Tag: Louisiana football

College Football News predicts upset for Texas in Week 1

According to CFN, the Longhorns are on upset alert in Week 1.

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In what could be the most dangerous first game imaginable, considering there will be a new coaching staff and new players sliding into starting roles all over the field (especially at quarterback), the Longhorns host Louisiana.

The Billy Napier coached Ragin’ Cajuns are one of the best, if not the best Group of Five team in the nation. After finishing 10-1 last season, including a win over Iowa State, the Ragin’ Cajuns are not only returning practically all of their starters, but they also added multiple Power Five transfers in the process.

Steve Sarkisian will not get a cupcake game in Week 1 to usher in the Longhorns’ new culture, but, rather, Texas will face a Louisiana team that will be nationally ranked. It’s a matchup College Football News does not find favorable: It predicted 21 of the top college football Group of Five over Power Five upsets.

The Week 1 matchup for the Longhorns and Ragin’ Cajuns was ranked No. 15.

Louisiana 31, Iowa State 14. Yeah, it really did happen to start the 2020 season – even if the rankings refused to acknowledge the victory all season long – and the 2021 Ragin’ Cajuns come back loaded. This isn’t the layup the Steve Sarkisian era might need or want to kick things off.

Regardless of who wins the starting job at quarterback, or how high Texas is ranked going into the season, the Longhorns cannot overlook Louisiana. Sarkisian will look to break the curse of former Texas head coaches that were unable to win their first game.

Pro Football Focus ranks all 130 CFB teams: Where is Georgia?

Ranking all 130 college football teams. Where does Georgia football rank in the preseason CFB rankings?

Pro Football Focus recently ranked all 130 college football teams for the upcoming 2021 season.

Georgia checked in at No. 4 in the rankings, and PFF gave UGA a 7 percent chance of winning the national title and a 24 percent chance of leaving Atlanta as SEC champs.

Per PFF, Georgia’s highest-graded returning player is quarterback J.T. Daniels at 88.3.

A few SEC teams worth noting include Alabama (1), Texas A&M (6), Florida (7), LSU (10), Auburn (15) and Tennessee (45).

Click here for the full list and see below for PFF’s top-five.

Louisiana Football Schedule 2021

Louisiana Ragin Cajuns 2021 football schedule, analysis, and what Sun Belt teams they miss.

Louisiana Ragin Cajuns 2021 football schedule, analysis, and what Sun Belt teams they miss.

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Louisiana Football Schedule 2021

– 2021 Sun Belt Football Schedule

Sept. 4 at Texas

Sept. 11 Nicholls

Sept. 18 Ohio

Sept. 25 at Georgia Southern

Oct. 2 at South Alabama

Oct. 9 OPEN DATE

Oct. 12 Appalachian State

Oct. 21 at Arkansas State

Oct. 30 Texas State

Nov. 4 Georgia State

Nov. 13 at Troy

Nov. 20 at Liberty

Nov. 27 ULM

Sun Belt Teams Missed From East:  Coastal Carolina

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Louisiana 31, UTSA 24: SERVPRO First Responder Bowl 10 Things To Know

Louisiana 31, UTSA 24. The 10 ten things you need to know about the Louisiana win over UTSA in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl.

Louisiana 31, UTSA 24. The 10 ten things you need to know about the Louisiana win over UTSA in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl.

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Louisiana 31, UTSA 24: SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

10. The SERVPRO First Responder Bowl was one the best of the last bowl season with a thrilling 23-20 WKU win over Western Michigan, and considering how miserable the start to the 2020 bowl season has been, a 31-24 game with a late score seems like the 2006 Vince Young Texas over USC Rose Bowl. Considering the bowl was canceled due to lightning in 2018 – Boise State vs. Boston College – this thing has been solid.

9. Neither team got into the backfield with any sort of consistency, but UTSA was popping. Safety Rashad Wisdom led all defenders with a game-high 13 tackles with a whole slew of open field stops. The Roadrunners got powered on, but they swarmed to the ball and held up well under the circumstances.

8. The 411 yards of total offense by Louisiana were good enough, but coming off the 227-yard day against Appalachian State to end the regular season, it was a rocky finish for the attack. It was the fourth-lowest offensive output of the season – the Ragin’ Cajuns were outgained by 20 yards.

