Louisiana Continues Season At Kansas State

Contact: Brian McCann

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Game 2: Louisiana (0-1) at Kansas State (0-1)
When: Saturday, Sept. 7, 2013, 5:30 p.m. CDT
Site: Bill Snyder Family Stadium (Astro Turf, 50,000)
TV: Fox Sports One
(Adam Alexander & Chris Simms)
(Cox ch. 1106, LUS 131, Direct TV 219, Dish 150 & Uverse 1652)
Radio: Ragin' Cajuns Radio Network
(Jay Walker, Gerald Broussard & Steve Peloquin)
Participating Stations: KPEL (1420 AM, Lafayette) Flagship, KXHT (107.9 FM, Lafayette), WGSO (990 AM, New Orleans), KTUX (98.9 FM, Shreveport), KLCL (1470 AM, Lake Charles), KJEF (1290 AM, Jennings), KRJO (1680 AM, Monroe)
Series: Kansas State Leads, 3-1
Last Meeting: Louisiana 17, Kansas State 15 (at Louisiana, Sept. 12, 2009)

Coaches:
Louisiana
Mark Hudspeth (Delta State, '92)
Record at Louisiana: 18-9 (3rd year)
Overall Record: 84-30 (10th year)

Kansas State
Bill Snyder (William Jewell, '63)
Record at KSU: 170-86-1 (22nd year)
Overall Record: 170-86-1 (22nd year)

THE STORYLINE: The 2013 season continues for Louisiana when the Ragin' Cajuns travel to Manhattan, Kansas to face defending Big 12 champion Kansas State on Saturday, Sept. 7 beginning at 3:00 p.m. in the Bill Snyder Family Stadium on the KSU campus. . . the game will be televised live on Fox Sports 1, the recently debuted all-sports station, with Adam Alexander and Chris Simms providing the commentary. . . it can be found on Cox channel 1106, LUS 131, Direct TV 219, Dish 150 & Uverse 1652. . . both teams enter the game with 0-1 records after the Cajuns dropped a 34-14 decision at Arkansas and KSU fell 24-21 at home to North Dakota State. . . the home team has won all four previous meetings with KSU owning a 3-1 series lead. . . the Cajuns bring a 6-2 record in the month of September during the first two seasons under head coach Mark Hudspeth but both of the losses have come to a Big 12 opponent. . . senior linebacker Justin Anderson ranks ninth in the nation this week in tackles after recording a career-high 14 stops at Arkansas and defensive back Sean Thomas is 13th with 13 tackles. . . Hudspeth was happy with the effort of Australian punter Daniel Cadona, who averaged 43.6 yards at Arkansas in his first organized football game to help the Cajuns lead the Sun Belt in net punting (43.6).

WE ARE LOUISIANA: There is confusion among the national sports organizations as how to refer to the Ragin' Cajuns. Our official name is the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, but much like our opponents around the country, we simply go by Louisiana when referring to our athletic programs. It is the same situation at the Universities of Texas (at Austin), Tennessee (at Knoxville) and California (at Berkeley), but years of use and understanding by the sports media has led to each of those schools to have their athletic monikers being simplified and accepted nationally. Although we proudly refer to our University with its full title for academic purposes, we ask that Louisiana, Ragin' Cajuns or Cajuns be used to refer to us athletically.

DOING MORE WITH MORE: After years of achieving athletic success with less resources than some of its competition, the Cajuns will finally get the opportunity to do more with more when construction begins later this fall on the first tier of projects in the $115 million Athletic Facilities Master Plan. All 17 sports will be impacted with the addition of the Athletic Performance Center, a 71,000 square foot facility that will include will more than double the current existing space for athletic training (10,000 square feet), equipment (6,000) and two complete weight rooms (12,000 & 6,000). The facility will also include a new football locker room, an auditorium capable of seating 150 people and house the football coaching staff.

LOUISIANA & LIVE TELEVISION: Saturday's game will be the second of at least 10 Louisiana games televised this season. The game will be broadcast by the Fox Sports 1, the national all sports channel that debuted in mid-August. It can be found locally on Cox channel 1106, LUS 131, Direct TV 219, Dish 150 & Uverse 1652. The only two games not currently on the schedule are the Sept. 21 game at Akron and the Nov. 16 contest at Georgia State.

