2008 UL Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns

2008 UL Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews

2008 UL Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns

Dec. 3
UL Lafayette 42 ... Middle Tennessee 28
Helped by two key fumble recoveries, ULL became bowl eligible. Gerren Blount recovered a fourth quarter fumble as the Ragin' Cajuns were hanging on to a seven-point lead, an Michael Desormeaux put the game away on a 37-yard touchdown pass to Louis Lee. Desormeaux threw four touchdown passes with three in the second half, while Tyrell Fenroy ran for two scores from four and two yards out in the first half. Middle Tennessee kept pace for just over three quarters with two short scoring runs from Phillip Tanners and to Joe Craddock touchdown passes. Middle Tennessee outgained ULL 409 yards to 395.
Player of the game: UL Lafayette QB Michael Desormeaux completed 18-of-25 passes for 243 yards and four touchdowns, and he ran 11 times 42 yards.
Stat Leaders: UL Lafayette - Passing: Michael Desormeaux, 18-25, 243 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Tyrell Fenroy, 24-83, 2 TD. Receiving: Jason Chery, 6-68, 1 TD
Middle Tennessee - Passing: Joe Craddock, 22-28, 242 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Phillip Tanner, 23-78, 2 TD. Receiving: Sancho McDonald, 6-98, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... After a disastrous blowout loss to Troy, ULL came roaring back with a balanced offensive performance and a great day from Michael Desormeaux to beat Middle Tennessee and become bowl eligible. The defense wasn't even close to slowing down the Blue Raiders for three quarters, there was no production on third downs, but it came up with the three turnovers needed to turn the tide of the game. Now it's time to sit and wait. There will be open bowl slots, but it'll take a little bit of luck to get a 13th game.

- 2008 UL Laf. Preview
- 2007 UL Laf. Season

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 4-8
2008 Record: 6-6

Aug. 30 at So. Miss L 51-21
Sept. 6 OPEN DATE
Sept. 13 at Illinois L 20-17
Sept. 20 Kent State W 44-27
Sept. 27 at Kansas State L 45-27
Oct. 4 at UL Monroe W 44-35
Oct. 11 at North Texas W 59-30
Oct. 18 Arkansas State W 28-23
Oct. 25 OPEN DATE
Nov. 1 FIU W 49-20
Nov. 8 UTEP L 37-24
Nov. 15 at Fla Atlantic L 40-29
Nov. 22 at Troy L 48-3
Nov. 29 OPEN DATE
Dec. 3 Middle Tenn W 42-28

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 6-6
2007 Record: 3-9

Sept. 1 at S Carolina L 28-14
Sept. 8 Ohio L 31-23
Sept. 15 McNeese St L 38-17
Sept. 22 Troy L 48-31
Sept. 29 at UCF L 37-19
Oct. 6 North Texas W 38-29
Oct. 13 at Arkansas St L 52-21
Oct. 20 Fla Atlantic L 39-32 OT
Nov. 3 at Tennessee L 59-7
Nov. 10 at Mid Tenn W 34-24
Nov. 17 at FIU W 38-28
Nov. 24 UL Monroe L 17-11

Nov. 22
Troy 48 …. UL Lafayette 3
DuJuan Harris ran wild with 234 rushing yards and touchdown dashes from nine and 35 yards out, and he threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Mykeal Terry in the blowout win. In the domination, ULL only came up with 255 yards and a 29-yard Drew Edmiston field goal. Hurt by a whopping 15 penalties and two turnovers, the Ragin’ Cajuns stalled throughout. Troy ended up with 391 rushing yards.
Player of the game: Troy RB DuJuan Harris ran 28 times for 234 yards and two touchdowns, and he threw a touchdown pass
Stat Leaders: UL Lafayette - Passing: Michael Desormeaux, 7-13, 72 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Michael Desormeaux, 15-136. Receiving: Jason Chery, 4-57
Troy - Passing: Levi Brown, 7-16, 51 yds
Rushing: DuJuan Harris, 28-234, 2 TD. Receiving: Gerald Tate, 2-14
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Troy ran for 391 yards on ULL and the Ragin’ Cajuns only managed 183 yards. The roles have to be reversed for ULL to be successful, but this was the team’s sloppiest game in a long time with 15 penalties, one third down conversion in 12 tries, and nothing from Tyrell Fenroy who was held to 23 yards. Michael Desormeaux did what he could, rushing for 136 yards, but the team wasn’t equipped to come back in a game like this. Now on a three-game losing streak, ULL has to beat Middle Tennessee just to be bowl eligible.

