Louisiana Ragin Cajuns Preview 2022: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Louisiana season with what you need to know and keys to the season.
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
Louisiana Ragin Cajuns Preview
Head Coach: Michael Desormeaux, 1st year at Louisiana, 1-0
2021 Preview: Overall: 13-1, Conference: 9-0
Keys To The Season | Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Louisiana Top 10 Players | Louisiana Schedule
Louisiana Ragin Cajuns Preview 2022
After 24 wins, two Sun Belt titles, and three bowl victories in the last three seasons …
How do you keep that going?
It was one of the worst kept secrets in college football that Billy Napier was killing time before going off to a giant head coaching gig somewhere like Florida.
Now Louisiana has to try to maintain its greatness and keep on winning without Napier, without QB Levi Lewis, and without a slew of good parts who took off for Gainesville with their former head coach – among other places.
In steps Michael Desormeaux, a former Ragin’ Cajun star quarterback who’s been part of the program’s coaching staff for the last six years before moving up into the head man role.
Not only does the new guy have the weight of the last few years to deal with, but he gets a tougher, bigger, better Sun Belt, too.
There’s a rebuild happening here, but the style should still be the same.
Louisiana Ragin Cajuns Preview 2022: Offense
For all the great things the offense did last year, it was still 64th in the nation overall, struggled too much to convert on third downs, and the ground game wasn’t nearly as sharp or as dominant as it should’ve been. However, it didn’t turn the ball over, it controlled the clock, and it got the job done when needed.
The offensive line loses All-Sun Belt stars O’Cyrus Torrence to Florida and Max Mitchell to the New York Jets, but there’s enough in place for a decent starting five … eventually. Left guard AJ Gillie is the main holdover, but it’ll take fall camp to finalize the puzzle.
This group will know what it’s doing, though. 12-touchdown running back Montrell Johnson might be off to Florida, but leading rusher and all-star Chris Smith is back along with a slew of decent young options.
Replacing five-year starter Levi Lewis won’t be a breeze. Chandler Fields got in a little work, and former Fresno State Bulldog Ben Wooldridge is getting every shot at the gig. Fields is a smallish baller, Wooldridge is a big bomber – the O just needs one of them to be close to as efficient as Lewis.
Michael Jefferson led the team with 481 receiving yards averaging close to 27 yards per grab with four scores, and leading pass catcher Peter LeBlanc returns after making 37 grabs. Kyren Lacy if off to LSU, but Donte Fleming is back after finishing third on the team with 27 grabs.
Louisiana Ragin Cajuns Preview 2022: Defense
The offense usually got the attention, but the defense was the real star. It finished 11th in the nation, first in the Sun Belt, and was among the best in the nation at taking the ball away and at pass efficiency D. Unlike the O, plenty of stars are coming back.
The defensive front should be one of the team’s biggest strengths. Zi’Yon Hill is a long-time producer, pass rusher, and anchor on the interior, and Andre Jones is a dangerous backfield playmaker on the end. The rest will fill in around those two.
The back eight loses top tackler Lorenzo McCaskill to the transfer portal, star safety Percy Butler is gone to the Washington Commanders, and the linebacking corps overall is filling in the parts. However, corner Eric Garror is an all-star who led the team with two picks and seven broken up passes, and Bralen Trahan is a veteran safety.
Keys To The Season | Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Louisiana Top 10 Players | Louisiana Schedule
Louisiana Ragin Cajuns: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats NEXT
Louisiana Ragin Cajuns: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats
Louisiana Ragin Cajuns: Key To The 2022 Offense
Keep the ground game working.
It might not be the juggernaut of the last few years, and running for 34 touchdowns and dominating like last season might be asking for a lot, but there’s no reason to go away from what worked.
Last year’s attack managed multiple touchdown runs in each of the last ten games and in 11 of the last 12, but as long as the 2022 version can average close to 4.8 yards per carry and 187 yards per game again, the O should be okay.
Louisiana Ragin Cajuns: Key To The 2022 Defense
Keep taking the ball away.
The offense isn’t going to be as efficient or as good, and even though the defense will be fine, several parts have to be replaced. What the D can do, though, is keep forcing mistakes.
And no, the offense isn’t going to turn the ball over just eight times again – the defense wasn’t put in too many bad positions. On the flip side, the defense came up up with 20 takeaways over the final nine games to help pull the feet out of the fire in several close battles.
Coming up with a steady stream of takeaways is a must against the tougher schedule.
Louisiana Ragin Cajuns: Key Player To The 2022 Season
QB Chandler Fields, Soph.
Or junior Ben Wooldridge, or former Maryland Terrapin Lance Legendre. All the new Louisiana quarterback has to do is replace Levi Lewis, who threw for over 9.200 yards and 74 touchdowns with just 18 interceptions, and ran for close to 1,100 yards and 14 scores.
The new starter doesn’t have to be Lewis, but he has to just keep things moving. Fields is a smallish 5-10, 190-pound option who’s been around for three years, threw a few passes, and got in a little work.
Louisiana Ragin Cajuns: Key Transfer
OG James Ohonba, Jr.
The offensive line needs the most overall work. It should be fine in time, but its needs retooling and has to find steady blockers to try taking over for the all-stars. The 6-3, 318-pound Ohonba was a top guard prospect for Michigan State and saw a little work throughout last year. Now he needs to be an option up front.
Louisiana Key Game To The 2022 Season
at Marshall, Oct. 12
It might not be smooth sailing, but the Ragin’ Cajuns should be the favorite in the first five games. 5-0 is likely, 4-1 is a must. No matter what, they need to use the long week to rest up for the showdown at Marshall.
That’s going to be one fired up Thundering Herd team looking to make a big statement in its new conference. Win that, and Louisiana should have smooth sailing the rest of the way outside of the date at Florida State.
Louisiana Ragin Cajuns: 2021 Fun Stats
– 1st Quarter Scoring: Louisiana 106 – Opponents 47
– Fumbles: Opponents 18 (lost 13) – Louisiana 13 (lost 4)
– Extra Points: Louisiana 53-of-58 (91%) – Opponents 27-of-34 (79%)
O, D Breakdown | Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Louisiana Top 10 Players | Louisiana Schedule
Louisiana Ragin Cajuns Season Prediction, What Will Happen NEXT
Louisiana Ragin Cajuns Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Yeah, the Sun Belt is tougher and better with the added teams, but Louisiana is still catching a break by being in the West.
Don’t expect the success of the last few seasons – there are way too many key losses – but there isn’t a game on the slate that screams sure thing loss.
That includes the trip to Florida State that comes late in the year when everything will be as jelled as it’s going to be. So …
Set The Louisiana Ragin Cajuns Regular Season Win Total At … 8
The trip to Tallahassee really will be a problem, and so will the date at Marshall. Outside of that, there’s nothing to worry all that much about considering the Ragin’ Cajuns miss Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, and Georgia State – three of the power players in the conference this year.
But all the personnel losses will matter just enough to lose at least one game it shouldn’t. That doesn’t mean there can’t be another trip to the Sun Belt Championship.
Offense, Defense Breakdown | Keys To The Season
Louisiana Top 10 Players | Louisiana Schedule