SERIES vs. KANSAS STATE: Saturday's game marks the fifth time that the Ragin' Cajuns will face Kansas State with the Wildcats owning a 3-1 series edge. KSU won the first three meetings, each of which was played in Manhattan, Kansas before the Cajuns claimed a 17-15 decision in Lafayette in 2009. The game-by-game series results are:

Date        UL        -KSU        Winner        Location
9/3/94        6        -34        KSU        Manhattan
9/18/04        20        -40        KSU        Manhattan
9/27/08        37        -45        KSU        Manhattan
9/12/09        17        -15        Louisiana        Lafayette

LOUISIANA & THE NCAA STATS: Five different Ragin' Cajuns players received mentions in the first NCAA statistics of the season. Highlighting the list are linebacker Justin Anderson and defensive back Sean Thomas, who ranks ninth and 13th, respectively in tackles. A complete listing follows:

Individual Rankings
Punting/Avg:        Daniel Cadona        29th        43.6
Receptions/Game:        Jacob Maxwell        53rd        6.0
Solo Tackles:        Corey Trim        55th        6.0
Tackles/Game:        Justin Anderson        9th        14.0
        Sean Thomas        13th        13.0

PUNTING FROM DOWN UNDER:
The great unknown going into the Arkansas game was how junior punter Daniel Cadona would perform. After all, the Arkansas game was not only Cadona's debut as a Cajun, but it was his first organized football game. . . ever. A native of Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia, Cadona played both Australian Rules Football and rugby growing up. He came to the U.S. and took part in several kicking camps, earning a No. 3 national ranking last year by Scout.com before signing with Louisiana in December. His debut was a good one as he kicked five times for a 43.6 average with none of his kicks being returned. He ranked 29th nationally in the NCAA stats with the Cajuns leading the Sun Belt and ranking 14th in the nation in net punting.

THOMAS EXCELS IN FIRST START: Junior Sean Thomas, who practiced for most of the preseason at cornerback, was a last-minute switch to safety at Arkansas. He took advantage of his first start by making a career-high 13 tackles, three times more than his previous best of four tackles against FIU last year (9/29/12). Thomas ranks 13th in the nation in tackles in the first NCAA stats of the year.

MAXWELL'S HOUSE: Senior tight end Jacob Maxwell had a career day at Arkansas, setting career highs for receptions (6) and yards (77) and catching his fifth career touchdown pass. He surpassed his previous career best of three catches (done four times) and 34 yards (at Florida).

GOING FOR 500: Louisiana continues it quest this week for its 500th all-time win for the program. The Cajuns begin the season with a 499-522-34 record in 113 seasons of organized football, one win shy of the 500 mark.

CAJUNS HAVE PLAYERS TO "WATCH": After back-to-back 9-4 seasons, the college football experts have taken notice of the talent on the Louisiana roster with three Cajuns being named to the four different preseason Watch Lists for the 2013 major college football awards. The list includes:

        Player        Award (Honors)
        Terrance Broadway        Davey O'Brien Award (QB)
        Terrance Broadway        Manning Award (QB)
        Andre Huval        Rimington Trophy (Center)
        Darryl Surgent        Senior Bowl Watch List (All-Star Game)

COACHING CONTINUITY: One of the reasons for the Cajuns success is the continuity that they have enjoyed on the coaching staff. Eight of the nine assistant coaches that Mark Hudspeth hired after taking the job 28 months ago remain on the staff. The lone newcomer is defensive coordinator James Willis, who joined the staff in January after stints at Auburn, Alabama and Texas Tech. Last year, Louisiana was one of 16 FBS schools to return with the entire coaching staff intact from 2011.

THREE CAJUNS NAMED TO SUN BELT TEAM: Three Cajuns were named to the 2013 Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference team, which was determined by a vote of head coaches and select media throughout the conference. Senior center Andre Huval was the only member of the offense to receive the honor while linebacker Justin Anderson and defensive lineman Christian Ringo represented the defense.

