Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football at Arkansas State, Butch Jones: Scouting report, prediction

JONESBORO, Ark. – UL has won five straight, including three consecutive Sun Belt Conference games, since losing its season opener at Texas.

The Ragin’ Cajuns (5-1, 3-0) continue league play Thursday (6:30 p.m., ESPNU) at Arkansas State, a fellow West Division member.

UL is 13-0 under coach Billy Napier against teams from the West and has won 11 straight Sun Belt road games.

The Cajuns are coming off a 41-13 home win over East Division member Appalachian State on Oct. 12.

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The Red Wolves (1-5, 0-2) have lost five straight since a season-opening win over Central Arkansas. They’ve been idle since a 52-20 home loss to East-leader Coastal Carolina on Oct. 7.

A-State’s quarterbacks

Arkansas State starting quarterback James Blackman, a transfer from Florida State, reportedly injured a shoulder against Coastal Carolina. He isn’t listed on the new depth chart.

So the Cajuns should see of lot of 2019 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year Layne Hatcher, a transfer from Alabama who led the nation in passing yards per completion (17.74) while throwing for 2,058 yards in 11 games last year.

Freshman Wyatt Begeal is now the backup.

Hatcher shared time previously with Logan Bonner, who went with former coach Blake Anderson to Utah State after the 2020 season. But Butch Jones, the former Tennessee coach who succeeded Anderson, brought in Blackman to compete with Hatcher.

Levi Lewis

UL starting quarterback Levi Lewis looked sharp against Appalachian State, which should bode well against an Arkansas State team that’s allowed an average of 51.8 points in its five losses.

A deep ball completed after a well-run vertical route by Kyren Lacy got Lewis going and loosened the Mountaineers’ defense.

His completion percentage (15-of-25, 60%) wasn’t as high as the 70%-plus it was in the loss at the Texas or a win over Ohio, but Lewis’ decision-making and command of the offense seemed as sound as it has been all season.

Lewis, 27-7 as UL’s starter, needs three touchdowns to pass Jake Delhomme (64) as the school’s all-time leader.

The Cajun secondary

UL’s defense has held opponents to fewer than 25 points in five straight games.

The Cajun secondary played with sound anticipation of App State route running and better communication. It showed as cornerback Eric Garror jumped a pass for one interception and nickel back Brandon Bishop got another off a deflection.

Defensive line depth

Early in the season UL was hit by a rash of injuries on the offensive line, including a season-ending one for left tackle Carlos Rubio.

Now it’s spread to the defensive line.

Napier said reserve nose tackle Dalvin Hutchinson has been lost for the season due to a knee injury sustained against App State. Sonny Hazard is now listed as the co-backup along with Ja-Quane Nelson behind starter Tayland Humphrey.

Kicking concerns

Kickoffs have been a concern all season for the Cajuns.

Coverage has been fine. But consistency has been an issue for Nate Snyder, who at times has struggled with kick location and distance due to technical issues.

The transfer from Indiana also has been handling field goals and PATs because injured starter Kenneth Almendares is out for the season. Snyder is 7-of-9 on PATs and 0-of-2 on field goal attempts, causing Napier to adjust his play-calling accordingly and prompting him to consider going for it on fourth down even more than he’s naturally inclined.

Prediction

UL 36, Arkansas State 30: UL is riding high after its win over favored Appalachian State. There is ample reason to suspect the Cajuns can keep it rolling, even with the reeling Red Wolves having had some time off to regroup.