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Mark Hudspeth took the Louisiana Ragin' Cajun head coaching job in 2011 and what we witnessed was a complete turn around offensively.
Hudspeth revamped an offense that averaged just 22.3 points per game in 2010. In that 2011 season, the offense averaged 32.3 points per game and was a top 30 passing offense.
Terrence Broadway took the reigns of the offense in 2012 and in his debut season, the offense scored a ridiculous 35.5 points per game, but they then saw a decline from 33.8 points (2013) to 29.5 (2014).
Last season's 26.4 points per game were the team's worst since the year before Hudspeth took over at Lafayette. The team struggled to find replacements for Terrence Broadway and Alonzo Harris and now head into this offseason losing the top receiver from the past few seasons, Jamal Robinson.
Al Riles and Gabe Fuselier are expected to play a huge role in the passing attack this upcoming season, but they are going to need a lot of help. While they have plenty of experience, they don't have one thing Robinson had, size.
Jamal Robinson's 6'4, 205 frame was a thing of beauty. He caught 156 passes for 2,653 yards and 20 touchdowns during his time in Lafayette. What he was best at was stretching the field and making big plays.
The Ragin' Cajuns just aren't going to be able to replace a player with his talent with just one player, but they can replace him with multiple pieces.
Replacing Robinson's Size
Jared Johnson isn't going to blow anyone away mainly because he is coming off knee surgery, but his size is very real. He's 6'5, 215 and showed enough in just one game to make me believe that this is a very real possibility.
This one game I'm talking about is the 2014 game between the Ragin' Cajuns and New Mexico State. In that game, he caught just two passes for 14 yards, but both were in the end zone and both resulted in jump ball touchdowns. You can see those two touchdowns here and here.
He did damage earlier in that 2014 season against Southern with another similar style of touchdown.
As you can see, Johnson has the ability to use his size to his advantage. This Ragin' Cajun offense will greatly benefit from the size that he utilizes around the goal line.
Replacing Robinson's Big Play Ability
Jared Johnson isn't going to be the downfield threat that Jamal Robinson was in his career at UL Lafayette, but Devin Scott might be able to replace that element. His experience is limited (18/326/0 over three seasons), but now will be his time to shine. Against Troy in the final game of the season, he showed off his deep play ability.
Jared Johnson and Devin Scott aren't likely to have their names called in the 2017 NFL Draft, but each posses talent on the outside that can help replace Robinson. With great coaching, both of these players can utilize their talents to help improve an offense on the decline over the past few seasons.