The Ragin’ Cajuns faced off against the Texas Longhorns in Austin, TX, where the Cajuns fought hard from start to finish against a dominant Longhorns team.
As a member of the Big 12 conference, the Longhorns are a Power Five opponent. The Cajuns had the chance to showcase their competitiveness under the bright lights.
Quarterback Levi Lewis looked poised for a major season after putting his talents on full display against Texas where he went 28-42 for 282 yards and one touchdown. His pinpoint accuracy and scrambling ability were put to the test against a talented Longhorn’s defense.
However, Cajun fans would have loved to see his dynamic rushing attack in the Sept. 4 battle where he rushed for just 11 yards.
“I feel like most parts of the game I could’ve took off but I was trying to be patient in the pocket,” Lewis said. “For the most part, they (the offensive line) held their own. Some plays, like zone reads, I should’ve gave it and some pass plays I should’ve broke the pocket vertical. For the most part I felt like I was too relaxed in the pocket and I was too much of a pocket passer and not a dual threat passer.”
The offensive attack of the Cajuns, led by Lewis, started off slow but found their groove in the third quarter. Through the run game, Chris Smith took over, ripping through the Longhorns defense all afternoon.
In the receiving game, senior Jalen Williams took over, going for five receptions and a team-high 71 yards. The savvy veteran on this Cajuns roster came through when needed, giving Lewis a reliable receiver to fall back on.
Defensively, the Cajuns looked subpar, finding no solutions for the Longhorns run game.
Sophomore running back Bijan Robinson absolutely took over for the young Texas team, accounting for 176 yards, 103 of them coming on the ground.
Robinson showed his true versatility, catching pass after pass while consistently running the ball down the Cajun’s defensive line. Robinson made a name for himself in their week one showdown, putting his name in the Heisman conversation.
The deep secondary of Ragin’ Cajuns hung in there throughout all four quarters where they limited the chunk plays of Texas most of the game.
Redshirt junior Zi’Yon Hill asserted his dominance, proving the Sun Belt Conference produces some elite talent. Hill accounted for six tackles while pressing Longhorns quarterback, Hudson Card, all afternoon.
Overall, the Cajuns showed they belonged in a Power Five conference, despite taking a brutal loss against a talented opponent. The game plan Head Coach Billy Napier put together was well prepared, but just could not come to fruition.
With Coach Napier at the helm of this program, the Cajuns are in a position to win week in and week out, ultimately looking to grow to an even better conference than the Sun Belt.
As the Cajuns look to rebound off a season opening loss in front of a jam-packed crowd in Austin, TX, this team looks poised to contend for another Sun Belt Conference championship.
Story: Zachary Nagy