Offense Looks To Build On Momentum

Thursday, July 29, 2004

LAFAYETTE - Offensive coordinator Rob Christophel is looking toward continuing to build on offensive balance. The numbers indicate the team is making strides in all aspects, especially during Sun Belt play.

The Ragin’ Cajuns went from last in the Sun Belt in scoring offense in 2002 (19.5 points per game, 15 TD), to second in 2003 (32.1 ppg, 28 TD). The Cajuns finished first in red zone offense with an eye-popping 96.6 percent success rate in SBC games. The Cajuns converted 28-of-29 opportunities in the red zone, including 20 touchdowns against ‘Belt foes.

The offense starts with the quarterback, where the Cajuns look to further develop athletic sophomore Jerry Babb. Junior College transfer Luke Sniewski is more of a pocket passer, but his intelligence and strong arm will challenge Babb throughout the season.

After struggling early during his freshman campaign, Babb led the Cajuns to four victories over the final five games. In four wins, Babb averaged 240 yards passing (63% completion) and 46 yards rushing (5.0 yards/carry). He threw for six and ran for four TD’s in the four wins. Babb engineered a fourth-quarter two-minute game-winning drive vs. New Mexico State and a game-tying drive at Middle Tennessee.

The Cajuns lost both starting wide receivers. Fred Stamps, one of the best receivers in school history, is gone, as is vocal leader Eric Bartel. Look for multiple players to grab the spotlight.

The main threats to step-in will be seniors Bill Sampy and Kemmie Lewis. Sampy and Lewis trailed only Stamps for the team lead with 39 and 27 receptions, respectively. The Cajuns have lofty goals for redshirt freshman Jordan Jackson. The 6-foot-6 target turned heads on the practice squad last season and should see plenty of game time in 2004. Senior B.J. Crist has 15 career receptions and brings solid experience to the mix. Travis Smothers (9 rec. as a RB in ’03) and freshmen Eddie Brown and Bruce Taylor will provide depth.

All-SBC tight end Josh Joerg has departed, leaving senior Lawrence Johnson and JC transfer Xavier Campbell to vie for playing time. Johnson has one career reception for three yards in 34 career games and will be used primarily as a blocker. Campbell could vie for the ball in passing situations.

A plethora of runners saw time in the backfield last season. Chester Johnson led the team with 421 yards on the ground and five touchdowns. Travis Smothers gained 269 yards, 109 of which came in the season opener.

Dwight Lindon posted 228 yards, while Josh Harrison had 38 carries for 147 yards over the final four games (168 on the season).

Johnson missed the spring with a shoulder injury and Smothers was moved to wide receiver, leaving Lindon, Harrison and freshman Abdule LeVier the top spring backs. Each is a viable candidate to assume the rushing duties in the fall.

Fullbacks Travis Cones and Ross Rix have 22 games of experience and should give the Cajuns a solid combination of fullbacks.

A revolving backfield will be well protected by an experienced offensive line that allowed just eight sacks in seven SBC games. The unit’s run blocking helped UL to 184 rushing yards per game, as well as 442 yards of total offense per game in conference play.

An abundance of talent should give coach Mike Gibson his largest rotation of linemen during his three-year tenure.

The Cajuns lost three starters in All-SBC guard D’Anthony Batiste, tackle Demetrios Brooks and guard Marshall Delesdernier, who moved to the defensive front during the spring.

The Cajuns have experience to fill the void, though. Junior guard Greg Hodges started the first three games of the 2003 until an injury forced him to miss the remaining nine games. Hodges received a medical redshirt was healthy for the spring.

Senior Bryan Lloyd should fit in nicely at the other guard position. Lloyd started five games in 2003 and appeared in 484 plays, so game experience will not be a question.

A pair of talented starters return, highlighted by sophomore Brandon Cox. The 6-foot-7, 295-pound tackle started all 12 games as a true freshman, seeing 841 snaps, the most of any Cajun.

Senior center Ronnie Harvey saw 822 snaps and is a solid mainstay in the middle of the Cajuns line. Harvey is on pace to graduate on time, which would give the Lake Charles, La., native another year of eligibility.