Nov. 15
Florida Atlantic 40 … UL Lafayette 29
Florida Atlantic got up 19-0 and 40-7 with Rusty Smith throwing four touchdown passes with two to Rob Housler and a five-yarder to Jamari Grant. The FAU secondary came up with three interceptions as ULL couldn’t get the passing game going in comeback mode. Tyrell Fenroy ran for a 14-yard score in the second quarter, but the offense didn’t get moving until the game was well out of reach with 22 points in the final 7:44, with the defense getting a 30-yard fumble return for a score from Scooter Rogers.
Player of the game: Florida Atlantic QB Rusty Smith completed 17-of-26 passes for 290 yards and four touchdowns
Stat Leaders: UL Lafayette - Passing: Michael Desormeaux, 11-18, 84 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Tyrell Fenroy, 18-92, 1 TD. Receiving: Jason Chery, 6-29
Florida Atlantic - Passing: Rusty Smith, 17-26, 290 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Charles Pierre, 10-109, 1 TD. Receiving: Jamari Grant, 5-86, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Florida Atlantic loss was a game that ULL needed a passing game and didn’t have it. The passing game is a function of the running attack that has to be controlling the game, and that didn’t happen against the Owls. Michael Desormeaux tried to get the passing game moving, but he made too many mistakes and the Tyrell Fenroy wasn’t able to find enough room to move to pick up the slack. As bad as the loss was, ULL still controls its own destiny. If it beats Troy and Middle Tennessee, it’ll go to the New Orleans Bowl.

Nov. 8
UTEP 37 … UL Lafayette 24
Trevor Vittatoe threw five touchdown passes, with two to Jeff Moturi and two to Kris Adams, as UTEP got up to a 37-17 lead early in the fourth quarter and cruised from there. ULL started out hot with Gerren Blount taking a Vittatoe pass 55 yards for a touchdown, but that was the only UTEP mistake on the day as the offense rolled up 408 yards of offense and wasn’t threatened in the second half. Tyrell Fenroy ran for a three-yard score for the Ragin’ Cajuns, who turned the ball over four times and were held to 199 rushing yards.
Player of the game: UTEP QB Trevor Vittatoe completed 24-of-33 passes for 294 yards and five touchdowns with an interception.
Stat Leaders: UTEP - Passing: Trevor Vittatoe, 24-33, 294 yds, 5 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Terrell Jackson, 14-105. Receiving: Kris Adams, 6-83, 2 TD
UL Lafayette - Passing: Michael Desormeaux, 14-25, 185 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Tyrell Fenroy, 22-126, 1 TD. Receiving: LaDarius Green, 3-40, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... ULL simply couldn’t keep up with UTEP. Everything was fine during the first half thanks to the defense that kept the game alive, but the offense couldn’t get on track until it was too late. At the end of the first half and into the second, the ULL secondary couldn’t stop the short-to-midrange UTEP passing game, while the Ragin’ Cajun ground attack never got going. Next up are road trios to Florida Atlantic and Troy to get the Sun Belt conference chase going again. To win those games, the pass defense will have to be far, far tighter, and Michael Desormeaux can’t make the mistakes he made against UTEP.

