Special to the Advertiser

NEW ORLEANS — What a difference 12 months can make.

UL’s defensive football squad took the brunt of the blame for last year’s struggles, when the Ragin’ Cajuns finished 3-9.

Turn over one calendar, and the Cajuns have now gone from nine losses to nine wins thanks to Saturday’s 32-30 win over favored San Diego State in the R?L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.

When Brett Baer’s 50-yard field goal sailed through the Mercedes-Benz Superdome uprights at the final horn — his first-ever success from that many yards away — the Cajuns had their first-ever victory in a Division I bowl game.

But despite the heart-wrenching heroics of Baer, and the impressive offensive performances from game Most Valuable Player Blaine Gautier and receivers Javone Lawson and Ladarius Green, the record horde that followed the Cajuns to the Crescent City can thank the defense for this one.

Yes, they gave up 30 points to the high-powered Aztecs, and they didn’t force a turnover. But they did help UL outgain one of the country’s most prolific multi-purpose offenses. And, maybe most importantly, they totally bottled up a running back that most think will be playing in the NFL next fall rather than returning for his junior season.

"We went in here to stop the run, and that’s what we did," said senior tackle Derreck Dean. "All we’ve been hearing about is Ronnie Hillman, Ronnie Hillman, Ronnie Hillman. We knew we had to stop him."

Hillman, the Aztecs’ standout, who ranked third nationally in rushing entering the bowl season, was stacked up for losses totaling 16 yards on three of his first five carries.

For the night, the sophomore had 55 net yards on 24 carries and had only one tote over 10 yards, and was limited to two receptions out of the backfield for 14 yards.

"I really think our speed affected him," said Cajun secondary coach Tim Rebowe. "We kept getting after him from the back side. He’d try to bounce it out and we were there. They started doing something they really didn’t want to do."

What the Aztecs started doing was throwing the ball, and SDSU quarterback Ryan Lindley finished up with 28-of-49 completions for 413 yards and three second-half scores. Lindley also led drives of 99, 55 and 69 yards in the game’s final 19 minutes in what became an all-out aerial circus by both teams.

Lindley’s totals, in fact, were eclipsed by Gautier, who threw for 470 yards and three scores.

"When we stopped the run, they still kept getting big plays," Rebowe said. "That tight end (Gavin Escobar) is a heck of a player, and their receivers kept getting themselves in good position. But our offense came through, just like they had all year."

UL’s defense was hampered even before the opening kickoff. Senior linebacker Devon Lewis-Buchanan, the team’s second-leading tackler on the season, went down with a freak knee injury during pre-game warmups and was lost for the contest. He wound up hobbling the sidelines the entire game.

The Cajuns were already short-handed in the linebacker corps, with senior Le’Marcus Gibson already sidelined for the year with a tibia injury suffered against Arkansas State. They spent the whole night patch-working together a linebacker corps around fellow senior Lance Kelley.

"At the end, it was on us," said Kelley, the team’s leading tackler on the season with 101 and again on Saturday night with 11. "It was all these guys working their butts off, making plays. We knew we had to just keep them close, and our offense would come through for us."

With Lewis-Buchanan out, sophomore Justin Anderson shifted over to the "Rover" linebacker slot and normal starting defensive end and senior Bernard Smith stepped back to the "Bandit" slot. Anderson had started in place of Gibson at "Bandit" in the regular-season finale against Arizona after Gibson fractured his leg against ASU.

Even with all those holes to fill, the Cajuns still found a way. Other than the 53-yard drive that led to the Aztecs’ first field goal, the only other scoring march SDSU had through the first two and one-half quarters was a quick 41-yard march just after halftime — one set up by a long kickoff return.

"We just had to play hard," Dean said. "It was every man doing his job. We knew if we got that out of every one of us, we could do that. And we did it."

It didn’t hurt, of course, that the Cajun offense rolled up 568 offensive yards, and had five drives of 72 or more yards. The most important, though, were the 49 yards that UL covered in the final 35 seconds, just enough to give Baer the shot at the line-drive game-winner.

"I really think our guys have such a confidence, such poise, that they expect to be successful in that situation," said offensive coordinator Jay Johnson. "They knew that all we needed was a chance, and it played out that way tonight."

Athletic Network Footnote:

Click here for the video and photo gallery links to the New Orleans Bowl…from invitation to victory and a lot of activities in between – practice, tailgating, graduation in N.O.,Rock N.O. Bowl, Visit to Zoo, and more.