CAJUNS TABBED AS SUN BELT CO-FAVORITES: Building on consecutive 9-4 records and New Orleans Bowl titles, the Ragin' Cajuns have been selected as the co-favorites to win the SBC this season in a preseason poll of the league's head coaches. The Cajuns received four first place votes and 57 points total to share the favorite role with ULM, who received two first place votes. Defending champion Arkansas State was picked third with the other two first place votes and 45 points total, one point ahead of fourth place WKU (44). Troy was fifth (35) followed by Sun Belt newcomer Texas State (23), South Alabama (19) and first-year member Georgia State (8).

. . . AND LOUISIANA IS A CONSENSUS FAVORITE: Not only are the Cajuns the favorites to win the Sun Belt by the league coaches, they are the consensus pick of the national experts as well. Of the 20 published preseason Sun Belt rankings, Louisiana was picked first 12 times, second four times and third four times to earn 33.5 points, well ahead of second place ULM (48.5 points). Arkansas State was third (59) followed by WKU (62) in fourth and Troy fifth (98.5).

THE LINE THAT PLAYS TOGETHER, STAYS TOGETHER: Although the offensive line features two new starters in 2013, Terrance Broadway should feel comfortable under center this year as the three returning starters each started all 13 games last year and played in better than 95% of the offensive snaps. Center Andre Huval and right guard Daniel Quave enter the week with 27-game starting streaks while left tackle Mykhael Quave has started 14 straight, including every game at left guard in 2012 before moving to tackle last spring. Junior Terry Johnson (LG) and sophomore Octravian Anderson (RT) made their first careers starts at Arkansas. This is just the third starting combination since Mark Hudspeth took over three years ago as the same five starters were used in all 13 games in each of his first two seasons.

IT'S ANOTHER WINNER: The Ragin' Cajuns 9-4 mark in 2012 signaled back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since going 6-5 in 1988 and 7-4 in 1989, part of four consecutive winning seasons by Louisiana under head coach Nelson Stokley. In his first nine seasons as a collegiate head coach, Mark Hudspeth has produced a winning record eight straight years.

SETTING A STANDARD: In addition to the first-ever back-to-back seasons appearing in a bowl game, Mark Hudspeth has helped Louisiana to tie the school record for wins in a season with nine. Prior to the 9-4 mark in 2011, the Cajuns set the school record for wins with a 9-2 record in both 1921 and 1976. The 18 wins over the last two years is the most in a two-year period in school history.

4TH DOWN EXPLOITS: Fourth down proved to be a special down for the Cajuns last year as Louisiana ranked in the top 10 in both fourth down conversion and fourth down defense. On defense, the Cajuns stopped their opponents in 11 of their 14 attempts, ranking second behind Syracuse (2-10, .200) with a .214 defense rate. Offensively, Louisiana successfully converted eight of its 11 fourth down attempts to rank fifth nationally (.727). Clemson (14-18, .778) and Ohio State (7-9,.778) shared the national lead.

. . . AND MIXED RESULTS ON 4TH DOWN IN OPENER: The season opener at Arkansas saw the Ragin' Cajuns go one-for-two on both offense and defense on fourth down. The Louisiana conversion came on a fourth-and-four at the Arkansas 24 in the second quarter when Terrance Broadway completed a 13-yard pass to Jacob Maxwell. On the next play, the duo hooked up on an 11-yard touchdown pass. Both of the defensive chances came on the fourth quarter, stopping a fourth-and-2 and allowing a fourth-and-1 conversion.

BROADWAY ON THE RUN: The 769 yards rushing last season by Terrance Broadway puts him among elite company this year as the junior begins the year ranked sixth among returning quarterback rushers. Northern Illinois' Jordan Lynch led all quarterbacks with 1,815 yards rushing last year. He was followed by Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M (1,410), Ohio State's Braxton Miller (1,271), Nevada's Cody Fajardo (1,121) and Nebraska's Taylor Martinez (1,019).