Nov. 1
UL Lafayette 49 … FIU 20
FIU jumped out to a 14-7 first quarter lead as T.Y. Hilton returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and Julian Reams ran for a one-yard score, and then it was all ULL with a 42-point run highlighted by three short touchdown runs from Tyrell Fenroy and a 22-yard fumble return for a score from Gerren Blount. The two teams combined for 20 penalties.
Player of the game: UL Lafayette RB Tyrell Fenroy ran 22 times for 81 yards and three touchdowns, and he caught three passes for 16 yards.
Stat Leaders: FIU - Passing: Paul McCall, 9-21, 85 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Julian Reams, 11-70, 1 TD. Receiving: T.Y. Hilton, 4-96
UL Lafayette - Passing: Michael Desormeaux, 13-19, 216 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Tyrell Fenroy, 22-81, 3 TD. Receiving: Louis Lee, 3-46
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... ULL’s Tyrell Fenroy became just the seventh player in NCAA history to run for 1,000 yards in four straight seasons. With the win over FIU, ULL is the leader in the Sun Belt race, but there’s still the road trip to Troy coming up. If the team can be as balanced on offense as it was against FIU, running for 228 yards and passing for 216, and if the defense can continue to win the turnover battle, the New Orleans Bowl is there for the taking.

Oct. 18
UL Lafayette 28 … Arkansas State 23
Tyrell Fenroy ran for a nine-yard touchdown with 42 seconds to play to give ULL a comeback win. With star QB Michael Desormeaux out with a knee injury, the rest of the Ragin’ Cajuns stepped up as redshirt freshman QB Brad McGuire ran for two short touchdown runs and Fenroy rumbled for 128 yards. However, McGuire had his rocky moments throwing two interceptions including one that Darius Glover took 29 yards for a fourth quarter touchdown and a 23-14 ASU lead. But McGuire and the offense were able to score 14 points in the final 4:16, and the defense was able to hold. ASU was held to one offensive touchdown, an 11-yard Brandon Thompkins touchdown catch in the second.
Player of the game: UL Lafayette RB Tyrell Fenroy ran 22 times for 128 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for seven yards
Stat Leaders: Arkansas State - Passing: Corey Leonard, 21-40, 235 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Reggie Arnold, 15-65. Receiving: Brandon Thompkins, 5-58, 1 TD
UL Lafayette - Passing: Brad McGuire, 9-16, 106 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Tyrell Fenroy, 22-128, 1 TD. Receiving: Derrick Smith, 2-44
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... ULL came up with a stunner. Without Michael Desormeaux, the team had no business beating Arkansas State. For about 55 minutes, it appeared that the Red Wolves had things in hand, but the Ragin’ Cajun defense came up with a whale of a game, holding ASU to three field goals instead of game-killing touchdowns, while the offense came through late when needed. Tyrell Fenroy continues to be amazing. ASU sent everyone to stop Fenroy, but he still produced.

Oct. 11
UL Lafayette 59 … North Texas 30
Jason Chery scored five touchdowns in the first half highlighted by an 81-yard run, a 97-yard kickoff return, and a 57-yard touchdown catch. However, North Texas was able to keep up the pace as Giovanni Vizza hit Roderick Johnson on a 12-yard touchdown pass and Casey Fitzgerald for a 43-yard touchdown to start the second half. But the UNT offense fizzled out and ULL went on a 24-3 run to close things out helped by a 31-yard Michael Desormeaux touchdown run and short scores from Tyrell Fenroy and Matt Dupre.
Player of the game: UL Lafayette WR Jason Chery caught three passes for 123 yards and three touchdowns, and ran three times for 85 yards and a score. He also returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: North Texas - Passing: Giovanni Vizza, 29-44, 361 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Cam Montgomery, 20-116, 1 TD. Receiving: Casey Fitzgerald, 14-231, 1 TD
UL Lafayette - Passing: Michael Desormeaux, 14-20, 217 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Michael Desormeaux, 15-123, 1 TD. Receiving: Jason Chery, 3-123, 3 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The offense finally showed some signs of life, but the defense dug too deep a hole against UL Lafayette. Casey Fitzgerald was unstoppable catching 14 passes for 231 yards and a score, but the defense never had an answer for the Ragin’ Cajun balance or for Jason Chery and his five touchdowns. It’s going to be a long year for the D, but things could be more fun if Giovanni Vizza continues to crank out yards. He threw for 361.
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The offense is a machine. Michael Desormeaux was fantastic with 123 rushing yards and 217 through the air against North Texas, but it was Jason Chery who had the epic day in the win. Three catches, three touchdowns, three carries, one more score. Along with a kickoff return for a score, he was in a zone and showed he needs to be given the ball even more. Beating the Mean Green was nice, but now comes a three-game homestand starting with Arkansas State. This is when the Sun Belt title drive really starts.

