ACCESS BOWL ROULETTE: ULL RAGIN CAJUNS

This the second in a series of stories looking at likely contenders for the G5 spot in the Access Bowl this year.

OVERVIEW:  Robert E. Lee was fond of saying that  the Devil's name is dullness. Fortunately for Ragin Cajun fans, the Devil has been absent from  the ULL football program since Head Coach Mark Hudspeth arrived bringing  his passionate brand of football to campus in 2010.  Hudspeth, with  help from his coaching credentials and a fiery disposition has put ULL football on the map much to the delight of the enthusiastic and large Ragin Cajun fan base.

The recent success of the football team has even been the catalyst  for ULL's ambitious  $115 million dollar strategic plan to revision   its athletic department and facilities. ULL believes that it is finally hitting its stride after many years of status quo existence. With a talent rich state, a fan base that has proven they can show up in  East Carolina  like numbers and an administration that finally understands how important College football is to the bottom line, the Ragin Cajuns might be ready to turn the corner in scholastic athletics.

COACHING: In the 8 yrs prior to  Hudspeth becoming head coach of the Ragin Cajuns,  ULL struggled under the leadership of then head coach Rickey Bustle, who had amassed a dismal 41-65 record. In truth, Bustle had faired no worse than those who had come before him, as the Cajuns were in the midst of a 4 decades long Bowl Game drought. The Ragin Cajuns, much to the chagrin of their fan base, were stuck in a decades long malaise  with no signs of a program turn around. That is until ULL AD David Walker hired Hudspeth away from his assistant coach job at  Mississippi State.

Walker, like many others , knew that Mark Hudspeth could coach , and win big.   Hudspeth , while serving as Head Coach of a  struggling North Alabama team turned  around that  program finishing with an impressive 66-21 over seven seasons with the  Lions.

When Hudspeth came to ULL, he knew what it  took to win. In what is now a famous  moment in ULL program history, Coach Hudspeth took a tug of war rope with him to one of his practices and divided the team into offense and defense . He then had the two squads pull against each other, and when neither side gained an advantage over the other, he told the team to all get on the same side of the rope and pull. It's much easier win when your pulling together he told the team. The rope moment seems to have worked, as Hudspeth has gone an a stealer 27-12 with three bowl wins in the last 3 yrs. Hudspeth simply is a gamer.

WHY ULL WITH BE THE G5 REPRESENTATIVE TO THE ACCESS BOWL:

ULL boasts a talented team. For starters, Senior QB Terrance Broadway should start the season healthy. After a gut check performance against Tulane in the New Orleans Bowl last year, Broadway looks ready to to make a name for himself as a multi threat option on the field. Protecting Broadway up front  are four returning linemen, including  all  SBC linemen  Daniel Quave(G). Combine this with emergence of Sophomore Rb Elijah McGuire and the continued good play of Senior WR Jamal Robinson, and the Cajun OC Jay Johnson has quite the arsenal to work with.

On the Defensive side of the ball, however,  ULL struggled last year both in run defense and with a lackluster pass rush. The good news for second year Def Coordinator James Willis is that the Cajuns return most players from  last year's defense, including the majority of the secondary. ULL also has a favorable schedule this year, meaning that it is not out of the picture for them to go undefeated. They will need for their defense to play better this year, however,  if they want to run the tables.

Finally, the Ragin Cajuns have Coach Mark Hudspeth. Hudspeth leadership is invaluable to ULL. Hudspeth is becoming one of the best motivators in the business. Look for him to push the Cajuns hard this year.

WHY ULL WILL NOT BE THE G5 REPRESENTATIVE TO THE ACCESS BOWL

The wild card on ULL's team this year is it's defense. Def Coordinator James Willis, will have to work some magic and get better production from his squad before ULL is ready to be the G5 representative to the Access Bowl.

ULL plays in the Sun Belt. The Belt still struggles with perception issues.  These perception issues linger in spite of the  Sun Belt's  recently  good record against other  G5 conferences. An undefeated Belt team for example, would likely not get the spot if going toe to toe with an undefeated  or even one loss AAC team.

 ULL will need to beat Ole Miss and Boise State, and then will need to beat  Troy, Ark State and APP State and hope that these three schools are having good seasons in order to raise  ULL's SOS profile. SOS issues may haunt ULL this year. Even with an undefeated record, ULL will need help from other G5 conferences in order to get to the Access Bowl.


CONCLUSION:

ULL's strength is clearly on the offensive side of the ball and in the form of the  motivation  and leadership of Head Coach Mark Hudspeth. ULL will need to run the table and get  help from the other Access Bowl contenders if they want to make it to the Bowl game.  The stars will have to align in very favorable positions for  ULL this season if they want to make it to the game.

In short, ULL  has the most difficult  road to the Access Bowl among the G5 teams. They also however, have one of the best G5 coach's in Hudsepth. Mark Hudspeth has proven that he can win every where that he has coached.   If any one can make this season a magical one,  its Hudspeth. He will need however, to have one of his best coaching years ever and receive some breaks from the football gods if he wants his team to play in the Access Bowl.  The good news for Cajun fans is that if anyone can pull this off, it's Hudspeth.