Cajuns Van Cleave Named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week

October 22, 2001

Van Cleave Named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week

Lafayette, La- Louisiana-Lafayette quarterback Jon Van Cleave was named Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his performance this past Saturday at Idaho.? The award is voted on by a select panel of football media in Sun Belt Conference cities.

??????????? Van Cleave set two school records and finished second on another.? The sophomore quarterback completed 27 of 35 passes for 407 yards and three touchdowns.? His 407 yards passing shattered Jake Delhomme's 371 set on Nov. 4, 1995 against Louisiana Tech.? His 77.14 completion percentage broke Delhomme's 71.43 mark set Oct. 7, 1995 at Arkansas State.? Van Cleave rushed for 24 yards, giving him 431 yards of total offense.? His performance ranks second behind Brian Mitchell's 476-yard outburst versus Colorado State Nov. 21, 1987.

??????????? “It feels good,” said Van Cleave, “but I couldn't have done it without the line protecting me and the receivers making the catches and big plays that they did.”

The native of Arlington, Texas credits his offensive line for keeping him out of danger.? Van Cleave has only been sacked twice in the past two games. He is 56-75 (74.7%) for 668 yards and five touchdowns in those two games.?

??????????? “It's a good feeling when you know you can stand in the pocket and have time to throw.? When I'm able to stand up and throw the ball, I have a lot more confidence.”

??????????? Head coach Jerry Baldwin was glad to see his team get back on track and glad to see his quarterback honored.

??????????? “I thought Jon played extremely well during the game,” said Baldwin.? “He was very consistent, throwing the ball where it needed to go and on time.? He showed a lot of poise and leadership.? I was very impressed in that when nobody was open, he pulled the ball down and ran.? He never panicked. ?I'm very proud that he won the award.

??????????? “Of the records he broke, I'm more excited about his completion percentage than the passing yards.? Add in the two dropped balls and he's over 80 percent.? When Jon can complete that high of a completion percentage, our offense will score points.”

??????????? The Cajuns' 54-37 victory at Idaho marked the most points a Cajuns team has scored since a 56-21 victory on Sept. 9, 1995 against Alabama-Birmingham.? Louisiana-Lafayette posted 641 yards of total offense against the Vandals, eclipsing the old school record of 585 yards set on Oct. 12, 1996 against Arkansas State.

??????????? The Cajuns will host in-state rival Louisiana-Monroe this Saturday at 4pm.? The game marks the 56th homecoming game in school history.?

-Ragin' Cajuns-

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

Cajuns Van Cleave Named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week

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