Prior to UL’s 50-27 loss to Arkansas State on Tuesday, the Ragin’ Cajuns had never lost at Cajun Field under Mark Hudspeth.

In those eight home wins, the Cajuns always seemed to get the breaks. On Tuesday night, the breaks went the other way.

"I’m going to take this one," Hudspeth said. "Right now, we are not playing very good defense and we are putting our offense behind the 8-ball. Our quarterback is a sophomore and right now he is making sophomore mistakes."

Quarterback Terrance Broadway’s career highs of 28 completions, 374 yards and three touchdowns game were vastly overshadowed by his three interceptions and five total turnovers. The Cajuns came into Tuesday night ranked 12th in the nation in turnover margin.

"The first one was just a bad throw off my back foot," Broadway said. "The other ones, I think was pressing to get us back in."

"We turned the ball over five times, but our defense has gone two straight weeks without causing a turnover," Hudspeth said. "It works both ways. The offense could use a little help, too."

In the second quarter, with Arkansas State already up 13-0 and driving, senior safety Rodney Gillis had an opportunity to help the offense when a sure interception fell right into his hands. Gillis, however, took his eyes off the ball, and it dropped for an incompletion. The Red Wolves added a touchdown to make it 20-0.

"I just took my eyes off the ball thinking I already had it caught," Gillis said. "That would have been a big turning point of the game. That’s why I am so hard on myself about it. It would have given the offense the momentum they needed to get us back in."

"That certainly would have helped," Hudspeth said. "We didn’t make that play when we had the chance. You’ve got to make those plays."

Under Hudspeth, UL’s special teams unit has had tremendous success with gimmick plays. Before Tuesday, it seemed as if every fake punt, fake field goal or onside kick had been successful, including a fake punt in the New Orleans Bowl for a first down.

In the second quarter Tuesday, however, the Cajuns attempted the exact same fake punt, this time with Brett Baer attempting a pass to Melvin White. White looked open, but Baer missed the pass and the Cajuns turned the ball over on downs.

"It was there," Hudspeth asserted. "It was lined up just like we thought they would and we just didn’t make the throw. If Brett had made a good throw, I think Melvin goes for a big gain."

The Cajuns did not get the benefit of very many calls, including a call in the first half where Arkansas State’s Ryan Aplin hit David Oku for a 10-yard gain on third-and-nine. Oku was seemingly short, but replays indicated that he received a generous spot, giving Arkansas State the first down.

"I didn’t feel like we got very many calls," Hudspeth said, "but that didn’t have any affect on the game. We did not do a good job as coaches. Our kids gave us a good effort. It just comes a time where the coaches have to take responsibility."