Oct. 4
UL Lafayette 44 … UL Monroe 35
UL Lafayette ran for 556 yards and cranked out 728 yards of total offense, with Tyrell Fenroy running for a school-record 297 yards with scoring dashes from 89, 52 and 80 yards out. UL Monroe managed to keep pace with two Frank Goodin touchdown runs and a 55-yard interception return for a score from Greg James, but the defense couldn’t handle ULL’s big plays. Jason Chery scored on a 74-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter after tearing off an 87-yard scoring run less than three minutes earlier, and Michael Desormeaux ran for a 64-yard score. In all, ULL six touchdown plays from 52 yards or more.
Player of the game: UL Lafayette RB Tyrell Fenroy ran 20 times for 297 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: UL Monroe - Passing: Kinsmon Lancaster, 10-19, 115 yds
Rushing: Trey Revell, 6-92. Receiving: Darrell McNeal, 3-25
UL Lafayette - Passing: Michael Desormeaux, 15-23, 172 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Tyrell Fenroy, 20-297 yds, 3 TD. Receiving: Jason Chery, 6-96, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... How does a team crank out 728 yards of total offense and come up with home run after home run and still struggle to put a game away? That’s exactly what happened in the win over UL Monroe, but on the plus side, everything worked on offense. Everything. Tyrell Fenroy was special, and Michael Desormeaux was terrific. It was a special win for ULL, and the offensive explosion should launch a big run with North Texas up next and home games against Arkansas State, FIU and UTEP to follow.

Sept. 27
Kansas State 45 … UL Lafayette 27
Kansas State got out to a 28-3 lead on two Josh Freeman touchdown runs and two scoring passes to Deon Murphy, but UL Lafayette made it a game. Tyrell Fenroy was unstoppable with touchdown runs from 15, 69 and one yard out, and Michael Desormeaux added a one-yard touchdown run on the way to pulling within seven late in the fourth. But Kansas State managed to get by helped by a truck play on fourth down and a few key conversions to lead the way to a 26-yard field goal with 1:37 to play. ULL finished with 335 rushing yards and 509 total yards, while Kansas State’s Josh Freeman became the school’s all-time leader in total yardage.
Player of the game: Kansas State QB Josh Freeman went 21-of-28 for 272 yards and three touchdowns, adding 37 yards and two scores on nine carries.
Stat Leaders: UL-Lafayette - Passing: Michael Desormeaux, 14-27, 136 yds
Rushing: Tyrell Fenroy, 20-183, 3 TDs. Receiving: Jason Chery, 7-80, 1 TD
Kansas State - Passing: Josh Freeman, 21-28, 272 yds, 3 TDs
Rushing: Lamark Brown, 29-137, 1 TD. Receiving: Brandon Banks, 6-127, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The team is playing better than 1-3. It hung tough with Kent State and it came up with an impressive comeback against Kansas State, but losses are losses. However, if Tyrell Fenroy and the ground game roll like they did in Manhattan, they’ll blow away UL Monroe and North Texas over the next two weeks. The penalties have to slow down and the team has to get off to a faster start, but there’s no reason to get too upset about the record. Things aren’t that bad.

