Through five games, it’s no secret the UL offense is pretty explosive.
It’s also apparent the special teams units are still a work in progress, but ascending upward of late.
Where does that leave the defense for the Ragin’ Cajuns under first-year coordinator Jim Salgado?
That’s a tough question to answer heading into a critical three-game Sun Belt Conference stretch in October, beginning with a 6:30 p.m. Saturday showdown with Appalachian State at Cajun Field.
At first glance, there’s plenty to get excited about with this year's defense.
After all, linebacker Cameron Whitfield was named the Walter Camp Football Foundation Defensive Player for the Week on Tuesday after his four sacks, six tackles and two forced fumbles during the 23-13 road win over Southern Miss on Saturday.
“We knew it was a conference game, so we had to give it our all,” Whitfield said of his performance. “We were just putting everything on the line. My mindset was just I’m going to play like me. I’m going to do me. I just went out and did it. That was our mindset as a D-line.”
Much of the summer was spent preparing to put more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Then through four games, the Cajuns had zero sacks, only for Whitfield to spearhead a five-sack effort Saturday.
“It was getting to us, I’m not going to lie,” Whitfield said. “A lot of our players were calling it out and they were looking at us a certain way. I was hearing from the critics online and on Twitter. But we just kept going back to practice and working it every day and it finally showed up on the field.”
The Sun Belt team rankings show UL is first in the league in total defense, third in scoring defense, fourth in rushing defense and first in passing defense.
The defense did fine in the first two games against two significant underdogs. Then came the Tulane game when the defense allowed 272 yards rushing. Since then, Wake Forest rushed for 218, but Southern Miss ran it 18 times for 37 yards.
UL coach Michael Desormeaux was elated to see the defense play the hero’s role Saturday in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
“The thing I’m the most excited about is kind of getting those guys back on track," he said. "I think we have a chance to be a really good defense.”
On paper, the easy conclusion is the Cajuns can really defend the pass. Wake Forest threw for 254, but Grambling had the next-highest passing figure at only 166 yards.
If that becomes the identity of Salgado’s defense, it would serve the Cajuns very well … starting with Appalachian State.
The two teams haven’t met since the 2021 Sun Belt title game in Lafayette, and the Mountaineers have changed quite a bit since then. No longer is App State all about running the ball, stopping the run and beating up foes on the line of scrimmage.
Behind Sun Belt passing leader Joey Aguilar, the Mountaineers are chucking the ball around.
“These guys are a true dropback offense,” Desormeaux said. “They’ll take play-action shots and do some stuff like that, but this quarterback is really, really talented. He can make every throw on the field.
“I was really disappointed when I turned the tape on, because he’s a good athlete, too. He can really run. He’s a physical runner. He looks like a big kid. He makes them go and the guy can make all the throws. That’s really scary too when you add that on top of it.”
The App State offense is averaging 304.6 yards passing a game and 445.2 total yards. It is scoring 26 points a game and giving up 39.
After that for the Cajuns is one of the East’s top teams in Coastal Carolina (4-1, 1-0) on Oct. 19. The Chanticleers are averaging 38.4 points, 197 yards rushing and 241.8 yards passing while giving up 29.6 ppg and 395.4 ypg.
After that, it’s arguably the West’s best team in Texas State (3-2, 1-0). The Bobcats are averaging 37.6 points, 169.2 yards rushing and 285.6 passing while giving up 25 ppg and 338.6 ypg.
We’re about to find out exactly what this defense is capable of against three really explosive offenses.
While the UL defense ranks highly in many categories, the Cajuns are last in the Sun Belt in turnovers forced and second to last in sacks.
Again, it’s hard to put a finger on this group.
The UL offense appears stacked enough to survive a few shootouts, but that’s a tough way to live. Forcing turnovers makes things a lot easier.
If the UL pass defense is as good as the 147.2 ypg indicates, the Cajuns should flourish, but that’s a very tall order against this October lineup.
Getting at least two wins in the next three should put UL in position to play for the West Division title in November.
The defense playing the hero at least one more time this month would help.