Running back Raymond Calais (4) rushed for 121 yards against Arkansas State Saturday, helping UL Lafayette compile 228 yards in a 47-43 win.

LAFAYETTE — When Billy Napier was hired as head coach at UL-Lafayette, it was a given that with his pedigree, the Ragin’ Cajuns would be successful on offense, particularly in the passing game.

The Cajuns have indeed proven to be adept at throwing the ball, but what’s perhaps surprising is how well the team is running the football.

UL’s three-headed monster of running backs includes the Sun Belt’s leading rusher in sophomore Trey Ragas, the conference’s number seven rusher in sophomore Elijah Mitchell, as well as junior Raymond Calais, who gashed Arkansas State for 121 yards on seven carries in a 47-43 shootout that lifted the Cajuns into a tie with ULM in the SBC West Division.

Mitchell, who had his true freshman campaign cut short due to a foot injury, scored UL Lafayette’s first two touchdowns vs. ASU.

The 5-11, 200-pound Erath product caught six passes for 121 yards and ran for 68 yards on four carries.

“Elijah is very talented,” Napier said. “Coming in the door, some people told me that I had a special running back in him. I really believe we have a lot of special backs.

“Elijah has another gear that enables him to finish some of those runs on the second level, and that was huge in this game.”

Mitchell sustained a brutal hit on a reception in the fourth quarter vs. ASU on a play that resulted in a targeting penalty and an ejection.

“He doesn’t have a concussion,” Napier said. “That was my concern. He was fine at the end of the game, I was a little worried about that myself.

“When you see a guy get hurt like that and you see the emotion from the team, I think that tells you a little bit about the type of chemistry that we have.”

With the Red Wolves and Cajuns trading the lead back-and-forth as the game wound down, Napier mentioned that the hit on Mitchell may have served as a rallying cry for his club.

“This is a group that really cares about each other and maybe that play sparked us,” Napier said. “I don’t know, but it was good to see our players respond in a critical situation like that.”

Mitchell’s recovery from last year’s injury has been a rocky road at times.

“I think Elijah would be the first to tell you that it’s been a long road back for him,” Napier said. “He got injured last year, and that injury was very subjective relative to how long it takes to come back.

“It wasn’t easy. There were ups and downs in his recovery. There have been some people who worked tirelessly to help him come back and those people deserve some credit.”