Football: UL-ASU showdown of high-powered offenses taken over by punts and sacks

Kevin Foote, The Advocate, Oct. 10, 2019

Entering Wednesday’s big Sun Belt showdown between two explosive offenses, the two defenses apparently had other ideas.

UL came in averaging 44.4 points a game and Appalachian State 47 points a game. Instead of being a back-and-forth scoring affair, the halftime score was 7-7. A big reason why in the early going was sacks.

Appalachian State defensive end Demetrius Taylor halted UL’s first drive with a 12-yard sack.

Later, UL linebacker Joe Dillon ended the Mountaineers’ first drive with a 14-yard sack. After Appalachian State scored its only touchdown of the first half on its next drive, UL linebacker Kris Moncrief forced a punt on the ensuing drive with a nine-yard sack.

The Cajuns followed that drive with an 11-play, 64-yard drive in 4:24, but Appalachian State’s defense stiffened just in time, forcing UL to turn it over on down at the ASU 1 with 9:05 left until halftime.

Those defensive stops allowed the two punts to shine. UL’s Rhys Byrns was the star of the first half with three punts for a 57-yard average. If his teammates would have cooperate on his third one – that went into the end zone for a touchback instead – Byrns’ three punts would have been downed at the 1, the 5 and the 1.

“I think that’s one of the bright spots,” UL coach Billy Napier said. “Rhys’ family came to a game a couple of weeks ago and he didn’t get to play. With their lack of familiarity with the rules, they thought something was wrong. Certainly Rhys got his chances to punt tonight. Rhys is a tremendous teammate. He takes tremendous pride in his job. I’m glad that we have him. He’s a weapon for us.

“Tonight, his ability in those hang-punt situations and his ability to put the ball down inside the 10, that was special. Certainly a lot of players on that unit did a great job. Rhys is outstanding.”

ASU’s Xavier Subotsch, meanwhile, delivered a 44-yard punt to pin UL on its 6.

Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, UL’s offense responded with a 10-play, 94-yard scoring drive in 3:55 to tie the game before half.

It was more punting than UL’s used to this season. Entering Wednesday’s game, UL had only punted 11 times in five games with a high of six at Ohio. The Cajuns punted three times in the first half Wednesday. The Cajuns didn’t punt more than once in three of their first five games.

Byrns later added another 51-yard punt that backed the Mountaineers up to their own 3. Unfortunately for the Cajuns, Appalachian State amazingly countered with a 19-play, 97-yard drive to ice the victory.

Leaf remembers UL game

Wednesday’s ESPN2 broadcast from Cajun Field featured Clay Matvick as the play-by-play announcer and former NFL first-round draft pick Ryan Leaf.

That wasn’t Leaf’s first brush with the UL football program. Back in 1997, Leaf was the quarterback of the Washington State Cougars, who soundly defeated the visiting Ragin’ Cajuns 77-7.

In the pressbox prior to Wednesday’s game, Leaf vividly remembered that win over the Cajuns, suggesting UL was in the wrong place at the wrong time by visiting Pullman one week after the Cougars were upset by Arizona State the week before.

Leaf ended up throwing for 3,968 yards and 34 touchdowns that season in leading Washington State to the Pac-10 title and a Rose Bowl appearance.

Lagniappe

UL right guard Kevin Dotson made his 44 start as an offensive lineman, which is the longest current streak in the nation. Louisiana Tech offensive lineman Ethan Reed can tie Dotson on Saturday when the Bulldogs take on Massachusetts. … UL wide receiver Ja’Marcus Bradley caught a 15-yard pass on UL’s third drive of the game to give him at least one reception in 33 straight games. … UL’s 169 total yards in the first half was the lowest first-half output for the Cajuns since only putting up 146 in the opener against Mississippi State. … UL’s 94-yard drive before the end of the first half was the second-longest of the season behind the 99-yard drive late in the opening loss to Mississippi State.