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Football: UL blessed with deep receiving corpsTim Buckley, Daily Advertiser, August 5, 2012 He lost tight end Ladarius Green to graduation and the NFL. But UL Ragin’ Cajun quarterback Blaine Gautier has his top three receivers from 2011 — NFL prospect Javone Lawson, slot man Harry Peoples and versatile return specialist Darryl Surgent — as targets again in 2012. And he’s so glad he does. "It’s a great feeling to have all those guys come back," said Gautier, who threw for a school-record 2,958 yards and school-record 23 touchdowns a season ago. It’s not just Lawson, Peoples and Surgent, however, who Gautier will have to toss to this time around. With a couple key reserves, Jamal Robinson and back-from-ACL-surgery James Butler, and two highly touted transfers, Bradley Brown and Devin Figaro, ready for the season to come, the Cajuns are loaded at receiver — so much so coach Mark Hudspeth said Gautier has "really, I think, one of the best receiving corps in the country." Yet therein could lie a problem. Or probably not. Because as much as it may seem there may not be nearly enough balls to go around even for a spread offense as pass-happy as the Cajuns, a reality check ensures Hudspeth will see it is not an issue. "We stress teamwork an awful lot," he said. "We stress being unselfish, and I’m not a guy that does well with selfish players." Still, there must be some lobbying for looks that goes on. Right? Perhaps it’s not as blatant as "Blaine, I’ll carry your bags," or "Blaine, I’ll wash your car," but surely there’s got to be some politicking among a group with as many hungry hands as the Cajuns. Right? Well "¦"It’s actually not that bad," Gautier said. "They know that whatever it takes to win games, that’s what we’ll do. Even if they don’t touch the ball as much … then that’s what we have to do. "But they definitely want their touches. That’s expected of any team." It is, and Hudspeth knows it. "I’m sure they kid around about it," the Cajun coach said. "Any time you’re a spread team "» you’ve only got one ball, and you want to get the ball to everybody. "But in a game, I think that’s what made (Gautier) successful — that at the end of the day, he knows for him to be successful, which makes us successful, he’s got to take what the defense gives him," Hudspeth added. "And if he’ll continue doing that, they’ll all get the ball." Just how much, though, can change week-by-week, impacted by not only game plans and offensive coordinator Jay Johnson’s play calling, but also defensive adjustments, check-downs and reads. "I believe he (Gautier) is just throwing the ball to the open person," Lawson said, "and just trying to give someone a chance to make a play, the majority of the time." Last year, it was Lawson who wound up with the most catches — 63 in all, fourth-most on UL’s single-season leaders list behind three UL seasons for NFL receiver Brandon Stokley. Lawson also had the most receving yards, 1,092, fourth-most behind three Stokley seasons as well, along with eight touchdowns catches, as many as Green. But Peoples had another 58 catches for 697 yards, and Surgent 28 grabs for 518 yards and six touchdowns. Whether any of the three can improve upon, or even replicate, those numbers remains to be seen. But it may not be easy, considering UL’s new-found depth. Gautier now will have at least four more viable targets, and Hudspeth plans to significantly integrate all four into the Cajun offense. "Last year, Lawson and Surgent played 65 snaps a game — and were still a threat in the second half," Hudspeth said. "How, I don’t know — because they were doing that much running. "So we’re going to try to keep some fresher legs on the field this year." They could be those of Brown, a transfer from Northwestern State whom Hudspeth calls "a really good player" who will spell Peoples out of the slot. They could be those of Lafayette High-product Figaro, the son of ex-Cajun/ basketball great Kevin Figaro and transfer from Tulane whom Hudspeth calls "a big kid who can line up and give you some quality reps." They could be those of the mended Butler, whom Hudspeth calls a "big kid" who can play inside or out and who will "definitely play a lot." Or they could be those of Robinson, who played last season as a true freshman and whom Hudspeth called "a big, big kid who, to me, can be a difference-maker" on the outside. And that doesn’t even take into account New Iberia High true freshman LaMarcus Allen, who evidently is talented enough to shed his redshirt should need be. "We’re gonnna be real dangerous. I’m excited. I can’t wait," Surgent said. "You know, we have a lot of receivers — and all those receivers can make plays, from top to bottom, from seniors to freshmen." A lot, indeed. And it’s a lot who, truth be told, would love to be on the receiving end of as many Gautier passes as possible. So what, then, really will be the key to that? "They’re gonna throw it to whoever’s open," Surgent said. "We just make sure we get open. That’s basically how it is." That, and perhaps a friendly, subtle reminder or two. "Maybe tell (Gautier) something like, ‘If you want to break your records from last year, you’ll throw me the ball,’ " Lawson said. "Something like that. Something funny he’ll laugh at. "I don’t think he listens to us, but I believe he hears us — and he just wants to make everybody happy." SO MANY CHOICESA look at UL quarterback Blaine Gautier’s many possible targets in 2012: ![]()
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