University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Saturday, September 2
Lafayette
6 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
vs
Southeastern Louisiana
FB Game 1 Preview: vs. Southeastern Louisiana
8/28/2017 12:30:00 PM | Football
LAFAYETTE - The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team kicks off its 116th season on Saturday (Sept. 2) when it plays host to in-state opponent Southeastern Louisiana in the Herbert Heymann Classic at Cajun Field.
Kickoff for the game, which is being sponsored by Mid South Bank, is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN3.
The game between Louisiana and SLU will be the first between the in-state schools since 1981. Louisiana holds a 19-17-3 advantage in the series that dates back to 1930
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GAME 1
LOUISIANA RAGIN' CAJUNS (6-7, 5-3 SBC in 2016)
Head Coach: Mark Hudspeth (Delta State, 1992) • @ULCoachHud
Record at LA: 24-31* (sixth season), Career Record: 90-52* (13th season)
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SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA LIONS (7-4, 7-2 SLC in 2016)
Head Coach: Ron Roberts (UT Martin, 1992)
Record at SLU: 36-24 (sixth season), Career Record: 83-40 (11th season)
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Sept. 2, 2017 • 6:05 p.m. • Lafayette, La. • Cajun Field (41,426)
Series History: Louisiana leads, 19-17-3
At Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 11-9-2 | At Hammond: Tied, 8-8-1 | Hudspeth vs. SLU: 0-0
First Meeting: Nov. 11, 1930 at Hammond • Louisiana, 13-0
Last Meeting: Sept. 12, 1981 at Lafayette • SLU, 7-0
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TV: ESPN3 | WatchESPN • David Saltzman PXP • Bobby Carpenter Analyst
Radio: KPEL 1420 AM (Flagship) • Jay Walker PXP • Richie Falgout Analyst • Cody Junot Sideline
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FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
• Louisiana opens its 116th season of intercollegiate football and is 63-38-5 all-time in home openers
• The Ragin' Cajuns are one of eight FBS programs that will have a quarterback making his first career start this season.
• Current Ragin' Cajuns defensive coordinator Mike Lucas was head coach at SLU from 2007-11.
• Louisiana is one of nine FBS schools in the country with a linebacking corp that has fewer than 10 combined career starts.
• Louisiana finished the 2016 season ranked fourth among FBS programs in kick return defense (16.5 yards per return).
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GAME NOTES
THE LOUISIANA-SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA SERIES
• The 39-game series with Southeastern Louisiana in football is the sixth-longest for the Ragin' Cajuns in school history with Louisiana holding a 19-17-3 lead.
• Louisiana holds an 11-9-2 lead over the Lions at Cajun Field with the series tied at 8-8-1 in Hammond.
• The schools, who are approximately 90 miles apart and were members of the Gulf States Conference from 1948-70, are meeting on the gridiron for the first time since 1981 when the Lions (now a member of the Southland Conference) claimed a 7-0 victory over then SLC-member Southwestern Louisiana.
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LOUISIANA VERSUS THE SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE
• Louisiana has an extensive history with schools the Southland Conference, sharing membership at home time with current members Lamar (SLC), McNeese State (Gulf States, SLC), Northwestern State (GSC) and Southeastern Louisiana (GSC).
• The Ragin' Cajuns are 123-90-9 all-time against seven current members of the SLC.
• Louisiana has faced Northwestern State (37-35-2), Lamar (22-11-0), SLU (19-17-3), Stephen F. Austin (18-1-1), McNeese State (16-20-2), Sam Houston State (9-6-1) and Nicholls State (2-0-0).
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RAGIN' CAJUNS VERSUS THE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SUBDIVISION
• Louisiana is 37-19-1 against schools currently in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) dating back to 1982. The Ragin' Cajuns are 9-1 against FCS schools since 2000.
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RAGIN' CAJUNS COACHING EXPERIENCE
• The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns coaching staff brings a combined total of 196 years of collegiate experience to the table along with 82 bowl/postseason appearances.
• Defensive coordinator Mike Lucas (36 years) and offensive line coach Mitch Rodrigue (32 years) are the most experienced coaches on the staff with co-defensive coordinator Charlie Harbison (19) and Rodrigue (15) the most experience in post-season/bowl games.
• Both coordinators for the Ragin' Cajuns - Will Hall (West Alabama/West Georgia) and Mike Lucas (Southeastern Louisiana) have been head coaches during their collegiate careers.
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THE RAGIN' CAJUNS AND THE HERBERT HEYMANN CLASSIC
• Since 2001, the first Louisiana home football game is renamed the Herbert Heymann Classic which honors one of the great philanthropist in the history of the University.
• Heymann was a dedicated supporter of the University and athletics for over 30 years, graciously sharing his many visions with the community.