JuCo transfers Justin Ernest and Ryan Gilles used the spring to acclimate themselves to the Cajuns system and should vie for considerable playing time. Freshmen Will Chance, Zach Leger and Jessie Newman all figure in the mix along with senior Ed Fane and sophomore center Chris Cutler

KEY RETURNERS
QB Jerry Babb: Finished second in the Sun Belt with 193.3 ypg passing, 62.1 completion percentage, and 227.8 ypg total offense in conference games...Very mobile and athletic, Babb is dual threat, both on the ground and through the air.
WR Bill Sampy: Followed debut season in 2002 with 39 catches for 486 yards and three touchdowns in 2003.
LT Brandon Cox: Started all 12 games as a true freshman at right tackle in 2003...Moved to left tackle during the spring and returns alongside experience LG Greg Hodges.

KEY LOSSES
QB Eric Rekieta: 99-165, 1090 yards, 7 TD, 6 INT (6 games)
WR Fred Stamps: 62 rec., 973 yards, 7 TD (1976 yards in last two seasons)
TE Josh Joerg: 10 rec., 93 yards, 1 TD

NEWCOMERS
TE Xavier Campbell: Junior College transfer will challenge senior Lawrence Johnson for playing time.
QB Luke Sniewski: Record-breaking QB from Pasadena (CA) City College will provide Babb with an experienced back-up.
RG Justin Ernest: Junior College transfer will be key added addition to the Cajuns’ offensive line beside sophomore Brandon Cox and senior Ronnie Harvey.

<a href='http://www.ragincajuns.com/football/Stories/2004/072904offense.htm' target='_blank'>LINK</a>

Defense Gets New Look, Familiar Faces Return in Secondary

Friday, July 30, 2004

LAFAYETTE - The Cajuns defense will continue to be physical and aggressive but plans to be more conservative in the secondary, having switched from a multiple eight-man front to a multiple 4-3 style this spring.

The Cajuns were last in the SBC in total defense, allowing 439 yards per game, but second-best in red zone defense (78.4%). The coaching staff felt that the multiple eight-man front scheme allowed too many big plays.

The switch in schemes helps the Cajuns remain aggressive up front, but allows the secondary to guard against a big strike. The multiple 4-3 style that the Cajuns will use gives them more coverage variety in a two-deep look, but still allows for a 4-4 alignment in many ways.

Up front, UL loses five of six starters to a defense that finished first in SBC play with 19 sacks and 29th in the NCAA with 28 total takeaways.

Lost are linebacker Ross Brupbacher (All-SBC ’01), defensive back Patrick Lamy and defensive linemen Antonio Floyd (All-SBC ’03), Derace James, George Benson, Darryl Blappert and Daniel Taylor.
The seven combined for 228 tackles, 32 TFL’s, 15 sacks, eight fumble recoveries and 63 starts last season.

Experienced players will be called upon to step into starting roles on the defensive line.

Travis Bass and Eugene Kwarteng both played all 12 games last season, each garnering one start. Tony Hills played in 11 contests in 2003, giving the Cajuns three experienced defensive ends to go with three signees, Elijah Nelson, Joe Bradley and Rodney Hardeway.

Mack Fair switches from linebacker to defensive end to join the mix.

Ken Haynes returns after seeing time in 11 games at defensive tackle last season, starting three. Justin Taylor has 17 college games of experience, but will come back after missing all of 2003 due to injury.

Delesdernier started eight games on the offensive line in his freshman season, but made the switch to defensive tackle this spring. Delesdernier played only one half of one game on the defensive line last season, recording five solo tackles, three for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble in the second half at South Carolina.

Signees Curtis Isaac and Clay Bridges provide solid numbers for coach Shawn Quinn.

Senior linebacker Stanley Smith returns to anchor a very deep linebacker corps. Smith played in 10 games last season and is the most experienced player on the roster with 32 games played and 12 starts.

Letterwinners Chris Klock and Tyler Norman surround newcomers Jonathon Vance, Tre Green, Brenton Burkhalter, and Joseph Hadnot. With a plethora of talent, the Cajuns had no problem adding a third linebacker and will be three-deep at each position.

After losing key players in consecutive seasons, the Cajuns secondary returns everyone from a year ago.

Senior C.C. Brown was the Cajuns top defensive player in 2003, leading the team in tackles per game (6.1) and became the first Cajun to win SBC Defensive Player of the Week. He also was named to the All-Sun Belt Second Team. David Prater led the Cajuns in total tackles in 2003 and returns for his senior season at weak safety.

Starting cornerbacks Teryl Fenton and Jerrell Carter both return, along with letterwinners Michael Adams, Johnny Felders, Ricky Thomas, Jarrett Jones, Lamar Morgan, and Antwain Spann.

