Louisiana-Lafayette (9-4, 6-2)--The preseason predictions for ULL were not very positive going into the 2011 season. For a team with a new coach and previous years of failure, many expected the Ragin' Cajuns to finish mid pack at best but probably closer to the bottom of the Sun Belt. Behind an offense led by quarterback Blaine Gautier and ranked 29th nationally in passing yards per game, ULL won 6 of its first 7 games in route to a 9 win season and bowl victory. Gautier has nearly 3000 yards passing as well as 486 yards rushing in his first full year as starter. Sun Belt freshman of the year Alonzo Harris led the rushing attack with 700 yards and 8 touchdowns. Returning receivers Lawson and Peoples combined for 121 catches for 1789 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2011. Other than losing their stud tight end Ladarius Green, this is a potent offense that will be great again in 2012.
Defensively, ULL was below average giving up 29.8 points per game which put them at 84th nationally. The Ragin' Cajun defense gave up at least 30 points in 5 of their last 6 games in 2011. The 2012 season will be a season of transition defensively for ULL as 10 of their top 12 tacklers in the 2011 season were seniors and graduated. The Ragin' Cajuns must have some underclassmen step up and take large roles in the defense for ULL to have any chance to compete in 2012.
Coach Mark Hudspeth finished his first season at ULL and first as a head coach on the D-1 level with a 9-4 record. Previously, Hudspeth was a head coach at D-II power North Alabama where he had a 66-21 overall record and got them to the D-II playoff semifinals 3 times in 7 years. Hudspeth was taken from Mississippi State where he was WR coach for 2 seasons. Hudspeth is another one of the up and coming Sun Belt coaches that could land someone big in the next few seasons if he decides to.
Overall, ULL had one of the best seasons in school history in 2011. Although there was significant back slide from the WKU game on, the Ragin' Cajuns managed to pull out 9 wins. The offense should be the biggest strength with all of the returning starters. There is worry that the offense will not be nearly as explosive in 2012 due to the Sun Belt coaching staffs getting a year to figure out the ULL offense. The defense must have several players step up in 2012 or the offense will be unable to keep up with the points that the defense allows. Expect alot of shootouts for the Ragin' Cajuns in 2012 as the defense attempts to slow down offenses. This team is talented enough to win 7 games and go to another bowl but as stated before, the defense must improve dramatically for a conference title to be a viable option.
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