Welcome everybody to another edition of #4Downs! Today’s edition will break down the thrilling matchup between the UL Ragin Cajuns and the Kentucky Wildcats.
1st Down: Too Many Big Plays Allowed
The Ragin Cajuns got the season started off on the wrong foot, especially on defense. First play from the line of scrimmage, Boom Williams runs down the field for an easy score. It was almost a mirror image of when Kenneth Dixon ran 99 yards against the Cajuns last season. Add that with the several big plays the Cajuns allowed both on the ground through the air led to a major hill to climb.
2nd Down: Second Half adjustments lead to more exciting game
At the half, it looked like the Cajuns were going to get blown out to start the season. But adjustments made both on the defensive and offensive sides of the ball, gave the Cajuns a new life. The most notable changeup on the defensive side was to have softer coverage to keep the play in front of them. This small tweak to the defense led to a lot of big plays being stopped. The offense, which was having issues throughout with Brooks Haack under center, thrived when Jalen Nixon was in control of the game. You could also say that Torrey Pierce’s pair of touchdowns was a turning point of the game with Elijah McGuire largely being shut down by the Wildcats defense. But these adjustments weren’t enough because of all the damage that was done in the first half by allowing too many big plays to happen.
3rd Down: The Rise of Dominique Tovell
The player of the game, hands down was linebacker Dominique Tovell. The senior out of Columbia, Mississippi had the best performance for the defense against an SEC squad having 6.5 tackles, two sacks, and five tackles for loss. Expect Tovell to be one of the best defensive players in the Sun Belt conference and his draft stock to possibly go up, especially after a performance like this.
4th Down: Starting QB Battle Far From Over
First something I have to say. I was completely wrong about Jalen Nixon. The junior from Carencro just turned the entire game around. Instead of relying on Haack’s arm, Nixon kept the Cajuns until the closing minutes keeping it largely on the ground. Ever since the end of last season, I was thinking that Brooks Haack should be the starting quarterback. Now I’m starting to understand why this decision was so difficult for Coach Hud. But at the end of the day, the battle for who is the real starting quarterback is a lot like life: day-to-day.
Hope you guys enjoy the rest of your Labor Day weekend!
-Clint Domingue