Coming Out Swinging
The Ragin’ Cajuns may finally be in the place they want to be at the quarterback position. Much like other FBS teams, they have two players that are performing at a high enough rate to start. Andre Nunez and Levi Lewis were a key part of the Ragin’ Cajuns’ path to a 1-0 start for new head coach Billy Napier as Louisiana defeated Grambling 49-17.
Nunez was in the driver’s seat for a vast majority of the game. His touchdown run during the second quarter was a showing of sheer willpower, as there was no way he was going to allow any Tigers to slow him down. He took a solid hit, but flipped into the endzone unscathed. That’s a great way to take a leadership role on the offense.
As it was stated in the UDD preview for this game, the Cajuns needed to come out and play as a cohesive unit. They needed to play determined, disciplined football in order to avoid the FBS-falling-to-an-FCS-team upset alert scenario. Luckily for the Cajuns, they played as a team and fended off any chance of this scenario coming to pass.
The Cajuns came out energetic, even if they started a little slow. That energy showed itself in every phase of the game. It was a team victory all the way.
The quarterback has to get help from other players, they can’t do everything alone. This help was found in both Ja’Marcus Bradley, who was unstoppable catching the ball, and Trey Ragas, who was a force to be reckoned with in the ground game. They combined for 212 offensive yards and three TD’s. Their contributions alone outscored Grambling’s entire team, who only put up 17 points.
All things considered, this was an important game for the Ragin’ Cajuns. Both the offense and defense looked crisp and ready for action. Billy Napier joins elite company as only the 12th head coach in Cajun history to win his first game. The Cajuns didn’t fall to an FCS team. Many worse scenarios could have played out, but not many that could be considered better.
Ragin’ Cajun Stat Leaders
Passing Yards: Andre Nunez (184)
Passing TDs: Andre Nunez (2)
Rushing Yards: Trey Ragas (142)
Rushing TDs: Trey Ragas and Raymond Calais (1)
Receiving Yards: Ja’Marcus Bradley (70)
Receiving TDs: Ja’Marcus Bradley (2)
Up Next: Saturday, September 15th @ Mississippi State