IMPACT TRANSFERS: The Cajuns will benefit this year from the service of five transfers from FBS schools this year. Quarterback Terrance Broadway played his freshman season at Houston in 2011 before transferring to Louisiana last year. Broadway will throw this year to seniors Ricky Johnson (Tulsa) and Devin Figaro, who played his first two years at Tulane this year, Defenders Darius Barksdale and T.J. Worthy each attended Ole Miss before coming to town last year. Two transfers are sitting out this year, tight end Evan Tatford and linebacker Trey Granier (LSU), each of whom will have three years left to play next fall.

. . . AND IMPACT FRESHMEN: The incoming recruiting class by the Cajuns was the consensus pick among the recruiting experts as being tops in the Sun Belt this year. The quality of the class is quickly appearing as head coach Mark Hudspeth has indicated that as many as four first-year freshmen will play this year. Freshman running back Elijah McGuire, who led the state with 2,603 yards and 31 touchdowns last year, is listed as the backup at running back this year while teammates Devin Scott (WR), Simeon Thomas (CB), Nick Byrne (TE) may also see action.

. . . McGUIRE & BYRNE SEE ACTION: Two first-year freshmen, tight end Nick Byrne and running back Elijah McGuire, saw action at Arkansas. Byrne played mostly on special teams while McGuire was one of four backs to play. On McGuire's first play, he caught a 31-yard pass down to the Arkansas 2 that set up a Alonzo Harris touchdown run. McGuire also carried three times for 12 yards.

IMPROVED RUNNING: One of the strengths of the Cajuns offense in 2012 was their improvement in the running game. In 2011, Louisiana ranked seventh in the Sun Belt and 88th nationally averaging 125.2 yards per game. In 2012, using a running attack featuring two sophomores and two freshmen, the Cajuns ranked second in the Sun Belt and 34th in the nation averaging 193.5 yards per game.

. . . AND THE SOLID RUNNING SHOULD CONTINUE: All indications are that the offense should be able to continue running the ball effectively this season as the Cajuns return the majority of their running game from 2012. Lost were quarterback Blaine Gautier (17 carries, 93 yards), wide receiver Harry Peoples (14-72) and running back Yobes Walker (6-0), who combined to rush 37 times for 165 yards. Returning are juniors Alonzo Harris (170-881, 10 TD's) and Terrance Broadway (119-769, 9) along with sophomore Effrem Reed (86-414, 5) and Torrey Pierce (49-263, 3).

SUCCESS IN THE RED ZONE: The Cajuns offensive success in 2012 can be tied to their performance in the Red Zone as Louisiana finished the season ranked second in the nation in Red Zone efficiency. The Cajuns scored 55 times in their 58 trips to the Red Zone last year (.948), trailing only Clemson (56-59, .949). Of Louisiana's 56 scores, 44 were touchdowns (30 rushing & 14 passing). Louisiana takes a streak of 31 straight Red Zone scores into the Arkansas game.

. . . BUT A SLOW START IN 2013: Murphy's Law may have been in effect at Arkansas when junior Stephen Brauchele missed wide right on a 27-yard field goal attempt on Louisiana's first red zone trip of the season in the first quarter. The Cajuns rebounded to convert their next two opportunities, both touchdowns.

. . . REALLY?: Two of the three times that the Cajuns failed to score when they were in the Red Zone last year came vs. Tulane (10/6/12) when Brett Baer missed one field goal and had a second kick blocked. The third failure can hardly be called that as the Ragin' Cajuns ended the Sept. 29 game with FIU by taking a knee twice at the FIU 9 to run out the clock. That snapped a streak of 19 consecutive successful Red Zone trips and cost the Cajuns a national statistical title.

SURGENT PROVES VERSATILE: Senior wide receiver Darryl Surgent is in some elite company, entering the week ranked third in school history with 3,772 all-purpose yards. He trails only Tyrell Fenroy (5,231 yards from 2005-08) and Brandon Stokley (3,789 from 1995-98), both of whom have had their jerseys retired by the Cajuns. In his career, Surgent has picked up 1,253 yards receiving, 2,146 yards on kickoff returns, 338 yards on punt returns with 35 yards rushing. Surgent is averaging 101.9 yards all-purpose yards per game, the third-highest average in Cajuns history.

