Featured Photograph: Ragin Cajun TE Johnny Lumpkin hauls in a pass for a touchdown against SLU (Photograph by Mike Curley.)
BOBBY ARDOIN
Editor and Contributing Writer
Aesthetically it would never resemble a Van Gogh or a Renoir.
Putting beauty aside, what did matter to Mike Desormeaux Saturday night was the result, a 24-7 victory in his first game as the University of Louisiana head football coach.
On a rainy night suited better for frogging than football, Desormeaux saw his team dominate early, stumble offensively through much of the second half and then solidify the win over Southeastern Louisiana with a fourth quarter pass interception that led to a final touchdown pass with a minute and 37 seconds left in the game.
Many of the announced 16,812 Cajun Field crowd watched in rain slickers, as intermittent drizzle blanketed the turf.
The final result however resembled a rainbow more than a rain cloud for Desormeaux.
Desormeaux admitted he was generally pleased as the Cajuns debuted 2022 with two first-time starters at quarterback and an effort in which his team avoided any turnovers.
Possibly the victory also answered a few preseason questions about his football program, said Desormeaux.
“It’s a first step in the right direction. It’s been a long nine months. They (his players) heard about who’s not here, who we’ve lost (players leaving the program) and whether we would be able to keep a school record streak (now 14 straight wins) going. I thought the effort was unbelievable,” said Desormeaux, whose roots in Louisiana football include one starting at quarterback and later as an assistant coach.
In addition to quarterbacks Chandler Fields and Ben Wooldridge playing substantially for the first time, there were others who displayed key performances.
Tight end Johnny Lumpkin, a senior previously utilized mainly as a blocker, caught a pair of touchdown passes from Fields, while defensive back Eric Garror returned a punt 83-yards for a second quarter touchdown.
Lumpkin said he was a secondary choice as a receiver for the first TD, when he caught a 28-yard pass from Fields.
“It was a great ball, I read the play and all I remember is just seeing grass,” said Lumpkin.
Desormeaux said his play scripts for Fields and Wooldridge weren’t diluted, as he preferred to see his quarterbacks perform from an abundance of formations, despite the weather conditions.
“We didn’t want to come out and play a game to hide a young quarterback. We wanted to let (Fields) throw the ball. (Fields) did some good things and there were some things that he left out,” Desormeaux said.
Fields, who has already spent four seasons in Lafayette, said he wasn’t nervous about his first collegiate start, at least initially.
“I didn’t really experience that first game-day atmosphere until I walked out onto the field,” said Fields.
The second half pressure applied by SLU included a variety of zone and man variations, something Desormeaux expects the Cajuns’ future opponents to attempt.
Defensively the Cajuns intercepted Southeastern quarterback Cephus Johnson twice. The two interceptions enabled Louisiana to avoid a third quarter in which the Lions closed the lead to 10 points.
Desormeaux said the Cajuns’ defensive plan included hitting Johnson often, something that Desormeaux felt became more effective as the game proceeded.
In the second half, Fields experienced increased defensive pressure. That tactic kept the Cajuns away from the end zone until the Amir McDaniel interception with 4:46 remaining.
“They (SLU) pressured us a lot more (in the second half) and we couldn’t get into a rhythm. Our defense kept us in the game. Overall I thought we had a good effort. That’s all we could ask for,” Desormeaux said.
What’s next? The Cajuns host Eastern Michigan Saturday night. Eastern Michigan defeated Eastern Kentucky 42-34 Saturday night.
Photographs by Mike Curley
