Football: ‘Hogs’ lead UL to wins

Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • October 8, 2008

While running back Tyrell Fenroy, quarterback Mike Desormeaux and wide receiver Jason Chery usually grab most of the headlines for UL, the seniors recognize the fact they’re responsible for only part of their success.

"You can’t deny guys like Fenroy and Chery make a lot of things happen, but the work is done up front," Desormeaux said. "You wouldn’t be able to make the frequent number of big plays without a good offensive line."

So let’s meet the five starters up front for the Ragin’

Cajuns – also known as the "Hogs".

Chris Fisher, a junior who joined the team as a non-scholarship player out of St. Thomas More, snaps the ball and is on the preseason watch list for the Rimington Trophy. The left side is manned by two juniors, Kyle Pirtle at tackle and Brad Bustle – the son of UL coach Rickey Bustle – at guard. Two sophomores start on the right side in Ian Burks at guard and Jonathan Decoster at tackle.

Those five players have started all five games this season and have a combined 78 career starts going into Saturday’s game at North Texas.

That line, along with senior tight end Erik Jones, helped UL open Sun Belt play last week with a big bang in a 44-35 win over ULM. The Cajuns racked up a school-record 728 yards, including six scoring plays of at least 50 yards, and did not allow a sack. That came two weeks after the team set the previous school mark with 667 yards in a 44-27 win over Kent State.

Fenroy broke a school and Sun Belt mark with 297 rushing yards and three touchdowns against ULM and was named the national offensive player of the week by the Walter Camp Football Foundation. The Cajuns finished with 556 yards on the ground, which set a league record.

Desormeaux and Chery both accounted for two touchdowns and more than 300 yards.

"They make the plays and get the yards, but I think everybody knows it’s a team thing," Brad Bustle said. "There’s not a better feeling then when you’re blocking and all of a sudden you see one of your guys running downfield and you feel like you had something to do with that."

Fenroy obviously agreed after his record-setting performance.

"Give all the credit to the offensive line," Fenroy said. "They came out and fought. When they do that, it gives everybody a lot of confidence."

The all-around performance against ULM catapulted UL up the national rankings. The Cajuns now lead the country in rushing offense with an average of 331 yards per game and are eighth in total offense at 517 yards a night.

In five games this season, UL has allowed seven sacks – the third-fewest allowed in the league. They have not allowed a sack in three games.

Not bad considering Pirtle, who started five games last season at right tackle before a season-ending knee injury, is replacing all-league left tackle Jesse Newman this year. And Brad Bustle has started every game this season despite being carted off with a dislocated kneecap in the first quarter against Illinois on Sept. 13.

Fenroy ranks third nationally in rushing yards per game (150) and is the nation’s active leading rusher with 4,021 career yards. He needs 30 yards to become the Sun Belt’s career rushing leader.

Desormeaux is 12th overall in rushing at 117 yards per game and is the national leader among quarterbacks.

All of those numbers bring pride to the "Hogs".

"It’s nice to have playmakers like that," said Fisher, a second team all-league pick a season ago. "They do most of the work, but we take pride through them and their accomplishments.

"Our goal every week is to make sure our offense runs well."

UL’s offense has been at its best in the past three weeks.

The Cajuns are 2-1 during that stretch, averaging 41.7 points and 634.7 yards in those games. They’ve averaged 435 rushing yards over that time. It’s no coincidence that Fenroy, Desormeaux and Chery have accounted for 18 of their 21 touchdowns in the past three games.

"They make our job easier," Fisher said. "When you have great players like that behind you, it makes your job fun. They inspire you to do better things."

In the end, it’s a package deal. The playmakers and blockers must both do their jobs. Otherwise, even high-octane offenses run on fumes.

That’s a responsibility Brad Bustle likes having.

"We know it starts with us," he said. "If we have a bad game, we get the blame.

"And if we have a really good game, we get some really positive things said about us."