Sept. 20
UL Lafayette 44 … Kent State 27
UL Lafayette rolled up 667 yards of total offense with Michael Desormeaux throwing a 55-yard touchdown pass to LaDarius Green and running for a five-yard score, and Tyrell Fenroy ripping off three scoring dashes highlighted by a 69-yarder. The Ragin’ Cajuns came up with 414 rushing yards and kept the Eugene Jarvis-less Kent State attack to 396 yards of offense. Julian Edelman ran for two scores and threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to Shawn Bayes.
Player of the game: UL Lafayette RB Tyrell Fenroy ran 23 times for 194 yards and three touchdowns, and caught two passes for 68 yards
Stat Leaders: UL Lafayette - Passing: Michael Desormeaux, 15-22, 253 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Tyrell Fenroy, 23-194, 3 TD. Receiving: Pierre Hill, 4-47
Kent State - Passing: Julian Edelman, 10-20, 81 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Julian Edelman, 19-136, 2 TD. Receiving: Phil Garner, 4-20
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... After getting run over by Southern Miss in the opener, UL Lafayette has tightened up in a big way against Illinois and now Kent State, this now looks like a big-time Sun Belt contender. Is this a strong enough team to pull off an upset at Kansas State? If Michael Desormeaux and Tyrell Fenroy are as sharp as they were this week, it’s possible.

Sept. 13
Illinois 20 ... UL Lafayette 17
Brit Miller stole the ball away from ULL QB Michael Desormeaux and took it 27 yards for a touchdown and Daniel Dufrene took a pass ten yards for a score, but the Illini had to hold on for deal life. Desormeaux an for a 34-yard score with 5:30 to play to pull the Ragin' Cajuns to within seven, but Illinois was able to get up by ten with a 27-yard Matt Eller field goal with 1:36 left. Erik Jones made a fingertip catch for an 11-yard score with 18 seconds to play to make it a three point game, but Illinois recovered the on-side kick.
Player of the game: Illinois RB Daniel Dufrene ran 19 times for 126 yards, and had three receptions for 24 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: UL Lafayette- Passing: Michael Desormeaux, 25-35, 200 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Michael Desormeaux, 14-42, 1 TD. Receiving: Tyrell Fenroy, 6-52
Illinois - Passing: Juice Williams, 13-25, 147 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Daniel Dufrene, 19-126. Receiving: Michael Hoomanawanui, 5-74
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The run defense did a far better job after getting blown away by Southern Miss. Illinois never got the ground attack into a groove, and while the Illini ran fro 194 yards, it didn't dominate. Even more impressive was how ULL stayed alive despite not having a running game to count on. Michael Desormeaux completed 25-of-35 passes, and if he's able to keep doing that, the offense will take on a whole other level when Sun Belt play kicks in.

Aug. 30
Southern Miss 51 ... UL Lafayette 21
Southern Miss rocked UL Lafayette in the first game of the Larry Fedora era as the Golden Eagle attack cranked out 633 yards of offense and 427 rushing yards in the blowout. Damion Fletcher ran for a career-high 222 yards with touchdown runs from 14 and six yards out, while Austin Davis ran for two touchdown and threw for two others. UL Lafayette had its moments with two short touchdown runs in the second quarter and a 21-yard Pierre Hill touchdown catch in the fourth, but it never threatened.
Player of the game: Southern Miss RB Damion Fletcher ran 21 times for 222 yards and two touchdowns, and LB Gerald McRath made 15 tackles.
Stat Leaders: Southern Miss - Passing: Austin Davis, 14-21, 206 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Damion Fletcher, 21-222, 2 TD. Receiving: DeAndre Brown, 4-92, 1 TD
UL Lafayette - Passing: Michael Desormeaux, 9-20, 98 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Michael Desormeaux, 16-146. Receiving: Jason Chery, 3-47
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Uh oh. The running game was decent against Southern Miss, but nothing else worked. The defense was non-existent with the line getting shoved around all over the place. It'll be a nightmare for the run defense with Illinois, Kent State and Kansas State coming up, so the offense has to go on longer drives and must milk the clock. That'll be the only chance to keep any of the next few games relatively close.

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class

Ladarius Green TE/WR 6-6 220 Pensacola, Fla. (Booker T. Washington HS)
Caught 30 passes for 520 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior...Was a second team All-Area selection...Three-year starter at Booker T. Washington High School...Played in the 2007 Pensacola All-Star Classic

Potential Instant Impact Players

Melvin White DB 6-3 180 Freeport, Texas (Brazosport HS)
Switched from wide receiver to quarterback prior to senior season...Named District 23-4A and Brazoria County Offensive MVP as a senior...Was a second team All-District selection as a junior...Track standout (long jump – 22-8, triple jump – 44-0)...Had 128 carries for 783 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry...Completed 85 of 165 pass attempts (51.5-percent) for 999 yards...Named Greater Houston Top-100

Brett Baer K/P 6-0 170 Brandon, Miss. (Brandon HS)
Was the second commitment of the 2008 class...A two-time All-Rankin County selection...Averaged 44.5 yards per punt.

