Bowl eligibility on the line for Ragin’ Cajuns on senior night
Published 6:15 am Friday, November 16, 2018
- UL Lafayette defensive back Corey Turner talks to the media on July 23, 2018 during the Sun Belt Footnball Media Day at the Superdome in New Orleans. Turner is one of 25 seniors who will be recognized Saturday for senior night when the Ragin’ Cajuns play host to South Alabama. The Cajuns would become bowl eligible with a win.
LAFAYETTE — Saturday will be senior night for UL Lafayette, which welcomes South Alabama to Cajun Field with bowl eligibility on the line for the Ragin’ Cajuns.
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“These seniors have been a special group,” UL Lafayette head coach Billy Napier said. “There’s 25 guys we’ll recognize Saturday. These guys have been through the good and the bad, right? They’ve seen the ups and the downs of this program.
“They’ve been very receptive coming in the door and have done a great job from a leadership and example standpoint. They’ve really grown up a lot. I want to send them out the right way and I think our football team feels the same way.”
While becoming bowl eligible is tantamount to one of Napier’s goals for the season, he is more focused on setting up a showdown with ULM the following week to settle bragging rights in the Western Division.
“In our mind it’s a little more about the Western Division than it is bowl eligibility, but I do think that’s out there for us to accomplish,” he said. “I want these guys to experience success.
“At some point this group has to develop a level of belief that they can do it. We have some talented guys who I think are starting to believe that they can be really good football players.”
The Cajuns (5-5, 3-3 SBC) shrugged off a slow start last week to topple Georgia State, 36-22.
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Raymond Calais was named Sun Belt offensive player of the week after piling up a career-high 186 rushing yards with three touchdowns, including a 92-yard jaunt that broke a 47-year-old school record.
“I felt like it was one of our better team games,” Napier said. “All three phases really worked well in this game for us to put us in position for a chance to win. Certainly our defense and special teams carried the load early.
“The first three possessions on offense we punted the ball and our defense really answered the bell. Our punting game with Rhys Byrns did a great job of pinning them inside the 10, but once we settled down I thought we were able to really be explosive on offense, particularly running the ball and play-action.”
The Cajuns led 16-14 in the third quarter before busting the game wide-open by scoring 20 straight points.
“There was really no panic,” Napier said. “I thought for the first time that our team is starting to understand what it takes to win. We really showed poise in developing some confidence by staying focused on the task at hand and were able to pull away in the fourth quarter.
“It was a good, solid win with lots of positives with how we competed. I thought the effort was really good and the toughness was really good. We continue to make progress, so I’m excited about this week for our seniors.”
South Alabama (2-8, 1-5 SBC) dropped a 38-10 decision to ULM last week.
“South Alabama is also a team that I think is better than their record indicates,” said Napier, echoing his comments from last week leading into the Georgia State game. “They have several explosive players on both sides of the ball.”
The Jaguars are led on offense by Jamarius Way, who is one of the Sun Belt’s leading receivers with 49 receptions for 647 yards and four touchdowns.
