14 left in the half.

Foles threw two touchdown passes in a span of two minutes, 39 seconds late in the half to put Arizona up 21-13 at the break.

Jenkins' 34-yard run and a 24-yard pass to Criner set up Foles' 9-yard scoring pass to Criner that put Arizona up for good 14-13. On the second play after the subsequent kickoff, Gautier was hit by defenders from both sides and fumbled. Marquis Flowers recovered for the Wildcats at the Louisiana 32.

A roughing the passer penalty and four straight completions by Foles, the last 12 yards to David Douglas for a touchdown with 34 seconds left, put Arizona ahead 21-13.

Nov. 12 at Arkansas State 30 … UL Lafayette 21

Oct. 29 Louisiana-Lafayette 45 … at Middle Tennessee 20  

Oct. 22 at WKU 42 … Louisiana-Lafayette 23  

Oct. 15 at Louisiana-Lafayette 30 … North Texas 10
CFN Analysis: It took a little while, but the Ragin’ Cajuns came up with a nice run when they had to and now they’re bowl eligible with a special start. This might not be the perfect team, the offense could use a little more consistency and more pop, but Blaine Gautier was good enough in the fourth quarter to put the game away and Darryl Surgent came up with two huge catches for 109 yards and a score. The defense never let North Texas get back in the game after an early surge, and Gautier took care of the rest. With Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee up next, both on the road, 8-1 is a possibility before the big rivalry game against ULM. Four of the last five games are away from home, and getting off to hotter starts will be a must. 

Oct. 8 at Louisiana-Lafayette 31 … Troy 17
CFN Analysis: And now it’s time to really think about the Sun Belt title. With the two big boys – FIU and Troy – out of the way, and with a five-game winning streak, the Ragin’ Cajuns are rolling thanks to a terrific defensive front and an offense that’s doing just enough to get by. Chris Masson was terrific, completing 21-of-29 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns, but this win was on the defense that kept the high-powered Trojans under wraps. Dwight Bentley was all over the place making 12 tackles with a sack, and Melvin White put the game away with his 89-yard pick six at the end of the first half, leading the way for a D that allowed just three first half points and kept Troy from blowing up late. There are problems, especially offensively with too many inconsistencies, but 3-0 in the Sun Belt is 3-0.  

Oct. 1 at Louisiana-Lafayette 37 … Florida Atlantic 34
CFN Analysis: Coming off the huge win over FIU, this was a shaky performance against an awful team, but even though ULL dominated, and even though it should’ve been an easier victory, this might be better remembered as a key gut-check moment. With ten penalties and too many misfired, the Ragin’ Cajuns had their share of mistakes, but all that mattered was a terrific final drive with Blaine Gautier closing out a good performance with a great late effort leading to Brett Baer’s game-winning field goal. It’s time for ULL to show it really is the big dog in the Sun Belt race, and that’ll only come with a win over Troy next week. A loss would almost erase all the positives from the win over FIU.  

Sept. 24 Louisiana 36 … at FIU 31
CFN Analysis: This was the moment when Louisiana finally took the step forward it needed to. The offense that struggled so much over the first three games got a brilliant performance out of Blaine Gautier, who threw for 221 yards and three scores and ran for 86 yards, and several players contributed to the offensive production against a great Florida International defense. This Ragin’ Cajun defense kept T.Y. Hilton under wraps, allowing just three catches for 32 yards, and held firm late to pull off the program changing win. Now the Sun Belt is there for the taking with three straight home games. Beat Troy in two weeks, win the league title. It might be that simple.   

Sept. 17 at Louisiana 38 ... Nicholls State 21
CFN Analysis: The offense can’t find enough production. Getting help from the special teams and defense to put the game away isn’t a plus considering the passing game was so anemic. Chris Masson was awful, completing just 4-of-11 passes for 60 yards and a pick, and Blaine Gautier threw for 78 yards on just three completions to make the offense work a little better. The ten penalties were bad, the problems on third down were worse, and overall, it was a rough win for the offense. The defense, though, was excellent and has been fantastic at getting into the backfield. At 2-1, with the two victories coming against the teams the Ragin’ Cajuns had a chance to beat, now it’s time to go big game hunting. Beat FIU at FIU to start the Sun Belt season, and then it’ll really be time to be fired up.

Sept. 10 Louisiana-Lafayette 20 ... at Kent State 12

Sept. 3 at Oklahoma State 61 … Louisiana-Lafayette 34
CFN Analysis: The Ragin’ Cajuns ran into a buzzsaw, and the offense couldn’t keep up the pace. Few defenses in the country are going to be able to slow down the Oklahoma State attack, so there’s no reason to get into a twist about getting bombed on, but going forward, the offense has to decide on who the best quarterback might be after Chris Masson couldn’t get the attack moving and Blaine Gautier struggled with his accuracy. Pass protection was a huge problem, and it’s not going to get any better with a trip to Kent State coming up next; the offensive line will be under the microscope. 

