Football: UL punter’s family flew from Australia for game

Tim Buckley, Daily Advertiser, September 19, 2013

In his first-ever season playing American football, Daniel Cadona – UL’s import punter from Australia – doesn’t know all the intricacies of the game.

Neither do his family members, some of whom – mother Julie, father Ray and one of his three brothers – have come all the way from Down Under to watch him play for the Ragin’ Cajuns.

But none of them needed to know too much before figuring out just well how things were going in the Cajuns’ 70-7 home win over Nicholls State before a crowd of nearly 29,000 last Saturday night.

“They really liked it and had a good time,” Cadona said of the trio.

“They had a lot of help from people sitting around them. They said everybody was trying to help them out with the game and what was going on,” he added. “They could sort of tell from the way we were scoring so easily we obviously, clearly, were the better side, and I wasn’t going to get too much game time.”

That fact actually concerned UL coach Mark Hudspeth, who didn’t want the Cadona family to come so far and not even get to see their favorite Cajun play.

“I think they wanted to see what American football was all about,” Hudspeth said. “They’ve probably heard it from him a lot – and were anxious to see what he really does. And I think he was anxious to show them.”

Opportunities were rare, however, as UL scored touchdowns on nine of its first 10 full drives and turned the ball over on the other.

Cadona, however, took it all in stride.

“I really wasn’t too worried about that,” he said. “I just thought as long as our team is winning and I stay off the field, I guess the better (for UL).

“But I’m sort of glad that I got on the last bit there in the last quarter, so they could see me do what I do and take some photos and things like that.”

As it turned out, Cadona wound up averaging 33.7 yards on three final-quarter punts – including one that dropped inside the 20-yard line.

He’s now averaging 39.6 yards on 13 punts in three games this season, including road losses in front of 69,000-plus at Arkansas and 53,000-plus at Kansas State.

“It’s definitely as crazy as I thought it would be,” said Cadona, raised as a rugby and Aussie rules football player. “I never really experienced anything like Arkansas. That was a massive crowd, and pretty loud. Even Kansas State, the same sort of thing.”

The biggest adjustment to the American game, Cadona said, has been “just standing on the sideline, and just trying to keep myself warm, and keep myself ‘in’ the game, and then just sort of going out there for one punt and straight off.”

“But now that I’ve sort of settled in … I’m just trying to get in the routine,” he added. “I’ve had a bit of ups and downs, but I think hopefully I can be more consistent once I get used to it all.”

COULD HAVE BEEN SIENER:

UL starting offensive guard Mykael Quave joked earlier this week that he “felt honored” the Cajuns scored 70 points against Nicholls State.

Quave coincidentally wears No. 70.

“What if I would have missed that, huh?” Cajun kicker Stephen Brauchle, who was 10-of-10 on extra points Saturday, laughed when asked about making the PAT that made it 70. “Then it would have been 69 points instead of 70. Greg Siener.”

Siener is a reserve offensive lineman who wears No. 69.

HISTORY LESSONS:

Going into Saturday’s game against Akron of the Mid-American Conference the Cajuns are 5-6 all-time vs. MAC teams, including 1-0 – with a 2011 win at Kent State – in the three-year Hudspeth coaching era.

Akron is 7-4-2 vs. current Sun Belt members, with the last meeting being a 13-12 loss to Arkansas State in 1988. It also is 7-3-2 all-time vs. SBC-member Western Kentucky.

The Cajuns and Zips have never played each other.

LAGNIAPPE:

Would-be starting outside linebacker Boris Anyama (hamstring) won’t travel to Saturday’s game at Akron, Hudspeth said after practice Wednesday. … Inside linebacker Tig Barksdale (turf toe) didn’t play last Saturday against Nicholls State but is practicing this week. … True-freshman cornerback Simeon Thomas still hasn’t received eligibility clearance from the NCAA, Hudspeth said Wednesday night.