Trevence Patt was a part of the three-man regular rotation at safety for UL in its Nov. 3 win at UL Monroe, and even got his first career start that day, as the Ragin’ Cajuns opened in a rare dime package with six defensive backs.

The Breaux Bridge High product started again one week later, as one of UL’s two safeties this time, in a 27-20 loss last Saturday at No. 7 Florida.

It’s been an unanticipated baptism for the redshirt sophomore, one that — as is also for a few other young Cajuns — could pay long-term dividends.

"I think he’s really improved," Cajuns coach Mark Hudspeth said of Patt, a Louisiana Class 4A all-state pick as a senior at Breaux Bridge who played in six games for UL last season, mostly on special teams. "I think he’s improved an awful lot since the first of the season.

"That’s the same way for our whole team," added Hudspeth, whose 5-4 Cajuns face Western Kentucky tonight. "We’re playing a lot of kids right now that at the start weren’t getting any reps — and I think that’s why our team is improving."

Patt registered a career-high five tackles had a key recovery of senior safety Rodney Gillis’ fumbled interception at UL Monroe, where he was in on the rotation because T.J. Worthy was suspended for undisclosed violation of team rules.

And although he let a possible interception get away against the Gators, Patt contributed another three tackles at Florida, where he started over Worthy and because another UL safety, Tig Barksdale, was the one suspended for a rules violation that time.

Patt, who has 14 total tackles this season, is one in a line of youngsters playing more than initially planned due to largely unforeseen circumstances.

Worthy, a redshirt freshman, has two starts because Barksdale also has been dealing with a sports hernia.

True freshman Chris Hill has been playing a lot at linebacker, and he’s now backing up Jake Molbert, who will be playing extensively because ex-starter Qyen Griffin has been dismissed from the team due to repeated rules violations.

True sophomore wideout Jamal Robinson is expected to make a third straight today in place of senior Javone Lawson, who has a fractured forearm.

And quarterback Terrance Broadway will make his sixth start for senior Blaine Gautier, who plans to dress tonight for the first since breaking two bones in his throwing hand.

"Some of these aren’t new starters any more — they’ve got four or five games under their belts, and the experience is starting to catch up to ’em a little bi," Hudspeth said. "They’re starting to look like more-experienced players, playing a little more-experienced, playing more confidently. A lot of that, I think, is the reason why we feel we’ve played much better in the last two weeks.

"All these guys "» are starting to become, somewhat, veterans.

"I think a lot of times people forget our football team has been through a lot of adversity and has lost some our top players," the Cajun coach added. "But this team has not quit, kept battling and now is looking pretty good."