Philadelphia, PA (Best E Casino) - 2007 SEASON IN REVIEW: The Ragin' Cajuns took a step back last season, as they captured just three victories after winning six games in each of the two prior seasons. UL-Lafayette, which has never made a bowl game, was considered a legitimate contender for the SBC title in 2007, but the program failed to live up to the hype, finishing just 3-4 in the league.
The Cajuns' 2007 campaign was over before it really started, as the team dropped its first five games, including an embarrassing 38-17 home loss to FCS member McNeese State. In early October, ULL finally got into the win column, downing North Texas by a 38-29 score. The excitement was short-lived however, as the squad was humbled by Arkansas State (52-21) the following week. That loss was the first of three straight, although the club nearly upset Sun Belt co-champions Florida Atlantic, losing 39-32 in overtime. ULL showed some life during the final stretch, picking up back-to-back road wins over Middle Tennessee (34-24) and Florida International (38-28) before losing to UL-Monroe (17-11) in the regular season finale.
The Cajuns won just one of their six home games and that was the biggest surprise for a program that had posted a .500 or better record at home in each of the previous five seasons.
OFFENSE: The Cajuns are expected to do more with the passing game this season, but the offense will still revolve around the running game led by seniors Michael Desormeaux and Tyrell Fenroy. The 6-2, 200-pound Desormeaux played several positions over his career at ULL before landing the starting quarterback job last season. He proved to be a major threat with his legs, rushing for 1,141 yards and seven scores, but he didn't do much through the air, passing for 1,405 yards with 10 touchdowns against the same number of interceptions.
With a year of experience under his belt and few more wrinkles in the passing game, expect Desormeaux to be more consistent. "Last season, the offense really evolved to where I ran a little more than we wanted to. This year we are focusing on throwing the ball a little more, but scrambling is still going to be a big part of what we do."
As for Fenroy, he is a 5-9, 186-pound tailback who has a good deal of quickness and a lot of experience. He is trying to become just the seventh player in FBS history to post four 1,000-yard seasons. With 830 yards this season, he will also break the SBC rushing record. Six offensive linemen with starting experience return and that should help Fenroy compete for another successful campaign.
With a bigger emphasis on the passing game, expect senior wideouts Jason Chery and Derrick Smith to put up some big numbers. Smith made 35 catches for 583 yards last season, while Chery recorded 36 receptions for 442 yards.
DEFENSE: Last season was a disastrous one for the ULL defense, which allowed 35.8 ppg and 446.7 total ypg. The Cajuns were gutted for 228.4 rushing ypg and just about the entire line needs to be replaced. Junior LaQuincy Williams is the only returning starter up front, but the 6-3, 283-pound tackle needs to be more productive than the mere 25 tackles and two sacks he posted in 2007. The linebacking corps, without question, will be the strength of the Cajun defense, as the unit welcomes back its top three tacklers from a year ago. Senior Antwyne Zanders is the best of the bunch and he returns after notching a team-best 93 stops a year ago.
In the secondary, ULL will undergo a complete overhaul with the return of just one starter in Gerren Blount. The junior free safety has good speed and he led the team with three interceptions, but he is a question mark due to academic issues.
SPECIAL TEAMS: The Cajuns welcome back one of the top kickers in the league in senior Drew Edmiston, who is accurate with good rage. He has connected on 21- of-27 field goals over the last two seasons, including a 10-of-13 effort a year ago. Sophomore Spencer Ortego averaged a mediocre 38.9 yards per punt in '07 and he could wind up losing his job to freshman Brett Baer if he doesn't improve.
OUTLOOK: ULL will surely possess one of the top ground attacks in the nation once again, but the program doesn't have much going for it outside of that. The defense is quite inexperienced and a difficult schedule won't make things easy. Another three-win season is likely and anything else should be considered a bonus.