7. Sincere McCormick was the focus of the Louisiana defense, and it didn’t matter. The UTSA star running back only had a few good runs, but powered his way to 122 yards on a tough 23 carries.

6. It would’ve been nice to have had a sharper passing game out of Levi Lewis – he hit 12-of-22 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns – but he didn’t make any big mistakes. Trey Ragas powered for 98 yards and the game-winning score, but there was a key fumble – more on that in a moment. Elijah Mitchell ran for 127 yards and a score and led the team with two catches for 45 yards.

5. Grind, grind, grind, grind, grind. Louisiana wasn’t flashy, and it didn’t have a whole lot of big plays, but it was able to methodically come up with enough good drives to take over the game late against a team missing the depth to hold up. They had the ball for over five minutes than the Roadrunners, and it seemed like it was over because …

4. UTSA wasn’t a big passing team, but it had its moments. There were a few 300-yard games, and it’s not that it couldn’t throw, but it preferred to roll on the ground. Frank Harris got the team back in the game in the second half with two touchdown passes – he threw for 208 yards with 91 rushing yards and a score – and he pulled the team back because …

3. This was about to be a blowout. Louisiana was up 24-7 in the third quarter and driving, but Trey Ragas fumbled off a perfect helmet-on-ball pop, UTSA recovered, and then it was Game On. UTSA’s offense struggled, but it went on two good scoring drives, tied it at 24 on a field goal, and showed the team showed the heart to hang around because …

2. The Roadrunners were depleted. They didn’t have their head coach, they were missing a slew of players, and the depth wasn’t there. They hung around for a full 60 minutes to close out the season with as tough bowl loss in a 7-5 season. It was a brilliant campaign for Jeff Traylor, whose team played its heart out through all of the adversity. It was a loss, but it was the type of performance that showed what kind of program this is going to be going forward.

1. Louisiana got through the season with only the one loss to Coastal Carolina. It wasn’t always smooth, and it wasn’t dominant, but it had the 31-14 win over Iowa State to start the season, the bowl win over UTSA to end it, and technically, a Sun Belt co-championship on the way to a ten-win run. The veteran team came up with a whale of a season.

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College Football News Preview 2020: Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, looking ahead to the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns season with what you need to know.

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns season with what you need to know.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Louisiana Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

2019 Record: 11-3 overall, 7-1 in Sun Belt
Head Coach: Billy Napier, 3rd year, 18-10
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 64
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 14
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 95

No one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.

5. College Football News Preview 2020: Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Offense 3 Things To Know

– The offense was fantastic in the 2018 in the first season under head coach Billy Napier, and it was almost 1,000 yards better in 2019.

Now get ready for it to go through the roof, even after finishing eighth in the nation in yards and tenth in scoring, coming up with almost 500 yards and 38 points per game. And why?

Eight returning starters including one of the nation’s most statistically fantastic backfields.

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– Levi Lewis isn’t all that big, but he’s mobile, he’s accurate, and he moves the spread offense with fantastic efficiency. He threw 26 touchdown passes and just four picks, and backup Jaiave Magalei returns with the 6-3, 234-pound bulk to add more size if needed.

The quarterbacking job is easier when you get to hand off to the backs the Ragin’ Cajuns have.

The 1-2 rushing punch of Elijah Mitchell and Trey Ragas is going to be devastating. They’re both around the same 5-10ish, 215ish pounds, and they both produce big whenever they get the ball.

Mitchell ran for 1,147 yards and 16 scores, and Ragas pounded out seven yards per carry with 820 yards and 11 scores. Both caught a touchdown pass.

It helped that …

– The offensive line led the nation in the fewest tackles for loss – it was partly a function of the offense, but the talent helped the cause – and was phenomenal for the nation’s eighth-best rushing attack.

Some of the key stars are missing, but three starters are back, some nice transfers are coming in, and the production should be close to as strong.

NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Defense 3 Things To Know

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Meet Robert Hunt, Louisiana’s do-it-all offensive line prospect

Check out Draft Wire’s exclusive interview with Louisiana offensive line prospect Robert Hunt

Versatility is a huge asset in today’s NFL, especially for teams looking to add depth to their offensive line units.