The depth of talent is abundant, considering Jones, Felders and freshmen Torres Kingsby and Jemarcus Smith are the only Cajuns defensive backs that have never started a game. Thomas, Jones, Morgan and Spann all missed the spring recovering from late season injuries.

KEY RETURNERS
SS C.C. Brown: Was the Cajuns top defensive player in 2003, leading the team in tackles per game (6.1) en route to second team All-Sun Belt honors...Started 11 games after missing season opener.
LB Stanley Smith: Very consistent defensive leader that has played three solid seasons...A strong player with excellent speed at inside linebacker.
WS David Prater: Led the Cajuns in total tackles with 68 stops in 2003...Top performance came in season finale at Middle Tennessee, recording 11 tackles and the game-clinching interception.

KEY LOSSES
LB Ross Brupbacher: 61 total tackles, 3 sacks, 9 TFL
DE Antonio Floyd: 34 total tackles, 4 sacks, 10 TFL, 3 fumble recoveries
WS Patrick Lamy: 49 total tackles, 3 fumble recoveries, TD return

NEWCOMERS
LB Mark Risher: Redshirt freshman will be depended upon to fill the void left by All-Sun Belt linebacker Ross Brupbacher.
DT Curtis Isaac: Junior College transfer is a key addition to the defensive line along side Ken Haynes and Justin Taylor.

Special Teams Bolstered by the Return of Comiskey

Saturday, July 31, 2004

LAFAYETTE - Last season, the Cajuns kicking game was at its best since 1994 when Mike Shafer handled the duties.

Sophomore Sean Comiskey converted 12-of-15 field goal opportunities, and was named to the All-Sun Belt Conference First Team. Comiskey was a perfect 10-10 on field goals in Sun Belt play and accumulated the most scoring points by any SBC kicker (53).

His 12 field goals marked the most made by a Cajun since Mike Shafer made 14-of-14 in 1994. Comiskey’s only misses were from 52, 50 and 43 and has only missed under 40 yards twice in his career. He defeated New Mexico State by kicking a field goal with eight seconds remaining in the game on Oct. 16

The return of Comiskey, who has been working to increase his range to 50-plus yards, should give UL one of the top kicking games in the Sun Belt. .

The Cajuns are looking for a new punter after losing Grant Autrey. Autrey was a mainstay for UL with 251 career punts for 9,636 yards, both school records.

David Schexnayder and Brandon Szymczyk are the top candidates to replace Autrey.

Justin Venable handled the deep snapping duties admirably and returns for his junior season.

Louisiana’s return teams have struggled the past few seasons and therefore Coach Bustle dedicated additional time to his return game in the spring.

Bill Sampy has led the Cajuns in kickoff returns and yards each of the past few seasons. Jerell Carter led the squad with a 20-yard return average, but had only eight returns. Sampy, Carter and Bruce Taylor should be the main threats to return kickoffs.

Louisiana’s kick-return streak was extended to 241 kickoff returns over the past 58 games without a score.

Carter has returned 26 punts for 189 total yards in the last two years and will vie for the punt return duties along with Torres Kingsby.

The Cajuns had another good year blocking kicks last season. After blocking seven kicks in 2002, UL Lafayette responded with five blocks in 2003.

Michael Adams blocked field goals at South Carolina and vs. Florida International, Derace James blocked a field goal vs. FIU, David Prater blocked a punt versus UL Monroe and Ken Haynes blocked an extra point vs. Idaho. The Cajuns two blocked field goal returns for a touchdown are believed to be a NCAA single-season record.

KEY RETURNERS
KR Bill Sampy: Led Cajuns with 467 return yards...Will vie to become Cajuns’ number one receiver in 2004.
PK Sean Comiskey: 2003 All-Sun Belt first team selection that connected on 12-of-15 field goals and 28-of-29 point-after attempts.


KEY LOSSES
P Grant Autrey: 77 punts, 3018 yards, 39.2 avg.


NEWCOMERS
P David Schexnayder/Brandon Szymczyk: Freshmen punters will vie for the starting position after the graduation of record-breaking Grant Autrey.
K Drew Edmiston: Freshman newcomer will provide a back-up to All-Sun Belt Conference first teamer Sean Comiskey, as well as add a third punter to the Cajuns’ depth chart.
KR Bruce Taylor: Redshirt freshman who will add depth at kick returner for the Cajuns.

<a href='http://www.ragincajuns.com/football/Stories/2004/073104specialteams.htm' target='_blank'>LINK</a>