Kent State Kent State at Louisiana-Lafayette Saturday, September 20, 2008 Time 7:00 p.m. Cajun Field "The Swamp", Lafayette, La. (ProGrass/Capacity 31,000) Radio/TV: WNIR 100.1 FM Louisiana Lafayette THE SERIES This is the first time the two schools have will meet, which makes this the second game of the season that the Golden Flashes will have played a program for the first time. The Flashes will have opened with Boston College. A LOOK AT THE LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE RAJIN' CAJUNS Entering his seventh season as head coach, Ricky Bustle has done a salvage job on what was arguably the worst football program in the country. If Kent State is looking at last season's 3-9 season, then the Golden Flashes won't be looking at the big picture. Prior to the disappointing 2007 season, the Cajuns had back-to-back six-win seasons. Quarterback Michael Desormeaux passed and rushed for 1,000 yards in 2007. The Cajuns have mixed up their coaching staff, and for the third season in a row will be sporting a new offensive coordinator. Former offensive line coach Ron Hudson takes over after Blake Anderson left for Southern Mississippi. The Cajuns play a no-huddle style offense, and will continue that scheme under Hudson with little change in terminology. That's a good thing considering the team had 31 underclassmen on it's roster, including 21 freshmen who played, and six who started. There's no doubt who the stars of this team are, and both are seniors. Quarterback Michael Desormeaux and running back Tyrell Fenroy are both returning 1,000 yard rushers. Fenroy will attempt to make history by becoming the seventh player ever to record four 1,000-yard rushing seasons in a college career. The 5-foot-9 back looks more like a linebacker in his picture, and will be the adrenalin for a very good rushing offense. Offense was not the reason the Cajuns won just three games in 2007. Saying the defense was poor is an insult to the word. The Cajuns defense gave up 35.8 points a game last season (106 ranked), 4467.7 yards a game (104th nationally) and 228.4 rushing yards a game (113th nationally). The Cajuns lost eight games by double digits, including a 21-point loss to McNeese State, a Division II team. It's a surprise that first year defensive coordinator Kevin Fouquier still has any hair at all. The Cajuns run a 4-3 defense, and Fouquier now has full-control over defensive play calling, something he apparently didn't have last season. WHEN LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE HAS THE BALL The old Bill Clinton campaign ad said "It's the economy, stupid." Well, Cajun coaches won't tell opposing coaches it, but Sun Belt coaches will say, "it's the running game, stupid. Running back Tyrell Fenroy is seeking his fourth straight 1,000-yard season. The Cajuns have a somewhat successful history with passing quarterbacks, look at Carolina Panthers' QB Jake Delhomme; but Desormeaux is not one of them. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound signal caller rushed for 103.7 yards a game, second in the conference. He finished with 1,141 rushing yards. Desormeaux passed for 1,404 yards and 10 touchdown passes, while throwing 10 interceptions. Even though Hudson has acknowledged that the no huddle offense will include more passing, it's unlikely that Desormeaux will lose a lot of rushing attempts. Fenroy finished second on the team in rushing, with 1,021 yards and seven touchdowns. Compare his stats with Desormeaux, and fans will ask: Who is the quarterback and who is the running back. Both had seven rushing touchdowns, Desormeaux had a 86-yard carry, while Fenroy had 69-yard run. Fenroy rushed for about 11 yards less then his quarterback. The next question is: What is their offensive line like? The Cajuns return six offensive linemen who have started. Last season, the Cajuns struggled with injuries on the line, but it didn't damage the running game. Depth is a big issue. Considering this game is in the middle of the season, the fact that the Cajuns had eight offensive linemen on it's spring roster and will have nine-playable linemen for the start of the season is a concern. None of the linemen are seniors. Kent State has been successful against the run the past few seasons. After having faced the three-headed attack of Iowa State in week two, the Flashes should be prepared. But it's not that easy. The Flashes haven't faced a running quarterback so far and will be challenged with one of the best in the country. Top it off with a fast-paced offense, and there could be trouble. A concern here would be play-action. Hudson saying he wants to pass more is like Lance Armstrong saying he rides a bike well. Of course the offense would like to utilize the play-action game. With a receiving corp that resembles Kent State's in a lot of ways, the Flashes would like to get their under-sized but fast receivers down field. Kent State will have played one of 2007's