Lafayette rematch won’t be stressful for Oklahoma State
Published: 8/29/2011 7:57 PM
Last Modified: 8/29/2011 7:57 PM
Louisiana-Lafayette wasn’t very good last season, but the Ragin’ Cajuns did hold a 21-17 halftime lead over Oklahoma State. The Cowboys rallied for a 54-28 victory. Justin Blackmon had 13 catches for 190 yards. ULL went on to finish with a 3-9 record.
In advance of Saturday’s rematch in the 6 p.m. season opener at Boone Pickens Stadium, the ninth-ranked Cowboys are favored by 36 points.
For an OSU program that has so much momentum, an upset loss to Louisiana-Lafayette would be unimaginably deflating.
Does ULL have even a puncher’s chance on Saturday? The Ragin’ Cajuns definitely have a shot at covering the spread, but not of winning the game. OSU overwhelms the visitors with athletes and speed and special-teams superiority.
In December, OSU special-teams coordinator Joe DeForest – who played football and baseball at Louisiana-Lafayette – interviewed for the Ragin’ Cajun head-coaching job. The position went to Mark Hudspeth, who had been Mississippi State’s receivers coach and passing-game coordinator. He inherited a ULL team picked to finish eighth in the nine-team Sun Belt Conference.
The Lafayette Advertiser reports that Hudspeth has not identified a clearly defined No. 1 quarterback. That alone would seem to soak ULL’s upset possibility on Saturday. Senior Chris Masson is a decent passer. Junior Blaine Gautier is a decent runner. The one legitimately elite player in the Ragin’ Cajun program is tight end Ladarius Green, who didn’t play against OSU last year because of injury.
The 2010 Ragin’ Cajuns were 83rd nationally in total offense and 82nd in total defense. On paper, the 2011 Ragin’ Cajuns appear to be the same type of team.
There probably won’t be much stress on Saturday and, this time, there probably won’t be an OSU halftime deficit.
The first potential for Cowboy drama looks to be the Thursday, Sept. 8 meeting with the Mike Stoops-coached Arizona Wildcats. Arizona’s roster has been rocked by injuries, but the Wildcats bring Pac-12 athletes to Stillwater. Oklahoma State will be tested.
-- Bill Haisten
Written by
Bill Haisten
Sports Writer