• He was instrumental creating a thriving cultural and educational center that Lafayette is to Acadiana, with the conversion of the Children's Museum into the Heymann Center for Performing Arts, providing land for such Lafayette structures as the University Arts Museum, the Lafayette Natural History Museum and Planetarium and the Lafayette General Medical Center.
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#RAGINGRADS - AMONG BEST FBS PROGRAMS IN THE COUNTRY
• Louisiana is one of two in-state FBS schools (LSU) and seven Sun Belt Conference schools (Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, South Alabama, Arkansas State, Idaho and Troy) among a list of FBS schools across the country with at least five graduates on its roster.
• TE Matthew Barnes, OT Grant Horst, LB T.J. Posey and WR Devin Scott all earned their bachelor's degrees from UL with punter Sam Geraci earning his degree from Cincinnati.
• Here is a list of FBS schools with five or more graduates on their current 2017 roster.
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18 – Northwestern
14 – Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina
13 – Toledo
12 – TCU, Alabama, Oregon, Virginia
11 – Georgia State, Kansas State, Maryland, UCF, USF
10 – Kent State, Nevada, New Mexico, South Alabama, Texas Tech, West Virginia
9 – Houston, Iowa State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rutgers, Temple
8 – Auburn, Clemson, Iowa, Kentucky, NC State, Northern Illinois, Ole Miss, Penn State, SMU, Syracuse, UAB, Western Kentucky
7 – Arizona State, Georgia, Kansas, Marshall, Memphis, Middle Tennessee, Missouri, North Texas, Utah, Virginia Tech
6 – Akron, Arkansas State, Colorado State, Duke, Florida, Illinois, Oklahoma, UMass, UTEP, UTSA, Troy, Tulsa, Washington
5 – Arkansas, Baylor, UConn, FAU, Idaho, Louisiana, LSU, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, USC, Washington State
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NEW SURFACE FOR CAJUN FIELD
• When Louisiana kicks off its 2017 season against Southeastern Louisiana, Cajun Field will feature a new artificial surface for the first time since 2008.
• The previous synthetic surface was replaced with Matrix Turf, the same surface used at the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium.
• Hellas Construction, based in Austin, Texas, installed the new surface in August.
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CURRENT NFL CAJUNS
• When the NFL regular-season officially kicks off the 2017 season, four former Ragin' Cajuns are in position to find themselves on their respective 53-man rosters:
• Justin Hamilton (DT) - Philadelphia
• Elijah McGuire (RB) - New York Jets
• Otha Peters (LB) - Seattle
• Christian Ringo (DT) – Green Bay
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GERACI TAKES OVER AT PUNTER
• Looking to replace Ray Guy Award semifinalist Steven Coutts at punter, Louisiana picked up former Cincinnati punter Sam Geraci as a graduate transfer.
• Geraci played three seasons with the Bearcats where he averaged 41.5 yards per punt in three seasons with 67 punts placed inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
• Geraci averaged 46.3 yards per attempt in 2015 with 17 attempts of 50 yards or more. He averaged 40.0 yards per attempt in 2016, with 37 punts resulting in fair catches and 31 attempts landing inside the 20-yard line.
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THE CAJUNS HAVE THE INTERNATIONAL FLAIR
• Reserve lineman Christian Cederquist (Denmark) is the lone international player on the Ragin' Cajuns roster. The Copenhagen native spent last season as a redshirt after transferring from Eastern Arizona College.
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THE BOOK OF ELI: CHAPTER 2
• A new chapter begins in the Louisiana backfield in 2017 as Elijah Mitchell looks to replace Elijah McGuire.
• Mitchell rushed for 1,903 yards and 28 touchdowns in eight games as a senior at nearby Erath High School.
• He finished his career as the leading rusher in Bobcats' history with 4,045 yards and 50 touchdowns in three seasons on only 457 carries.
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LOUISIANA-SLU CONNECTIONS
• Two members of the Louisiana football staff - defensive coordinator Mike Lucas and Director of Player Personnel Ryan Trichel - both have ties to Southeastern Louisiana.
• Lucas served as defensive coordinator for the Lions from 2005-06 before serving as head coach from 2007-11.
• Trichel and Louisiana Director of Athletics Communications Matt Sullivan are both SLU graduates with Sullivan working in the SLU Athletic Media Relations Office from 2000-13.
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YOUNG ON QB EXPERIENCE
• When Jordan Davis makes his first career start against Southeastern Louisiana, he will be one of eight FBS quarterbacks (and one of three from the Sun Belt - Texas State and Georgia Southern) to make their first career start.
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YOUNG ON LINEBACKER EXPERIENCE ALSO ...
• Louisiana's top two tackler from 2016 - linebackers Tre'maine Lightfoot and Otha Peters - are both gone to graduation leaving the Ragin' Cajuns with limited starts from the remaining members.