best passing teams in Boston College, and should have been tested plenty of times by this game. Although this is running defense, it could be the passing game that dooms the Flashes and their young secondary. WHEN KENT STATE HAS THE BALL Based on last season, the Flashes could have a big day. When the nation's top returning rusher from 2007 plays one of the nation's worst rushing defenses of 2007, it's easy to say junior running back Eugene Jarvis could put up big numbers. The Flashes appear to have a similar style of offense to the Cajuns. A talented quarterback when the play breaks down. A solid power back as the cog. All behind a offensive line that is both young and big. The difference is the Flashes pass more, and will try to pass more. Senior Jameson Konz will have been either a successful transition or a non-factor by this time at tight end, and his play will singlehandedly dictate what the offense can do throughout the season. Still, with Jarvis and sophomore Andre Flowers playing against a rushing defense that has had little success in recent history, expect a lot of hand offs. It may be a good thing, but the Cajuns must replace three starters on it's defensive line, including both defensive ends. Junior Hall Davis and sophomore Terrell Richardson are penciled in as starters after spring practice. Freshman Derrick Dean, a 6-foot , 275-pounder, could play at defensive tackle. Dean has a 4.6 40 time, which could disrupt the misdirection running game of Kent State. The strength of the defense will be its linebackers. The Cajuns return their starters, including Antwyne Zanders, who had 93 tackles in 2007. The weakness may be the defensive backfield. The Cajuns replace all but junior free safety Gerren Blount in the backfield. The unit was the lone bright spot for the Cajuns' defense in 2007, ranking 43rd in passing yardage allowed. But when a team rushes for 228 yards a game, what offense is going to pass? KEY MATCH-UP The key match-up that will be most talked about will be the Cajuns' rushing defense against Jarvis. However, if the Cajuns can pass like Hudson and Bustle want to do, it will be another test for the Flashes' secondary. The play-action killed the Flashes in 2007, and if they aren't careful, will a killer in this game. However, if the Cajuns' defense struggles, then they may be forced to pass more regardless of play-action. This should be a big game for sophomore Brian Lainhart and senior Rico Murray (if Murray is playing safety) at safety, as their responsibilities including judging the play-action. WHAT THE FLASHES MUST DO TO WIN THE GAME Besides not giving Desormeaux and Fenroy extra drives? The Flashes must force the Cajuns to pass, by putting them in second or third and long situations. Basically, they must stop the run on first down. The Cajuns' passing game is based on short passes. If the Cajuns gain four to five yards on first down, it will be a long day. Most coaches will say that, for obvious reasons, third down stops are key. But against a team that doesn't pass much, and when they do, it's not very far, keeping it second and eight or second and seven puts the team in a pickle. If the Flashes give up six yards on first down, the Cajuns are probably favored to pick-up another first down on the next play. Why? Because Fenroy and Desormeaux averaged more then five yards a carry in 2007, and Desormeaux is a 55-percent passer who relies on short completions. This team will likely NOT pass on first down. More proof? The Cajuns attempted 311 passes. They had 542 rushing attempts. The game will be a quick, "which defense will stop the run first" contest. EXTRA POINTS The match-up is intriguing because it's between the Sun Belt and the Mid-American Conference. By most "experts," the Sun Belt is likely behind the MAC in prestige. Sun Belt teams are dealing with a different animal being in the south, where football is king, and playing for a Sun Belt team is less glorifying then playing for a SEC team, or ACC team, or even a Conference USA team. At least the MAC has a long tradition of producing NFL players and great Big Ten coaches (well, at least Miami does). MAC players may feel they deserved to play in the Big Ten or the Big East, but playing for a MAC school is never a bad thing. One example is Ben Roethlisberger. One team that had recruited him and apparently offered a scholarship was Duke. Now, most fans know Duke is a basketball school, and most people probably are clueless about Duke football, but still it's the ACC. Well, Roethlisberger preferred Miami instead, and that turned out well. The point is that while many fans will see this as two teams from mid-major conferences, this game is extremely important to the Sun Belt. If the Sun Belt can gain the respect that the MAC has earned, then maybe Georgia players such as Kent State sophomore quarterback Georgio Morgan will stay in the south.

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