Football: Question marks + Practice schedule – T.V. Schedule

Tim Buckley, Daily Advertiser, August 3, 2012

This time a year ago, questions swirled around a Ragin’ Cajun offense that ranked just sixth in total yards in the Sun Belt Conference in 2011.

There was no telling if then-first-year head coach Mark Hudspeth and also-then-new coordinator Jay Johnson could breath life into a unit that averaged just 22.3 points per game, seventh in the Sun Belt, that same season.

Shoot, the Cajuns didn’t even know then that Blaine Gautier — who would go on to throw for 2,958 yards and 23 touchdowns for a 9-4 New Orleans Bowl-champion team that averaged 32.3 points in 2012 — would be their starting quarterback.

But now, with UL having held its first practices of training camp Thursday at Cajun Field, it’s the defense that’s punctuated by question marks.

And for a unit looking to replace not only an NFL-drafted cornerback in the Detroit Lions’ Dwight "Bill" Bentley and its leading tackler in linebacker Lance Kelley, but also three key linemen in Bernard Smith, Derreck Dean and Tyrell Gaddies, another starting linebacker in Devon Lewis-Buchanan and another starting defensive back in Lionel Stokes, that comes as no great shock.

"Regardless, you’re always going to have questions — especially when you have good, top players leaving like a Bill (Bentley), or Stokes, or Kelley, or Gaddies down low," said cornerback Melvin White, who is assuming Bentley’s role as a leader of the Cajun defense.

"But we’ve still got people that "» might not be better than them, but that can fill that spot and step up and make plays just the same as they did."

Players, perhaps, like linemen Cordian Hagans and Justin Hamilton and Emeka Onyenekwu, and linebackers Delvin Jones and Justin Anderson, and defensive backs Tig Barksdale and Rodney Gillis.

"That’s something I like as a challenge — to work, from Day 1, and go in and prove to everybody that, hey, ain’t nothing changed," White said. "That last year wasn’t a fluke, we (aren’t) missing nothing, we’ll come to play just like last year."

Leaders from a UL offense that has to replace only two departed starters, tight end Ladarius Green and offensive lineman Kyle Plouhar, trust that White’s hopes can be realized

"We’re very confident in (Gautier), and our offense is just trying to move forward and build on what we did last year," senior receiver Javone Lawson said. "Defense? I’m not on the defensive side of the ball. But I trust in them, and I believe they’ll come around and make spectacular plays."

"I’m very confident about both sides," said junior receiver Darryl Surgent, another of Gautier’s favorite targets. "Offense "» we have the team chemistry going, so we’re just getting timing and getting reps to refresh our minds and make sure we stay how we were last year. And as far as the defense goes, they’re hungry. Coach Stew (Greg Stewart, UL’s defensive coordinator) is gonna stay on them, and then seniors like Melvin White and (cornerback) Jemarlous Moten are gonna make sure they have the young guys going."

Surgent said he "hadn’t seen a slip-up" during Thursday’s opening practice of camp.

Ironically, it seemed to be UL’s offense that Hudspeth got onto most after the two-plus-hour session.

"For us to be successful we’ve got to be a great team that takes care of the ball," he said. "We’ve got lead the country in ball security.

"Saw a lot of mistakes, a lot of little sloppiness at times, things we’ve got to improve upon and clean up. "» We’ve still got a long way to go, putting this team back together."

If Thursday’s opener was any indication, overcoming barriers like heat and pain heat will only matters more challenging.

Non-contact practice opened under cloudy 8:55 a.m. skies, but it didn’t stay that way. "Then when that sun peaked out," Hudspeth said, "it was like, ‘Man, camp is here.’ "

By the time of an afternoon workout for reserves, freshmen, scout-teamers and walk-ons, Cajun Field’s heat index was 109 degrees.

"I saw some guys sucking a little wind," Hudspeth said after the morning session for starters and backups.

"That’s pretty typical. You know, they worked awfully hard this summer. I’m convinced we’re the hardest-working team in the country. But football shape’s a little bit different than running and weightlifting shape.

"I told them, ‘I want to see people that’s fighting through it, that’s got great body language — when it gets hot, you’re tired, you don’t show it."

That’s the case no matter what side of the ball.

Lawson knows it, and so does Gautier.

"We’re not comfortable," Lawson said. "We’re always trying to get better."

"It was a good day. "» It was about shaking that rust off. You know, we were a little rusty coming out," Gautier. "(But) I definitely think this year’s team will rally around and be as good as last year’s team."

LAGNIAPPE: The Cajuns will work out again today at Cajun Field, then they’ll move to their usual adjacent practice fields. "» The first- and second-teamers who took part in Thursday’s morning practice watched film and lifted weights in the afternoon, when the rest of the team took to the field. It will be that way again today. "» No true freshmen went through drills with the morning group