• Senior T.J. Posey is the most experienced player at linebacker for the Ragin' Cajuns, earning seven career starts.
Kickoff for the game, which is being sponsored by Mid South Bank, is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN3.
The game between Louisiana and SLU will be the first between the in-state schools since 1981. Louisiana holds a 19-17-3 advantage in the series that dates back to 1930
Â
GAME 1
LOUISIANA RAGIN' CAJUNS (6-7, 5-3 SBC in 2016)
Head Coach: Mark Hudspeth (Delta State, 1992) • @ULCoachHud
Record at LA: 24-31* (sixth season), Career Record: 90-52* (13th season)
Â
SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA LIONS (7-4, 7-2 SLC in 2016)
Head Coach: Ron Roberts (UT Martin, 1992)
Record at SLU: 36-24 (sixth season), Career Record: 83-40 (11th season)
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Sept. 2, 2017 • 6:05 p.m. • Lafayette, La. • Cajun Field (41,426)
Series History: Louisiana leads, 19-17-3
At Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 11-9-2 | At Hammond: Tied, 8-8-1 | Hudspeth vs. SLU: 0-0
First Meeting: Nov. 11, 1930 at Hammond • Louisiana, 13-0
Last Meeting: Sept. 12, 1981 at Lafayette • SLU, 7-0
Â
TV: ESPN3 | WatchESPN • David Saltzman PXP • Bobby Carpenter Analyst
Radio: KPEL 1420 AM (Flagship) • Jay Walker PXP • Richie Falgout Analyst • Cody Junot Sideline
Â
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
• Louisiana opens its 116th season of intercollegiate football and is 63-38-5 all-time in home openers
• The Ragin' Cajuns are one of eight FBS programs that will have a quarterback making his first career start this season.
• Current Ragin' Cajuns defensive coordinator Mike Lucas was head coach at SLU from 2007-11.
• Louisiana is one of nine FBS schools in the country with a linebacking corp that has fewer than 10 combined career starts.
• Louisiana finished the 2016 season ranked fourth among FBS programs in kick return defense (16.5 yards per return).
Â
GAME NOTES
THE LOUISIANA-SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA SERIES
• The 39-game series with Southeastern Louisiana in football is the sixth-longest for the Ragin' Cajuns in school history with Louisiana holding a 19-17-3 lead.
• Louisiana holds an 11-9-2 lead over the Lions at Cajun Field with the series tied at 8-8-1 in Hammond.
• The schools, who are approximately 90 miles apart and were members of the Gulf States Conference from 1948-70, are meeting on the gridiron for the first time since 1981 when the Lions (now a member of the Southland Conference) claimed a 7-0 victory over then SLC-member Southwestern Louisiana.
Â
LOUISIANA VERSUS THE SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE
• Louisiana has an extensive history with schools the Southland Conference, sharing membership at home time with current members Lamar (SLC), McNeese State (Gulf States, SLC), Northwestern State (GSC) and Southeastern Louisiana (GSC).
• The Ragin' Cajuns are 123-90-9 all-time against seven current members of the SLC.
• Louisiana has faced Northwestern State (37-35-2), Lamar (22-11-0), SLU (19-17-3), Stephen F. Austin (18-1-1), McNeese State (16-20-2), Sam Houston State (9-6-1) and Nicholls State (2-0-0).
Â
RAGIN' CAJUNS VERSUS THE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SUBDIVISION
• Louisiana is 37-19-1 against schools currently in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) dating back to 1982. The Ragin' Cajuns are 9-1 against FCS schools since 2000.
Â
RAGIN' CAJUNS COACHING EXPERIENCE
• The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns coaching staff brings a combined total of 196 years of collegiate experience to the table along with 82 bowl/postseason appearances.
• Defensive coordinator Mike Lucas (36 years) and offensive line coach Mitch Rodrigue (32 years) are the most experienced coaches on the staff with co-defensive coordinator Charlie Harbison (19) and Rodrigue (15) the most experience in post-season/bowl games.
• Both coordinators for the Ragin' Cajuns - Will Hall (West Alabama/West Georgia) and Mike Lucas (Southeastern Louisiana) have been head coaches during their collegiate careers.
Â
THE RAGIN' CAJUNS AND THE HERBERT HEYMANN CLASSIC
• Since 2001, the first Louisiana home football game is renamed the Herbert Heymann Classic which honors one of the great philanthropist in the history of the University.
• Heymann was a dedicated supporter of the University and athletics for over 30 years, graciously sharing his many visions with the community.
• He was instrumental creating a thriving cultural and educational center that Lafayette is to Acadiana, with the conversion of the Children's Museum into the Heymann Center for Performing Arts, providing land for such Lafayette structures as the University Arts Museum, the Lafayette Natural History Museum and Planetarium and the Lafayette General Medical Center.
