Football: Hudspeth after loss to Idaho: ‘Just more of the same’

Tim Buckley, The Advertiser, Nov. 6, 2016

Athletic Network footnote by Ed Dugas:
Click here for photo gallery of Cajuns vs. Vandals

For a third straight game, UL did not allow its opponent a second-half touchdown.

The flip side: For three of the last six halves of football they’ve played, the Ragin’ Cajuns scored nothing.

The cost of that Saturday night: UL dropped is Homecoming game 23-13 to Idaho in front of an announced 21,267 at Cajun Field, and head coach Mark Hudspeth found it hard to say many kind things about his struggling offense.

“Just more of the same tonight,” said Hudspeth, whose Cajuns lost 24-0 to Appalachian State two games prior. “Offensively we’ve yet to find some answers.

“One thing I was proud of: We did not have one turnover. Took care of the ball the whole night. Did not ever give the other team the short field because we did take care of the ball.

“But no production offensively,” he added. “I think 266 yards (of total offense by the Cajuns) and 13 points is not good enough. … When you average 2.1, 2.5 yards per rush (the Cajuns actually averaged 2.6), not good enough.”

UL trailed 17-13 at halftime of the Sun Belt Conference game, and 5-4 Idaho used two second-half field goals to hand the 3-5 Cajuns their fourth loss in five outings.

“Even though I did not think we played our best game defensively,” Hudspeth said, “I thought we played, once again, well enough to win the football game.

“(But) we’re just not moving the ball. We’re not finishing drives, and we’re not putting the ball in the end zone.”

   TURNING POINT

Still down 17-13 about four minutes into the third quarter, UL lined up to punt before an offside penalty made it fourth-and-1 at the Idaho 42.

The Cajuns went for it, but reserve running back Darius Hoggins — in because standout Elijah McGuire (17 carries, 55 yards) was limited again by his foot injury — was stopped short.

Two drives later Austin Rehkow hit a 50-yard field goal, and UL seemed out of it even though it was only down by a touchdown.

Hudspeth suggested the stop was a back-breaker, and it was.

   PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Rehkow was 3-of-3 on field goals, hitting from 29, 50 and 44 yards.

“We knew coming in that their field-goal kicker was automatic,” Hudspeth said. “We knew that when he got to the 25 you could count it as three points.

“We did come up with some stops. Made them kick a lot of field goals. That was a big plus, and that kept us in the ballgame.

“But I’ll tell you: That kicker, man, he’s automatic,” Hudspeth added. “He’s one of the best I’ve seen.”

Vandals quarterback Matt Linehan, meanwhile, was 20-of-30 passing for 227 yards.

He seemed to move Idaho at will on UL on its opening drive, completing 4-of-4 passes for 48 yards before Denzal Brantley ran in from 1 yards out.

Linehan also directed a 10-play drive in the second quarter that ended with Isaiah Saunders rolling on top of Cajun defender Jarvis Jeffries to get into the end zone for a 1-yard, second-effort TD.