Football: Homecoming triumph–Cajuns overcome 21-point deficit to pull away from Aggies

Tim Buckley, Daily Advertiser, November 3, 2013

 

UL running back Alonzo Harris (46) celebrates with teammates after scoring his fourth of five touchdowns during the Cajuns’ homecoming win. / Leslie Westbrook/The Advertiser

 

 

UL running back Alonzo Harris (46) runs for his fifth touchdown during the Cajuns’ win over New Mexico State. / Leslie Westbrook/The Advertiser

 

UL offensive lineman Terry Johnson (72) congratulates running back Elijah McGuire (22) on his touchdown run during the Cajuns’ 49-35 win over New Mexico State. / Leslie Westbrook/The Advertiser

Maybe it was the fact New Mexico State had won just one of its previous 19.

Perhaps it was because it was a non-conference homecoming game, with a big Sun Belt Conference meeting with Troy on ESPNU looming Thursday night.

Or it could have been due to the Ragin’ Cajuns simply feeling a little too good about themselves, having won five in a row and all.

Whatever it was, it took some meaningful words from starting quarterback Terrance Broadway and halftime encouragement from coach Mark Hudspeth – not to mention Alonzo Harris’ five touchdowns runs and 106 rushing yards – for UL to rally from three touchdowns down and beat NMSU 49-35 in front of 30,028 on Saturday night at Cajun Field.

It was the sixth straight victory for the 6-2 Cajuns, now bowl-eligible for a third straight season.

“It was kind of a different type of silence in the locker room, because it just surprised us,” senior receiver Darryl Surgent said of UL’s 28-14 halftime deficit to the now 1-8 Aggies. “It shocked us. We weren’t used to being down like that.

“But, as a team, Terrance (Broadway) grabbed us up. He was just telling us, ‘Let’s get it together; let’s go out and let’s fight.’ ”

So the Cajuns did just that, improving to 13-1 under Hudspeth on a home field they had not been on in almost a month.

“It was all about weathering the storm. … It just took us a little while to get going on defense,” said linebacker Dominique Tovell, who had a career-high 3.5 tackles for loss.

“It was just a slow start,” Harris added. “Usually it’s us (UL’s offense) to start slow, but it was the defense tonight. But they did pick it up, tremendously.”

Hudspeth, in fact, called the Cajuns “a little discombobulated there defensively in the first half.”

With NMSU quarterback Andrew McDonald running in from the 1 on the Aggies’ opening drive and following up with a 65-yard TD pass to Austin Franklin, UL fell behind 14-0 quick.

Right away, Hudspeth sensed the Cajuns were out of synch.

He’d be proven right by a defense that had a hard time making stops, two lost turnovers, a couple drops, a shanked punt and even a bad snap on a missed PAT.