Welcome everyone to the final #4Downs of the season for the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns! This week, I break down the Cajuns 63-14 loss in Boone, North Carolina against Appalachian State.
1st Down: Turnovers Kill Chances Early
After a successful opening drive that saw the Cajuns score in under 50 seconds, it seemed like this team had a chance to pull off the unthinkable after an early turnover on downs. However, that pendulum swung in App State’s favor with a costly fumble by Devin Scott in their own territory.
The bad luck continued on the very next drive with Jordan Davis getting picked off. These were two of the three turnovers that they committed on Saturday and it was obvious after the second that the Mountaineers were beginning to roll towards a share of a Sun Belt conference.
2nd Down: Walker’s Final Performance Lone Bright Spot
Seniors show up in their final game of their collegiate career and it was no different when it came to Tracy Walker. In his final game in the vermillion and white, he went off for 15 tackles, one of which was a tackle for loss.
When it comes to leaders on defense, Walker has been one of those guys the last couple of seasons and will be missed in the next couple of seasons.
3rd Down: Lamb Slaughters Secondary
Another big positive for the Cajuns coming out of this game is that Taylor Lamb will no longer be playing against them. Every game he has against them, he’s shredded them through the air and Saturday was no different with 242 yards through the air and four touchdowns, all to one wide receiver.
If this was a midseason game, that would give the Cajuns a lot of film to look at and try and improve from it. With it being the end of the season, I think the Cajuns want to burn the game film and never speak of this game again.
4th Down: End of the Line
It seems like just yesterday that the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns were on the cusp of greatness after making it to their fourth straight bowl game. After NCAA sanctions (which weren’t that bad), three straight losing seasons, off-the-field ordeals, and dwindling attendance it seems like the Mark Hudspeth era has reached the end of the line.
While what Hudspeth has done for the university has been great, but this is a business that has a mentality of what have you done for me lately. What Hudspeth has done the last three seasons isn’t what the fans wanted after the great start the program had. According to Tim Buckley of the Daily Advertiser, we could be receiving word on his future as early as Sunday and if the rumors are true, we could be venturing into a new era for the program sooner rather than later.
-Clint Domingue