Â
#RAGINGRADS - AMONG BEST FBS PROGRAMS IN THE COUNTRY
• Louisiana is one of two in-state FBS schools (LSU) and seven Sun Belt Conference schools (Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, South Alabama, Arkansas State, Idaho and Troy) among a list of FBS schools across the country with at least five graduates on its roster.
• TE Matthew Barnes, OT Grant Horst, LB T.J. Posey and WR Devin Scott all earned their bachelor's degrees from UL with punter Sam Geraci earning his degree from Cincinnati.
• Here is a list of FBS schools with five or more graduates on their current 2017 roster.
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18 – Northwestern
14 – Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina
13 – Toledo
12 – TCU, Alabama, Oregon, Virginia
11 – Georgia State, Kansas State, Maryland, UCF, USF
10 – Kent State, Nevada, New Mexico, South Alabama, Texas Tech, West Virginia
9 – Houston, Iowa State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rutgers, Temple
8 – Auburn, Clemson, Iowa, Kentucky, NC State, Northern Illinois, Ole Miss, Penn State, SMU, Syracuse, UAB, Western Kentucky
7 – Arizona State, Georgia, Kansas, Marshall, Memphis, Middle Tennessee, Missouri, North Texas, Utah, Virginia Tech
6 – Akron, Arkansas State, Colorado State, Duke, Florida, Illinois, Oklahoma, UMass, UTEP, UTSA, Troy, Tulsa, Washington
5 – Arkansas, Baylor, UConn, FAU, Idaho, Louisiana, LSU, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, USC, Washington State
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NEW SURFACE FOR CAJUN FIELD
• When Louisiana kicks off its 2017 season against Southeastern Louisiana, Cajun Field will feature a new artificial surface for the first time since 2008.
• The previous synthetic surface was replaced with Matrix Turf, the same surface used at the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium.
• Hellas Construction, based in Austin, Texas, installed the new surface in August.
Â
CURRENT NFL CAJUNS
• When the NFL regular-season officially kicks off the 2017 season, four former Ragin' Cajuns are in position to find themselves on their respective 53-man rosters:
• Justin Hamilton (DT) - Philadelphia
• Elijah McGuire (RB) - New York Jets
• Otha Peters (LB) - Seattle
• Christian Ringo (DT) – Green Bay
Â
GERACI TAKES OVER AT PUNTER
• Looking to replace Ray Guy Award semifinalist Steven Coutts at punter, Louisiana picked up former Cincinnati punter Sam Geraci as a graduate transfer.
• Geraci played three seasons with the Bearcats where he averaged 41.5 yards per punt in three seasons with 67 punts placed inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
• Geraci averaged 46.3 yards per attempt in 2015 with 17 attempts of 50 yards or more. He averaged 40.0 yards per attempt in 2016, with 37 punts resulting in fair catches and 31 attempts landing inside the 20-yard line.
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THE CAJUNS HAVE THE INTERNATIONAL FLAIR
• Reserve lineman Christian Cederquist (Denmark) is the lone international player on the Ragin' Cajuns roster. The Copenhagen native spent last season as a redshirt after transferring from Eastern Arizona College.
Â
THE BOOK OF ELI: CHAPTER 2
• A new chapter begins in the Louisiana backfield in 2017 as Elijah Mitchell looks to replace Elijah McGuire.
• Mitchell rushed for 1,903 yards and 28 touchdowns in eight games as a senior at nearby Erath High School.
• He finished his career as the leading rusher in Bobcats' history with 4,045 yards and 50 touchdowns in three seasons on only 457 carries.
Â
LOUISIANA-SLU CONNECTIONS
• Two members of the Louisiana football staff - defensive coordinator Mike Lucas and Director of Player Personnel Ryan Trichel - both have ties to Southeastern Louisiana.
• Lucas served as defensive coordinator for the Lions from 2005-06 before serving as head coach from 2007-11.
• Trichel and Louisiana Director of Athletics Communications Matt Sullivan are both SLU graduates with Sullivan working in the SLU Athletic Media Relations Office from 2000-13.
Â
YOUNG ON QB EXPERIENCE
• When Jordan Davis makes his first career start against Southeastern Louisiana, he will be one of eight FBS quarterbacks (and one of three from the Sun Belt - Texas State and Georgia Southern) to make their first career start.
Â
YOUNG ON LINEBACKER EXPERIENCE ALSO ...
• Louisiana's top two tackler from 2016 - linebackers Tre'maine Lightfoot and Otha Peters - are both gone to graduation leaving the Ragin' Cajuns with limited starts from the remaining members.
• Senior T.J. Posey is the most experienced player at linebacker for the Ragin' Cajuns, earning seven career starts.
Players Mentioned
DT
/ Football
P
/ Football
QB
/ Football
P
/ Football
OL
/ Football
LB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
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