Welcome everyone to the latest edition of #4Downs, where I break down what went right and what went wrong for the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns! This week, I look at the Cajuns win over New Mexico State.
1st Down: Controlling Time
Throughout the Mark Hudspeth era, the offense has been fast and furious on the field. Saturday showed there has been some slight changes in making this offense control the time of possession. Just look at the first drive. The Cajuns marched down the field with a 10-play drive that took only four minutes off of the clock.
Looking at each of the Cajuns 13 drives on Saturday, four of those drives were 10 or more plays and each of those resulted in touchdowns. The only real knock on the Cajuns overall time of possession was towards the end of the first half with three straight drives lasting less than two minutes. The defense couldn’t stay off the field long enough and it helped the Aggies get back into the ballgame.
2nd Down: Ragas Dominates the Ground
The Cajuns offense was helped a lot on Saturday with Trey Ragas returning from his one-game suspension. His performance was fairly strong with 132 total yards on the ground and two touchdowns on the evening.
Looking back at the time of possession discussion, his effort combined with the rest of the run game was a big reason why they were able to control the football and chew up some clock. If the run game can keep it up, the Cajuns could be bowl eligible next Saturday.
3rd Down: The Old Davis Is Back
After a few weeks off the field, it looks like the old Jordan Davis is back. Even with twenty minutes notice, the junior put on a solid performance, throwing for 203 yards and touchdowns. He also got things done on the ground with 71 yards and a touchdown.
Were there some bad passes? Yes, but overall he looked a lot better as the starter and looks poised to lead this team next Saturday against Georgia Southern.
4th Down: Defense Closes Out Strong
You’ve got to give credit to the Cajuns defense on Saturday for finishing the game out strong with three straight interceptions late to seal the victory. It was a big part of why they came away with the big win, especially that first one by Jacques Boudreaux who gave the Cajuns the ball at the Aggies 15-yard line. Two plays, later they got in the endzone to officially put the game out of reach.
While it would’ve been nice to do that against Tyler Rogers, it’s a confidence boost for a Cajuns defense that needed one after a tough loss to Ole Miss the week before.
-Clint Domingue