. . . AND AS A VERSATILE SCORER: Senior Darryl Surgent began the year with 12 career touchdowns and is the only player in school history to own the distinction of scoring by rushing, receiving and returning both a punt and kickoff. Surgent has nine receiving scores -- six in 2011 and three in 2012 -- and owns a 16-yard touchdown run at Middle Tennessee in 2011. He returned a kickoff 97 yards at Oklahoma State in 2010 and then finished the 2011 season with an 87-yard punt return for a score vs. San Diego State in the New Orleans Bowl.

BROADWAY & HARRIS SUCCEED AS A RUNNING TANDEM: The rushing tandem of running back Alonzo Harris and quarterback Terrance Broadway closed the 2012 season by each rushing for 100 yards or more in the last three games that they played together. The streak started with Broadway gaining 145 yards on 14 carries and Harris adding 104 on 10 rushes vs. WKU. Harris missed the South Alabama game but came back to gain 127 yards with three touchdowns while Broadway gained 123 yards in the regular season finale at FAU. The duo stood out in the New Orleans Bowl as Harris had a 68-yard touchdown as part of a 120-yard afternoon while Broadway picked up 108 yards.

. . . AND MAKE IT INTO THE RECORD BOOK: A closer look at the Louisiana record book shows that the three games that Broadway and Harris each surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark in together tied the school record for most 100-yard games by a duo. Tyrell Fenroy and Michael Desormeaux set the record in 2007, going on to set the career mark with five 100-yard games together. Harris & Broadway have accounted for three of the 17 games with multiple 100-yard rushers in the same game in Louisiana history.

WINNING AWAY FROM HOME: Last year, the Cajuns were 4-3 on the road, the first winning record on the road since a 4-2 record in 1993. In three seasons under head coach Mark Hudspeth, the Cajuns are 8-8 away from home, going 4-4 in 2011 and 0-1 so far in 2013.

ANDERSON PASSES THE CENTURY MARK: Linebacker Justin Anderson returns for his senior year after ranking seventh in the Sun Belt last year averaging 8.1 tackles per game. He is one of three Cajuns in the last six years to total more than 100 tackles in a season, joining Lance Kelley (118 in 2011) and Antwyne Zanders (103 in 2009). Anderson started the 2112 campaign with just 21 tackles in his first two seasons.

. . . ANDERSON STARTS SENIOR CAMPAIGN OUT RIGHT: Justin Anderson was ready for the opener at Arkansas, leading the team and ranking ninth nationally with 14 tackles. It was his seventh career 10-tackle game, surpassing his previous high of 12 set in back-to-back games against Florida and WKU last year.

BROADWAY HITS: Junior Terrance Broadway started the 2012 season as the quarterback-in-waiting, playing as a reserve until senior Blaine Gautier graduated. He ended it by setting the school records for total offense (3,611) and completion percentage (.654). Along the way, he. . . :
• earned New Orleans Bowl MVP honors after completing 21-of-32 passes for 316 yards and a touchdown and rushing 15 times for 114 yards and a score.
• Against Arkansas State (Oct. 23), Broadway set career highs for attempts (39), yards (374) and completions (28). The 374 yards was the eighth-highest single game total in school history.
• His best game came at ULM ( Nov. 3) when he had a personal-best 460 yards of total offense and five touchdowns. He completed 23-of-32 passes for 373 yards and four TD's and rushed 13 times for 87 yards and a score.
• Against WKU (Nov. 17), he accounted for 403 of Louisiana's 582 yards of total offense. He rushed 14 times for a career-high 145 yards and a touchdown and completed 23-of-33 passes for 258 yards and a score. Down 27-17 with 6:00 left, he led the Cajuns to two touchdowns down the stretch, the last coming on his own 14-yard run with 0:38 left, to give Louisiana the win.
• Threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns against South Alabama (Nov. 24), his third 300-yard passing game. He completed just 11 passes, averaging 27.7 yards per completion.
• For the season, he ranked first in Cajun history in total offense (3,611) and completion percentage (.654), second in passing efficiency (153.3), third in passing yards (2,842), fifth in passing touchdowns (17) and completions (206).

