Louisiana Ragin Cajuns football held their final scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday, and there were a lot of positives to take away. From the QB competition getting decided to the defense flying around the field, Michael Desormeaux has to be pleased with the way his team looked inside the Moncla Indoor Practice Facility. However, he said there’s still a lot to clean up.
“Good way to wrap up camp. Certainly there’s a lot we need to clean up. Early turnover in the red zone, defense jumping offsides, and just better execution in critical situations” said Desormeaux.
Here are three big points to take away from the scrimmage Saturday:
- Who’s going to be the QB?
The battle all camp has been between Chandler Fields and Ben Wooldridge for who would lead this Cajun offense in 2022. So far, the competition has been neck and neck, with both players performing well throughout the spring and summer. Desormeaux and his coaching staff have been pleased with the battle.
“They compete when it’s on the line. We put them in a lot of (two-minute drill) situations where we needed a touchdown. You know, you’re going to have to force some things and they did a really good job with it” said Desormeaux. “They’re both very prepared. They know our system like the back of their hand. What you love to see is when the game is on the line, the quarterback has to make plays and they did that today.”
Now, with 13 days remaining until opening kickoff, Desormeaux said he knows who the quarterback will be.
“I know who the QB is going to be, and we’re confident in who it needs to be. It was a very difficult decision to make because of how close it was throughout camp, but as we went further into camp, it started to become more obvious who it needs to be.”
- Louisiana’s defense will be fun to watch
The Cajuns have been known for having great runnings back, offensive lines, and defense over the last half-decade, but this defense has the potential to be one of the most special.
Flying around the field in the scrimmage, players like Eric Garror, Jourdan Quibodeaux, and a handful of others stuck out.
“That’s the way we play. I think we have some veterans on that back end that are intelligent and can play fast” said Desormeaux about his defense. Eric Garror was one player to really step up for the defense and force a turnover.
“I mean, Eric (Garror)’s interception at the end of the first half was an unbelievable play, just phenomenal” Desormeaux said. Garror, a senior from Mobile, Al, has been exceptional for the Cajuns since his arrival in 2018. The slightly undersized corner has been a starter for most of his career, including returning punts on special teams.
- The Cajuns have been able to stay fairly healthy throughout fall camp
Now, this doesn’t mean they haven’t had knicks and bruises. Guys like Zi’Yon Hill-Green have been on maintenance schedules in order to stay healthy throughout camp, with the coaching staff picking and choosing when they need him to go. On the offensive side, Peter Leblanc has been out for the last week or so according to Desormeaux, but wouldn’t disclose the injury. However, it said he wasn’t anything serious and that Leblanc was participating in individual drills.
Defensively, Kendre Gant and Ja-Quane Nelson both suffered injuries in the scrimmage Saturday, with Nelson’s appearing to be an ankle injury. Gant came off the field holding his left arm and not using that half of his body.
Louisiana opens their 2022 season at Cajun Field at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium when they host Southeastern Louisiana. The kickoff for that contest is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.