Blue Raiders to take on Ragin' Cajuns

Throw out the records and the stats when the Blue Raiders and Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns hit the field for their 7 PM Sun Belt clash this Saturday. The brief two-game series between these squads have been high scoring affairs that have come down to the final moments. The Cajuns (1-2, 0-0) prevailed 45-31 during Middle Tennessee's 1A debut season in 1999 and the Blue Raiders (3-0, 1-0) squeaked out a 41-38 win in double overtime in Murfreesboro last year. "They beat us up pretty good two years ago and we beat them in double overtime last year, so its been tough battles on the field," said Blue Raider Head Coach Andy McCollum. "This was a game that we looked at going into the season that we knew would be tough. We have to be as good as we can possibly be in order to win this football game." Statistically, both teams are in sharp contrast. The Blue Raiders have the Sun Belt's most potent offense with an average of 586 yards per contest while UL ranks seventh in the league with an average of 196.3 yards per game. However, the Ragin' Cajuns have the league's top defensive unit, allowing only 322 yards per game while the Blue Raiders rank fourth and have been allowing an average of 391 yards per game. In fact, the Cajun defense is ranked 51st in the nation. Armed with this knowledge, it's easy to see why this year's matchup should prove to be an interesting one. "Defensively, they have a lot of speed and do a great job of mixing things up. I think their free safety, [Kyries] Hebert, is probably one of the best in this league. As a unit, they can run and enjoy playing defense, so it will be a big challenge for our offensive unit." McCollum has, however, been pleased with his defense's development this season. The unit has made great strides since the opening game against Vanderbilt and has been adapting well to a new system implemented this season. In fact, the Blue Raiders are the leagues' top defense against the run, allowing only 107.3 yards per game on the ground. "It's a team game for us, but the improvement from week one to last week shows that we're getting toward where we need to be, but we're nowhere close to getting there yet. We've got to learn to finish on defense," McCollum said. Two Blue Raiders in particular are looking forward to getting on the field against UL. Running back Dwone Hicks got only one carry against the Ragin' Cajuns as a freshman and was limited last season after sustaining an injury after only two carries that took him out of action for the rest of the game. Offensive lineman Brandon Westbrook broke his leg against South Florida last season and was forced to watch from the sidelines during last year's double-overtime victory. Both Hicks and Westbrook will be integral parts of the Blue Raiders offensive attack. Hicks and the running back corp will be trying to exploit the Cajun defense on the ground. UL is allowing 164 yards per game on the ground and the Blue Raiders have the league's top rushing offense with a 266.3 average. The Ragin' Cajuns sport the Sun Belt's top passing defense, allowing only 158 yards through the air, making the play of the offensive line's job of protecting Counts even more important this week. The Blue Raiders do have a couple of concerns heading into this week's game in Lafayette, La. The team committed three turnovers against UL-Monroe last week, raising the ire of McCollum and the coaching staff. The team is also the most penalized in the league. Last week saw the Blue Raiders flagged 11 times for 103 yards. "The Monroe game is one that we're going to do a lot of learning from. We turned the ball over three times and we can't do that if we want to be successful and get to where we want to be in the big picture. We had too many penalties and, on one of their touchdown drives, we walked them down there because of those mistakes. We're not good enough to do that." With the Blue Raiders making their second straight trip into Bayou Country this week and a rematch with UL looming on Saturday, there hasn't been much of a chance for the Blue Raiders to look past this game. Wide receiver David Youell said, "They are at the top of the nation in pass defense and have a lot of experience, and there's no substitute for experience. They took us to two overtimes last year and beat us two years ago. We have to be very prepared and stay focused on what we need to do." McCollum agrees with Youell's sentiments. "We have to turn around and make another trip to Louisiana and face a team that we have a whole lot of respect for. We have had a tough week of work, but that's what I love about this team. They love to work and they want to be better." Kickoff for Saturday's Sun Belt Conference tilt is scheduled for 7 PM CST. NOTE:Blue Raider fans traveling down for the game need to be aware of some security enhancements being made by the Lafayette Police Department at this week's game. The police are asking that patrons refrain from carrying purses of any size, bags, backpacks, umbrellas or any other type of container into Cajun Field. Also, every fan will be subject to search before entering the stadium.

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Players Mentioned

Dwone Hicks

Brandon Westbrook

David Youell

Middle Tennessee State University Athletics