College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Louisiana Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2019 Record: 11-3 overall, 7-1 in Sun Belt
Head Coach: Billy Napier, 3rd year, 18-10
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 64
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 14
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 95
No one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.
5. College Football News Preview 2020: Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Offense 3 Things To Know
– The offense was fantastic in the 2018 in the first season under head coach Billy Napier, and it was almost 1,000 yards better in 2019.
Now get ready for it to go through the roof, even after finishing eighth in the nation in yards and tenth in scoring, coming up with almost 500 yards and 38 points per game. And why?
Eight returning starters including one of the nation’s most statistically fantastic backfields.
– Levi Lewis isn’t all that big, but he’s mobile, he’s accurate, and he moves the spread offense with fantastic efficiency. He threw 26 touchdown passes and just four picks, and backup Jaiave Magalei returns with the 6-3, 234-pound bulk to add more size if needed.
The quarterbacking job is easier when you get to hand off to the backs the Ragin’ Cajuns have.
The 1-2 rushing punch of Elijah Mitchell and Trey Ragas is going to be devastating. They’re both around the same 5-10ish, 215ish pounds, and they both produce big whenever they get the ball.
Mitchell ran for 1,147 yards and 16 scores, and Ragas pounded out seven yards per carry with 820 yards and 11 scores. Both caught a touchdown pass.
It helped that …
– The offensive line led the nation in the fewest tackles for loss – it was partly a function of the offense, but the talent helped the cause – and was phenomenal for the nation’s eighth-best rushing attack.
Some of the key stars are missing, but three starters are back, some nice transfers are coming in, and the production should be close to as strong.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Defense 3 Things To Know
4. College Football News Preview 2020: Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Defense 3 Things To Know
– The offense took center stage, but the defense was good, too. It was the second-best in the Sun Belt in yards and led the league allowing fewer than 20 points per game. With eight starters and ten of the top 14 tacklers expected back, everything should keep on rolling.
– The line doesn’t have a ton of size, but the front three is active and deep, with only 33-tackle end Bennie Higgins gone from the rotation. More plays in the backfield would be nice, but being a bit better against the run is what really matters.
The secondary gets back enough to be good again. The pass defense was the best in the conference allowing fewer than 200 yards per game and gave up just 11 scores.
Percy Butler is a good veteran safety, and there should be a decent rotation at corner with Asjlin Washington back after leading the way with three picks.
– The one big loss comes from the linebacking corps with leading tackler Jacques Boudreaux gone, but Joe Dillon is the best pass rusher from the outside and Kris Moncrief is a 245-pound hybrid.
The inside is a wee bit of an issue – this is where not having Boudreaux hurts – but the depth from last year is about to kick in.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Top Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Players
College Football News Preview 2020: Top Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Players
Best Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Offensive Player
QB Levi Lewis, Sr.
There’s no debate if you want to put Elijah Mitchell here or – talent-wise – No. 2 back Trey Regas, but it’s Lewis who makes the amazing offense go.
He’s not all that big, but the 5-10, 190-pounder is a nice passer and a tough runner hitting 64% of his passes for 3,050 yards and 26 scores with just four picks. He doesn’t have to run, but he can, taking off for 195 yards and three touchdowns.
2. RB Elijah Mitchell, Sr.
3. RB Trey Ragas, Sr.
4. OG O’Cyrus Torrence, Soph.
5. OT Max Mitchell, Jr.
Best Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Defensive Player
LB Joe Dillon, Sr.
The nice part about the Ragin’ Cajun defensive success was the way it was about the parts more than just the individuals. There were plenty of good players, but it was a good group overall, with Dillon the top pass rusher and playmaker behind the line.
The 6-3, 218-pound senior is built like a large safety, but he’s a great all-around outside linebacker with 44 tackles and a team-high seven tackles with 9.5 sacks in the rotation on the outside.
2. DT Zi’Yon Hill, Jr.
3. LB Lorenzo McCaskill, Jr.
4. S Percy Butler, Jr.
5. LB Kris Moncrief, Jr.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Keys To The Season
College Football News Preview 2020: Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Keys To The Season
Biggest Key To The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Offense
Get over 200 rushing yards. The Ragin’ Cajuns managed to get by MAC Champion Miami University in the Mobile Alabama Bowl despite running for 155 yards, but that was against a run D that was fabulous all season long.
The ground game failed to get to 200 yards three other times all last season: Mississippi State (loss), Appalachian State (loss), and Appalachian State again in the Sun Belt title game (loss). The offense didn’t just get more than 200 yards in ten of the 11 wins, it blew past the mark.
Louisiana is 1-7 under Billy Napier when going under the 200-yard mark, and has lost ten of its last 11 when it fails to get there.
Biggest Key To The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Defense
Can the defense generate more big plays in the backfield? There weren’t too many problems generating sacks, and the run defense wasn’t all that miserable, but there just weren’t enough tackles for loss.
The 66 weren’t completely awful, but they weren’t enough for a D this good.
To be fair, it’s been three years since the Ragin’ Cajuns got past 70 tackles for loss in a season, but with seven of the top nine tacklers in the backfield returning, the production has to follow.
Key Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Player To A Successful Season
Ot Zach Robertson, Sr.
Everything is there to rock on offense again, but the tackles have to be fantastic again after leading the nation in fewest tackles for loss allowed. That’s where the 6-6, 336-pound Robertson comes in.
The former Arizona State transfer followed his old offensive coordinator by joining Billy Napier to tried out at several spots to find the right fit. If he just so happens to take over the left tackle job … kaboom.
Key Game To The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Season
Arkansas State, Nov. 5
Arkansas State beat Louisiana in 2017. In came Billy Napier, and Louisiana won two straight over the Red Wolves, and just so happened to win the Sun Belt West two years in a row. This year, the showdown is in Lafayette, and once again, the winner will almost certainly take the conference title.
– Louisiana Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2019 Louisiana Fun Stats
– Scoring: Louisiana 531 – Opponents 276
– Sacks: Louisiana 33 for 211 yards – Opponents 14 for 129 yards
– Penalties: Louisiana 99 for 836 yards – Opponents 70 for 566 yards
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
1. College Football News Preview 2020: Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
How is Billy Napier not at a bigger program already?
The 41-year-old might not have been quite ready after one year as the Arizona State offensive coordinator – and he was Dabo Swinney’s offensive coordinator for a little bit at Clemson – but his system works, it’s been fantastic for the last two years at Louisiana, and now it’s about to go to a whole other level.
Appalachian State might still be the star of the Sun Belt, and a few others like Arkansas State and Georgia Southern are good, but Louisiana is still going to be right there in the mix for the conference title.
This year’s team is loaded in the offensive backfield and has just enough talent back on the defensive side to be at least as strong as the 2019 version.
There’s a week off before Appalachian State on the road – Louisiana is 0-4 against the Mountaineers in the two years under Napier – but Arkansas State and Georgia Southern are home games, and missing Troy this season is a good deal.
Nothing less than another Sun Belt West title with a shot at the championship would be a massive disappointment.
Keep the fun going, hope to finally get by Appalachian State, and have a good enough season to propel Napier to something huge after cementing the foundation for future success – it could and should all happen.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
