UL special teams coach Matt Powledge talks about that side of the ball during Media Day Thursday.

LAFAYETTE — For the past few years, the Ragin’ Cajuns have tried to create a more up-tempo offense — an offense that returns the team back to the days of averaging 35 points per game. Each of the last three years ended with falling short of reaching that said goal.

New head coach Billy Napier and offensive coordinator Rob Sale have made a similar pledge this offseason. 

Sale, a Monroe native and former letterman at LSU, elaborated more on that Thursday during Ragin’ Cajuns Media Day even revealing the team’s offense will be run first.

“We are going to make you defend the length and width of the field,” Sale said. “We have a diverse run game, we are going to set the ball out on the perimeter. We got a good offensive line, good tight ends and good running backs. We are going to run the football first and then we are going to have play action, and then we are going to take our shots.” 

It is easy to see why Sale would want to be run first with the stable of running backs the Cajuns have coming back in Trey Ragas, Raymond Calais and former Erath star Elijah Mitchell, who showed flashes of his potential last season before suffering a season-ending injury.

The trio helped the Cajuns average 183.7 yards per game on the ground in 2017.

“We are deep there,” Sale said. “We really are. Elijah Mitchell is coming back and we are going to keep him on a pitch count. He is healthy. He is good to go. He was on his own separate workout plan in June but he is healthy and there is no limitations on the guy.

“The other guys are healthy too so we are deep at the running back position. At the end of spring we were kind of thin but now we got all of our horses and they are ready to run.”

 

Trying to be more special 

Special Teams Coordinator Matt Powledge says that the unit he inherited wasn’t great in 2017 but it wasn’t terrible either. The Cajuns were somewhere in the middle. 

“We inherited a special teams from last season that was not top tier,” Powledge said. “It was not bottom tier. It was probably right in the middle from a statistical standpoint. The things we are trying to do in the future to dominate in the four core phases. Kickoff, kickoff return, punt and punt return. As well as field goal and field goal block.”

The Cajuns enter fall camp with a big question mark at kicker. 

Stevie Artigue, the former All-Sun Belt performer and returning starter, had ACL reconstruction in the offseason will miss the entire 2018 season. That means the Cajuns need someone to handle field goal and extra point duties but also kickoffs.

Powledge said their will be an open competition between three players: freshman Kenneth Almendares, senior and former John Curtis star Calvin Linden and Oklahoma graduate transfer Kyle Pfau.

“Right now we have a competition going into fall camp,” Powledge said. 

“We have a couple guys competing their tails off for that spot. Who will be the starter will be based off the performance at practice, scrimmage and at camp.”

 

More than a Wildcat?

Junior quarterback Dion Ray has seen extensive game action in his first two seasons with the Cajuns. The former Helen Cox in New Orleans star has played in 17 games and has scored 11 touchdowns and has rushed for 932 yards. Ray though has yet to throw a complete a pass in a game as he was used primarily as the team’s Wildcat quarterback.

Will that change with the new coaching staff? Napier answered this way on Thursday.

“Dion will be in competition for the third quarterback spot,” Napier said. 

“Right now that is one of the most important questions that we have to answer, who’s going to be the third quarterback? Dion is in the mix.”

 

On the sidelines

Head coach Billy Napier announced on Thursday that several players will be sidelined for either some of all of the 2018 season, including quite a few impact players from 2017.

The list of injured players for 2018 included former Freshman All-American defensive end Joe Dillion, All-Sun Belt kicker Stevie Artigue, tight end Chase Rogers, defensive lineman Terrence Jones, backup quarterback Jake Arceneaux and wide receiver Jarrod “BamBam” Jackson.

Napier said the players will continue to be with the team and receive treatment.

 

Quotes of the day

“Sammy Ochoa is from Austin, Texas. He went to Lake Travis High School. He signed out of high school with Navy Prep and then transferred to us this summer.” — Special Teams Coordinator Matt Powledge on when asked if he knew the bio info of defensive tackle Sammy Ocha. 

All assistant Cajuns coaches have been instructed by head coach Billy Napier to memorize the bio info on all players.

 

“Coach Napier even says everything that you do, you have probably stolen from somebody. What he means by that is that you are basically the sum total of your experiences. I think I have a tremendous amount of wisdom and value at every stop that I have been at. You try to sew all those valuable lessons together.” — Strength and Conditioning Coach Mark Hocke who has coached at Jesuit High School in New Orleans, the University of Alabama, University of Georgia, Florida State and Texas A&M.

 

“I think we have a completely different team. I don’t know if you guys have noticed but 35 percent of the players that are reporting to training camp today are new. We have done a great job as a staff of overhauling the roster and I am excited to watch these guys work throughout training camp.” — Head coach Billy Napier on the makeup of this year’s team as the Cajuns start fall camp on Friday