2011 Recruiting Class

The 2011 Class Is Heavy On … Offensive linemen. New head man Mark Hudspeth loaded up with lots and lots of bodies. RB Montrel Carter is the team’s best recruit, while Alonzo Harris is one of the nation’s top fullback prospects. There aren’t many stars for the offensive front, but JUCO transfer Brandon Bender should be part of the mix right away and guard prospect Jaylen Hunter and tackle Frederick Moore have decent potential. The secondary got plenty of help at corner, especially with speedster Dexter Aucoin.

Five Louisiana-Lafayette Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. FB/LB Alonzo Harris
Harris lines up at fullback for his Gadsden City team, and that's likely his best position on the college level as well. He runs with good balance and power, and he's a serviceable receiver out of the backfield. He lacks the change of direction of most top tier tailbacks, but he shows a willingness to put his facemask into any defender as a blocker. He has a good frame to keep getting bigger and play fullback in the 230-240 range.

2. RB Montrel Carter
5-9, 175, Scout.com’s 116th ranked running back. Carter has excellent speed to get to the corner and take it the distance and he hits the hole fast and harder than a lot of guys his size. He maintains pretty good balance and can run through some arm tackles but getting stronger is something he needs to work on. He catches the ball pretty well out of the backfield and can also be a factor returning kicks.

3. OT Ezekiel Alsander
6-6, 275, Scout.com’s 126th ranked offensive tackle

4. S Kenneth Proctor
6-0, 190, Scout.com’s 150th ranked safety

5. OT Greg Siener
6-5, 260, Scout.com’s 157th ranked offensive tackle

2011 Entire Recruiting Class

Alvarez, Carlos K 5-9 195 Fr.-HS Baldwin, LA (West St. Mary HS)
Anderson, Octravion OL 6-4 280 Fr.-HS Shreveport, LA (Evangel Christian Academy)
Aucoin, Dexter CB 5-9 180 Fr.-HS Patterson, LA (Patterson HS)
Bender, Brandon OL 6-3 285 Jr.-JC Laurel, MS (R.H. Watkins HS/Jones County CC)
Blake Comminie DE 6-1 245 Jr.-JC Edgard, LA (West Saint John HS/Mississippi Delta CC)
Broadway, Terrance QB 6-1 205 So.-Tr. Baton Rouge, LA (Capital High Academy/Houston)
Buckley, Eric S 6-3 190 Fr.-HS Water Valley, MS (Water Valley HS)
Carter, Montrel RB 5-9 175 Fr.-HS Cecilia, LA (Cecilia HS)
Foster, Kevon DE 6-4 250 Fr.-HS New Orleans, LA (Warren Easton Senior HS)
Griffin, Qyendarius RB 5-11 225 Fr.-HS Batesville, MS (South Panola HS)
Hamilton, Justin DT 6-3 310 Fr.-HS Natchez, MS (Natchez HS)
Harris, Alonzo RB 6-1 205 Fr.-HS Gadsden, AL (Gadsden City HS)
Holman, Mario LB 6-3 235 Fr.-HS Birmingham, AL (Woodlawn HS-Magnet)
Hunter, Jaylen OL 6-3 280 Fr.-HS Ponte Vedra, FL (St. Augustine Nease HS)
Jackson, Marcus RB 5-11 195 Fr.-HS Goshen, AL (Goshen HS)
Johnson, Trae LB 6-1 225 Fr.-HS Mendenhall, MS (Mendenhall HS)
McNeal, Deshaun WR 6-3 200 Fr.-HS Oxford, MS (Oxford HS)
Moore, Fred OL 6-5 300 Fr.-HS Heidelberg, MS (Heidelberg HS)
Moten, Jemarlous CB 5-11 175 Jr.-JC Leland, MS (Leland HS/Mississippi Delta CC)
Peoples, Harry WR 5-10 180 Jr.-JC Winona, MS (Winona Secondary School/Holmes CC)
Pettis, Larry TE 6-4 240 Fr.-HS Oxford, MS (Oxford HS)
Prater, Chris DE 6-5 235 Fr.-HS Starkville, MS (Starkville HS)
Quave, Mykhael OL 6-5 260 Fr.-HS Gautier, MS (Gautier HS)
Reed, Effrem WR 5-8 180 Fr.-HS Gesmar, LA (Dutchtown HS)
Ringo, Christian DL 6-1 260 Fr.-HS Jackson, MS (Forest Hill HS)
Robinson, Jamal WR 6-3 205 Fr.-HS Slidell, LA (Salmen HS)
Siener, Greg OL 6-4 280 Fr.-HS Mandeville, LA (Mandeville HS)
Thomas, Sean CB 5-11 185 Fr.-HS New Orleans, LA (St. Augustine HS)
Tovell, Dominique LB 6-3 240 Fr.-HS Columbia, MS (Columbia HS)