HUVAL NAMED TO ACADEMIC-ALL DISTRICT SQUAD: Center Andre Huval, who owns a 3.37 cumulative grade point average majoring in business accounting, was named to the 2012 Capital One Academic All-District team, which was selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

MR. ROBINSON'S NEIGHBORHOOD: Junior Jamal Robinson is eager to step into a more prominent role among the Cajun receivers this year. Playing mostly as a reserve last year, he caught 26 passes for 630 yards and three touchdowns. His 24.2 yards per catch was the second highest by a receiver with at least 25 receptions (FIU's Willis Wright led with a 25.3 avg.). Thrust into a starting role midway through the year, Robinson caught eight passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns in the games against Arkansas State (10/26) and ULM (11/3) and then came back vs. WKU (11/17) to make three grabs for 27 yards, including a five-yard touchdown catch that pulled the Cajuns to within three points late in the game. He finished the year with six grabs for 116 yards in the New Orleans Bowl victory.

ROBINSON GOES A LONG WAY FOR NOTHING: Last year, Jamal Robinson gave a glimpse of his season ahead when he set a school record for the longest non-scoring pass play in school history when he grabbed an 86-yard pass from Blaine Gautier in the second quarter against Lamar. It was his only catch of the game, allowing him to best the old record of 82 yards by Michael Desormeaux to Richie Falgout vs. FIU in 2008.

. . . AND ROBINSON GETS A BLOCK: Jamal Robinson turned in the special teams play of the day against South Alabama in the regular season finale, blocking a 42-yard field goal attempt late in the first quarter that would have tied the game at 10-10. It was the first blocked field goal by a Cajun since Le'Marcus Gibson blocked one against North Texas on Oct. 15, 2011.

HARRIS CLOSES IN ON 2,000 YARD MARK: A 56-yard rushing effort at Arkansas has raised Alonzo Harris' career rushing total to 1,637 yards, the 12th-highest total in school history. He enters the week ranked seventh in school history in rushing touchdowns (17) and 13th in attempts (353). His 68.1 yards rushing per game is third best, trailing only Tyrell Fenroy (101.0 from 2005-08) and Brian Mitchell (77.6 from 1986-89). Harris gained 700 yards as a freshman in 2011 and totalled 881 yards last season.

A COMEBACK FOR STOVER: A feel-good moment of 2012 was the return of kickoff specialist Hunter Stover, who has taken over the kickoff chores. Stover kicked off 47 times in the first eight games for the Cajuns in 2011 before suffering a torn ACL in his right knee at WKU. The injury was nothing new to Stover. In high school, he tore the ACL in his left knee and a post-surgery infection required a second ACL replacement. The surgeries worked as Stover kicked off 40 times in 2012, recording a 62.7 average with 13 touchbacks. In the opener at Arkansas, Stover registered touchbacks on all three kickoffs.

. . . AND STOVER DOESN'T JUST KICK: Hunter Stover's ability as a linebacker is the reason he was brought to Louisiana, but three ACL surgeries later, his days as a linebacker are over and he is limited to just kicking. Consequently, he has taken advantage of his only opportunities to hit an opponent by ranking second on the team in 2012 with eight special teams tackles.

GRANDPA GILLIS: Rodney Gillis came off the bench at Arkansas to make a pair of tackles at Arkansas, starting his sixth season with the Cajuns. After an injury plagued start to his Louisiana career that saw him make nine tackles in 11 games over his first four seasons, he moved into the starting lineup in 2012 and thrived. He started all 13 games, ranking second in the Sun Belt with five interceptions and second on the team with 75 tackles. Gillis joined the program in 2008 and redshirted. He did not play during the 2009 campaign and then tore an ACL in his knee the following spring and missed the 2010 season. Gillis was able to play in 11 games as a reserve in 2011, making nine tackles.

NEXT UP: The Cajuns will return home for the first of five 2013 home contests when Louisiana hosts Nicholls State on Saturday, Sept. 14 beginning at 6:00 p.m. in Cajun Field. The game will be streamed live on the internet by ESPN3.

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

Louisiana Continues Season At Kansas State

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