One of the most versatile offensive line prospects in the 2020 NFL draft class, Louisiana’s Robert Hunt recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about his experience as a four-year starter, how his versatility will help him at the next level, and his current health status as he works his way back from injury.

JM: You were a four-year starter at Louisiana, and you’ve played multiple positions. How does that experience serve you well going forward?

RH: I think it helps me out a lot. I’ve played multiple positions just like you said. That should really increase my value at the next level. I can play both tackle and both guard positions. I can play those four positions with a high level of comfort. I’m confident in my ability to play all four positions. That’s something that should really help me out in the NFL.

JM: Is there one position that you’re more comfortable playing at the next level?

RH: I don’t think so, no. The feedback I’ve received from NFL teams has been all over the place at this point in time. Some teams see me at guard, while others see me at tackle. It doesn’t really matter to me. I’ll play wherever my coach needs me to play. I definitely think I can play tackle in this league. That’s where I’ve played the last few years. I know I can be a great guard as well.

JM: Is there a scheme that you’re used to playing in?

RH: Not really. I can honestly do it all. Whatever plays we have to run, I feel comfortable executing that. I feel good in any scheme.

JM: You’re NFL Scouting Combine participation was a little limited. What was the injury that held you back?

RH: It was because of the sports hernia. It was just a little deal that I had to get through. We’re still rehabbing that right now I wasn’t ready to go at that time.

JM: Where are you at now with the injury?

RH: I’m at about 85% right now (March 12th). I should be 100% healthy in a few weeks time. I’ve already been doing some activities. We’re just checking all the boxes off and taking things day by day.

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

JM: What was your experience like at the NFL Scouting Combine?

RH: It was a great experience. I’ve been dreaming about that moment ever since I was a little kid. It was a good experience for me personally. I got to meet with a lot of coaches. We got to talk ball and make new friends out there. It was a good experience. I had a great time. I enjoyed it.

JM: Did you have a lot of formal or informal interviews?

RH: Yeah, I had a lot of formals. Informally, you know how that goes. You’re just walking around and having quick chats with the teams. That’s basically what an informal is. They just tap you on the shoulder and have a quick word with you. I had a lot of formals. I spent one night going through the informals.

JM: Who are some of the teams that you met with formally?

RH: I met with a bunch of them really. I had formals with the Seahawks, Bengals, Browns, Jets, Giants, Bills and Buccaneers. I had so many of them. Those are the ones that come to mind right now.

JM: Do you have a lot of private visits or workouts coming up, or is everything going down after the pro day?

RH: We’ll see what happens with the pro day. The COVID-19 is throwing things off right now. We’ll see what happens. I was supposed to meet with a lot of teams after the pro day.

JM: Even if they got canceled, who were you supposed to meet with or work out for?

RH: I had some things scheduled with the Jets, Cardinals, Dolphins, Titans, Colts and Texans. We’ll see what happens. We might have to FaceTime or something.

JM: What was the strangest question you were asked at the combine?

RH: I honestly didn’t get asked any weird questions. I’ve heard the stories, but I didn’t get anything that caught me off guard. Nobody really gave me a hard time. I guess I was one of the lucky ones.

JM: How do you handle speed differently from power?

RH: You have to get out of your stance in a hurry with speed. You can’t be late off the ball. Don’t get me wrong, you can’t be late off the ball with power either though. You gotta get on a speed guy quickly and shut it down. With power, it sorta comes to you. You have to anchor and be a strong guy. You gotta get on that speed guy. You have to combat power with power.

JM: Who are some of the best pass rushers you’ve gone up against?

RH: I’ve always felt like my own teammates gave me the biggest challenges. I played against a couple of good ones this past season. Everybody was pretty good. I can’t say that I played against many bad players.

JM: What kind of player is Robert Hunt going to be at the next level?

RH: Robert Hunt is gonna be a Pro Bowl type of player. I’m a guy that can do everything. I’m gonna have longevity and play in this league for a long time. I’m gonna dominate at any position that I’m asked to play.