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Football: Defense holds on; Backs, line bring punch back to running attackRolle pick seals deal for Cajuns Bruce Brown • bbrown@theadvertiser.com • September 12, 2010 Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns knew there was a chance the Arkansas State Red Wolves would rally in Saturday’s Sun Belt Conference Why should Saturday be any different than most games between the two schools? So when quarterback Ryan Aplin led the visitors on a furious comeback to within 31-24, no one was surprised — certainly not safety Maurice Rolle Jr. "I knew it would be a dogfight," Rolle said. "It always is. We looked at the scoreboard and (some) thought it was over. But even when it was 31-7, those guys never gave up. That’s what I like about them. They dig deep and come after you. "But we came through at the end." Rolle finally shut the door on the Red Wolves when he stepped in to intercept an Aplin pass and return it 23 yards to the ASU 17 with 1:59 remaining in the contest. Prior to that, the visitors got a field goal, then followed two missed UL field goals with scoring drives covering 68 and 76 yards capped by Aplin’s 5-yard run and his 11-yard pass to Anthony Robinson — the latter with 3:27 to play. The Red Wolves got one more chance with 2:22 left, but Rolle ended the suspense. "It looked like the pass was open, but I got a step in front and got it," Rolle said. This was the same ASU quarterback who rallied his troops last year in Jonesboro, only to be picked off late as the Cajuns preserved a 21-18 road win. On a day when the Red Wolves and Cajuns totaled 456 yards, and Aplin equaled a Cajun Field opponent passing record of 438 yards (tying Daunte Culpepper), it’s still hard to fault a UL defense that allowed just 2-of-14 third-down conversions. "We showed resolve at the end," said linebacker Richard Brooks, who subbed for injured Grant Fleming. "Maurice’s play was real big. We were looking for someone to make that big play. "In the first half, we came out and wanted to make a statement. We knew we needed to pick up our game after last week. Unfortunately in the second half, they converted a couple of big plays and series on us." Cajun quarterback Chris Masson, meanwhile, didn’t flinch as the score tightened. "I never thought our defense wouldn’t hold on at the end," he said. "We looked at film after the Georgia game, and our kids didn’t look as fast as they normally do," said UL defensive coordinator Kevin Fouquier. "But in the second half at Georgia, we held them to 119 yards. We also missed on six sacks and had seven tackles behind the line. "Our kids played fast, extemely fast, in the first half today. But Arkansas State throws the ball, and it’s like the 3-point basket in basketball — it can keep you in the game. "We know we need to do a better job of keeping the ball in front of us, but we proved at the end that we could make a play. That’s what it comes down to. You have to have someone step up and make a play." Saturday was Maurice Rolle’s day to make that play.
UL cornerback Melvin White, center, celebrates with teammates after he recovered a fumble Saturday during the first half of the game against Arkansas State at Cajun Field. Backs, line bring punch back to running attack Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • September 12, 2010 It took only one play for UL’s offense to regain some confidence after a deflating season-opening loss at Georgia.
UL running back Kevis Streeter (25) runs toward the end zone for a touchdown on the Cajuns’ first play of the game against Arkansas State on Saturday. Junior tailback "Seeing Kevis run down there like that certainly lifted my spirits," UL tight end Ladarius Green said. "I didn’t even know what was going on (because I was blocking), but I know the offensive line UL finished with 456 yards of total offense, including 242 on the ground. It was the program’s best rushing performance since rolling up 338 yards in a win over North Texas on Oct. 11, 2008. Streeter, a transfer from Iowa Western Community College, rushed for 71 yards on two carries before leaving with a hamstring injury in the second quarter. Junior quarterback Chris Masson scored on a career-long 60-yard run to give UL a 31-7 lead late in the third quarter. Masson ran for 53 yards on four carries. Three other tailbacks also chipped in: Freshman Aaron Spikes finished with 53 yards on 13 carries, junior Julian Shankle rushed for 44 yards on 10 attempts and freshman Rob Walker of Mamou picked up 29 yards on four rushes. The rushing total was a huge improvement after UL gained only 14 yards on the ground in a 55-7 loss at Georgia on Sept. 5 behind an offensive line with three new starters. The Cajuns also picked up 19 first downs — 14 more than they had against Georgia. "This is a running team, and we wanted to come out and make a statement," said Shankle, who started against Georgia. "Looking at film, I thought we would be able to run over these guys." The Cajuns started the same five players up front as last week in seniors Ian Burks (center), Jonathan Decoster (right tackle) and Colin Windsor (left tackle) and sophomores Jaron Odom (right guard) and Leonardo Bates (left guard) but with better results. Freshman Andre Huval (right guard) and sophomore Evan Ruiz (left guard) rotated in every series until Odom hurt his ankle near the end of the third quarter. Huval, a St. Thomas More grad, played the rest of the way in his first college game. "People have been bashing them all week, and I didn’t believe it for one minute," Masson said. "I’ve got all the confidence in the world in those guys. They stepped up, and they were nasty and that is what we preach to them." UL offensive coordinator Ron Hudson said his team ran the zone read no more than three times (including Streeter’s TD run on the Cajuns’ first play) — and for good reason. "We knew Arkansas State was going to slant and move all around," Hudson said. "We want to go pound those teams, and that’s what we did. We wanted to be physical and move the chains."
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