Football – CHAIN GANG: UL’s offense keeps drives alive; see photos from homecoming events

Bustle’s Cajuns excel on third downs

Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • October 29, 2008

The trick to finding success on the football field in third-down situations: be productive on first and second downs. So far this season, UL has enjoyed success on third down on both sides of the ball.

Going into Saturday’s game against Florida International, the Ragin’ Cajuns have converted 45.7 percent of their plays on third down (43-of-94). That leads the Sun Belt and ranks 27th in the nation.

"It’s a matter of experience, but it’s also a matter of practice," said UL wide receiver Richie Falgout, a sophomore who played at Lafayette High. "We practice it a lot to make sure we’re where we need to be."

But there is still room for improvement.

UL’s goal is to convert at least 50 percent of its third-down opportunities every game. In an effort to become more efficient, the Cajuns (4-3 overall, 3-0 Sun Belt) take an extended amount of time in practice every Wednesday to work specifically on third downs.

That extra work on the practice field has translated into overall success this season on offense. The Cajuns lead the nation in rushing offense, are seventh in total offense and 21st in scoring offense. In league play, they are second in the conference in third-down conversions at 51.4 percent (19-of-37).

Better execution in the passing game and improved play-calling by first-year offensive coordinator Ron Hudson and quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Jorge Munoz have helped UL avoid costly third-and-long situations that has killed the team in the past. The big-play abilities of quarterback Mike Desormeaux, running back Tyrell Fenroy and wide receiver Jason Chery have burned opposing defenses all season.

In losses earlier this season at Illinois and Kansas State, the Cajuns converted 50 percent of their third downs (16-of-32). They lost those games by a combined 11 points.

Even with those near misses, UL is 3-0 in league play for the first time since 1980 and tied atop the conference standings with Troy (5-2, 4-0). The Cajuns have won one more game than all of last season and are above .500 seven games into the season for the first time in 13 years heading into the meeting against FIU (3-4, 2-1).

"I think it’s a confidence thing for the whole team," Falgout said. "A lot of people last year when we got to third down would automatically think we were throwing the ball. We felt like we didn’t have as many packages as we do this year.

"We have so many weapons this year that no matter who gets the ball on third down will execute."

Last season, UL was fourth in the conference last season on third downs at 36.9 percent.

"It’s execution because you’re doing better on first and second down," UL coach Rickey Bustle said. "We left ourselves in a lot of third-and-longs (last season).

"Now we’re getting into manageable third-and-5s and third-and-6s."

Bustle’s team did just that two weeks ago against Arkansas State.

Despite being without Desormeaux because of injury, UL managed to rally twice to beat the Red Wolves, 28-23, because of its efficiency on third down. Back-up quarterback Brad McGuire helped the Cajuns convert 8-of-15 times on third down in his first career start.

McGuire was involved in seven of those conversions. Of his five third-down conversions through the air, four came on passes when the team needed at least six yards to move the chains.

Both Falgout and Bustle expressed their confidence in McGuire if Desormeaux is unable to play on Saturday. The senior, who is probable with a sprained right knee, is the nation’s top rushing quarterback and ranks 12th nationally in rushing yards per game (118). He also leads the Sun Belt and is 15th in the country in total offensive yards per game (297.3).

"We have confidence in the coaches that they’re going to call the right plays," Falgout said. "No matter what they call – a run on third-and-8 or a draw or pass on third-and-2 – we’re going to execute it and do our jobs."

UL has also found success on the other side of the ball under second-year defensive coordinator Kevin Fouquier. The Cajuns are second in the league on third down, allowing opponents to move the chains only 35.6 percent of the time. In league games, they lead the conference with a 27.3 percent clip against opponents on third down.

That’s a stark contrast to last season, when the Cajuns ranked last in the eight-team conference in third-down conversions allowed at 45.8 percent.

"The kids understand the defense and are playing the calls better," Fouquier said. "They’re playing more aggressive."

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