Football: Peoples reaches next level

Tim Buckley, The Advertiser, November 23, 2012

UL Ragin’ Cajuns coach Mark Hudspeth dubs Harry Peoples the best the Sun Belt Conference has to offer this season.

He means it, too.

And when Peoples is as involved as much as he has been in UL’s last couple games — a career-high 13 catches for 144 yards in last Saturday’s comeback win over Western Kentucky, including four on the Cajuns’ eight-play game-winning drive; 10 catches for 73 yards, plus another 22 yards on three runs, in a narrow loss one week earlier at then-No. 7 Florida — it’s easy to buy why.

"That guy, if look you at what he does, there is not a receiver as good as Harry Peoples in this conference," said Hudspeth, whose 6-4 Cajuns are preparing to face South Alabama in Saturday’s 2012 home finale.

Peoples actually ranks fourth in the Sun Belt in total catch with 55 — just three fewer with two regular-season games and a likely bowl still to go than the 58 he had in his first season as a Cajun last year, but 29 fewer than co-leaders Brent Leonard of UL Monroe and J.D. McKissic of league-leader Arkansas State.

Which brings Hudspeth to his only regret regarding the senior starting slot receiver from Winona (Miss.) Secondary High and Holmes (Miss.) Community College.

"Early in the year, looking back," Hudspeth said, "we talked about trying to get the ball into his hands.

"If there’s one thing we probably could have done a better job of in the first few games, it’s making sure Harry Peoples touched it a few more times. Because when he has a lot of touches, we’re pretty good.

"So we’ve got to find ways to continue to get the ball in his hands," the Cajun coach added this week. "That guy, he’s phenomenal. He’s hard to tackle, too. And you know what? Everybody says, ‘Well, how fast is he?’ He’s fast enough. He doesn’t get caught. I don’t know if you can time that with a stopwatch or not, but it’s pretty valuable."

Peoples had just one catch in each of UL’s first two games this season, and in three of its first five.

He did have 10 grabs for 151 yards and a touchdown in a Sept. 29 win over Florida International.

But the Cajuns didn’t really decide to start featuring him this season until he had seven catches for 151 yards and a TD in an Oct. 16 loss at North Texas.

But Peoples hurt a shoulder on his scoring catch early in the second half of that one, forcing him to sit out an Oct. 23 to Arkansas State.

For a short while after he got hurt in Denton, there were quiet fears he could be lost for the season.

But in three games since — a win at UL Monroe and the one over Western Kentucky bookending the 27-20 loss at Florida, all ones standout senior wideout Javone Lawson has missed because of a fractured forearm — Peoples merely has a combined 29 catches for 291 yards.

"I look for Harry every play," said sophomore Terrance Broadway, who became UL’s starting quarterback after senior Blaine Gautier broke two bones in his throwing hand against FIU. "I see who’s lined up in front of him, or what situation we have, what matchups we have — but to get the ball into Harry’s hands, in our plan it’s a must.

"We didn’t do it early on, in the first four games or what-not. "» (But) he’s really been a great asset to us, and now we’re rolling.

"Just trying to get the ball into his hands any time that we can, any situation we can, is a big help for us, because he always makes plays," Broadway added. "It seems like no one can tackle him in the open field at times."

How the 5-foot-10, 180-pounder is able to do it is anyone’s best guess.

"Some guys have just ‘got it,’ " Hudspeth said.

"It’s hard to evaluate ‘it’ in recruiting sometimes; sometimes you sort of luck out, sometimes you can see it.

"We knew that he had a little of that ‘it’ factor to him; didn’t know it was quite to this extreme. To me, he’s the best player in the Sun Belt Conference."

Broadway probably wouldn’t debate the assertion.

When UL had one minute and 32 seconds to go 93 yards and make up a 27-24 deficit to Western Kentucky as fourth-quarter time wound down, in fact, he looked to Peoples early and often.

Broadway threw five times to him, and Peoples’ four catches amounted to a combined 49 yards in a drive capped by the QB’s own 14-yard run.

"One thing I thought about," Broadway said, "was (Gautier’s) game-winning drive against San Diego State (to win last year’s New Orleans Bowl), and what he did with Harry."

Gautier drove the Cajuns 49 yards in 35 seconds to set up a 50-yard Brett Baer field goal that beat the Aztecs.

His first two throws were completions to Lawson for 13 and 26 yards, respectively, and his last was a 5-yarder to Peoples on the sideline.

"I just figured that same thing would work," Broadway said, "and it so happened it did, and Harry made some big plays for us.

"He told me before we got out there that he was gonna make the plays."

For Peoples, a part-time starter at quarterback for Winona, it all’s about playmaking.

He’s run the ball nine times this season. And he’s even been behind center at wildcat quarterback on occasion.

But what he really loves to do is catch passes — on the sideline, on bubble screens and especially over the middle.

"That’s where we get paid at — across the middle," he said. "I mean, anybody can make the catch on the outside. But it’s the ones that go across the middle that get the job done."

Peoples — who is fast developing what he calls a "strong bond" with Broadway — understands that with as many playmakers as the Cajuns have, there is only so much ball to go around.

"We’ve got so many athletes on our team," he said. Javone (Lawson) — I mean, he’s big. (Wideout) Jamal Robinson. Alonzo (Harris, UL’s starting running back). All the running backs. Broadway running the ball.

"One person can’t win a game," Peoples added. "It takes all 11."

But the more he can help, the better.

Which is precisely why Peoples loves hearing that as his Cajun career comes to a close — Saturday’s game against South Alabama will be his last at Cajun Field — he just may see touches along the lines of the 13 he’s had in each of UL’s last two games.

"For (Hudspeth) to say I need to get the ball (a lot) — it’s a blessing, an honor," Peoples said.