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 Texas State.
1st Down: Same Book, Different Chapter
The Book of Eli had another chapter written, but it was about an entirely different player. Elijah Mitchell had a breakout ballgame, racking up 191 yards on the ground for three touchdowns. He also got things done through the air with two receptions for 29 yards.
The former Erath product only played in five games last year and it’s safe to say that this was him making up for lost time. It was one of the best performances I’ve seen from a Cajun running back since Elijah McGuire was rocking the vermillion and white. Add another 100-yard ballgame for Trey Ragas, it seems like Napier may have found his equivalent to what the Saints have over in New Orleans in Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara.
2nd Down: Second Half Malaise
It was an overall great day for the Cajuns, but it wasn’t a complete breeze with the Cajuns seemingly taking the foot off the gas with the Bobcats racking up 27 points in the second half. This could’ve been a complete skull dragging, but they seemingly let Texas State get back into the ballgame.
While those scores didn’t matter in the slightest thanks to what happened in the first half, it felt like this shouldn’t have been as close as it wound up being and perhaps the Cajuns could have racked up at least 50 points on them.
3rd Down: Jacquet Breaks Out Defensively
All preseason long, the hype had been surrounding Michael Jacquet and his jump over to the secondary. He had a fairly decent evening in terms of the stat sheet with seven total tackles and one of those was a tackle for a loss. Considering he’s used as a corner, it was refreshing to see him get things done from that aspect.
It was a solid night and something that the Texas native can build upon headed into the Sun Belt gauntlet.
4th Down: Is There QB Controversy Now?
Heading into the ballgame, there seemed to be very little if any controversy at the quarterback position. We’re going to see two quarterbacks going forward, but we have to say that Levi Lewis looked good in his limited role, going five-for-five for 81 yards and a touchdown.
One of the big complaints I had in recent years for the Cajuns was the amount of indecisiveness at the QB position. At the surface, it seems like there’s a controversy because we’re five games in and Lewis is still out there, but perhaps the two quarterback system for the Cajuns isn’t as bad as we thought it was. We’re not just seeing one QB throw the football while the other gets it done on the ground, both guys are getting it done on the ground and through the air.
I’ll stick with my original stance and say that there’s no controversy and there will likely be none unless we see Lewis out there for an extended period of time like when Nunez came in to get them back in a ballgame last year against UL Monroe.
Extra Point: Slumpbuster
After the last few weeks, the Cajuns needed something to get back in the win column and build some confidence as they get closer to a gauntlet of Sun Belt opponents in Troy, Arkansas State, and Appalachian State. This ballgame against Texas State was a slumpbuster and just what the doctor ordered.
The end result isn’t amazing, but the Cajuns can build upon that in next week’s matchup against the Aggies of New Mexico State.
-Clint Domingue