Rest of the Class

Brett Baer	K/P	6-0	170	Brandon, Miss. (Brandon HS)
Kyron Benoit	LB	6-1	205	Crowly, La. (Crowly HS)
Dwight Bentley	CB	5-11	175	Pahokee, Fla. (Dodge City CC)
Draylon Booker	RB	6-2	190	Conroe, Texas (Conroe HS)
Jesse Broadnax	LB	6-5	200	Pensacola, Fla. (Pine Forest HS)
Ronald Clark	OL	6-4	282	Baton Rouge, La. (Desire Street Academy)
Tory Day	DT	6-1	255	Niceville, Fla. (Niceville HS)
Derreck Dean	DT	6-0	275	New Orleans, La. (McDonough 35 HS)
Blaine Gautier	QB	6-0	194	Paulina, La. (Lutcher HS)
Rodney Gillis	CB	5-10	175	Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas HS)
Ladarius Green	TE/WR	6-6	220	Pensacola, Fla. (Booker T. Washington HS)
Pierre Hill	WR	6-0	150	Marrero, La. (Archbishop Shaw HS)
Tim Jackson	DB	5-10	170	New Orleans, La. (Desire Street Academy)
Devon Lewis-Buchanan	SS/LB	6-2	205	Riviera Beach, Fla. (Suncoast HS)
Jaron Odom	OL	6-5	340	Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Boyd Anderson HS)
Emeka Onyenekwu	DE	6-4	225	New Orleans, La. (McKinley HS)
Sean Osborne	DE/OT	6-5	250	Geismar, La. (Dutchtown HS)
Chris Richard	LB	6-0	205	Luling, La. (Destrehan HS)
Evan Ruiz	OL	6-4	285	Baton Rouge, La. (St. Michael HS)
Nathan Sowels	DB	5-11	170	Dallas, Texas (L.G. Pinkston HS)
Keldric White	QB/ATH	6-3	195	Pensacola, Fla. (Pensacola HS)
Melvin White	DB	6-3	180	Freeport, Texas (Brazosport HS)
Brendan Wilson	TE	6-4	220	Prairieville, La. (Dutchtown HS)

2008 Recap

Recap: Even having two 1,000-yard rushers, QB Michael Desormeaux and RB Tyrell Fenroy, in the same season wasn’t enough to get the Cajuns to higher ground in 2007.  While Rickey Bustle felt this was the year that UL-Lafayette would finally challenge for Sun Belt supremacy, the defense and special teams rarely cooperated, especially late in games.  The Cajuns stumbled to a disappointing 1-8 start, ending any hopes for a run to the New Orleans Bowl even before getting to November.

Offensive Player of the Year: QB Michael Desormeaux

Defensive Player of the Year: DE Rodney Hardeway

Biggest Surprise: A heavy underdog at the time, UL-Lafayette went into Murfreesboro on Nov. 10 and upset Middle Tennessee State, 34-24, playing a complete game for the first time all year.  The Cajuns dug out of a 14-0 hole, cranking out 376 yards on the ground and allowing just a field goal to the Blue Raiders in the second half.  

Biggest Disappointment: A visit from McNeese State was supposed to provide a confidence boost on Sept. 15, but instead, wound up sinking the Cajuns to new depths.  Even against an FCS opponent, five Desormeaux turnovers were too much to overcome, as UL-Lafayette got dumped, 38-17, in front of a disgusted home crowd at Cajun field.  

Looking Ahead: While the returns of Desormeaux and Fenroy bring cautious optimism for 2008, UL-Lafayette will again struggle to compete in the league if the defense doesn’t make a quantum leap in the offseason.