While UL’s defense relished the redemption of coming through with Micah Johnson’s game-winning interception in Saturday’s 28-26 home win over South Alabama, what happened a few plays later also was very fitting.
Earlier this season, running back Darrell Smith was lost for the season with a knee injury. In the third quarter Saturday, Anthony Reagan suffered a serious leg injury after a 23-yard run and was carted off the field.
That put a heavy load on remaining backs JJ Garner and Steven Blanco and did they ever deliver.
For the game, Garner had a career high 136 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries and oh yeah, he also started the game off with a 100-yard kickoff return for a score.
“I knew once Ja’Corian (Norris) told me it was coming to me, I knew it was over,” Garner said. “I knew I was going to hit it.”
Perhaps, but there was no real reason to believe that. Garner said he didn’t start returning kickoffs in practice before this past week. He didn’t even do it in high school in Texas.
Blanco finished with 55 yards on 13 carries, highlighted by a 14-yard run late in the fourth quarter.
After Johnson’s interception, UL still had 1:29 to run off the clock. That process was complicated by two procedure flags that made it second-and-20 in a scenario UL had to run the ball.
So UL coach Michael Desormeaux called Blanco’s number and he carried multiple defenders on his way to a 14-yard run to set up Lunch Winfield’s 6-yard first down run to ice the win.
“He drove his legs and started pushing the pile,” Desormeaux said of Blanco’s run. “I mean second-and-20 is not a good spot to be in when they know you’re running it. It was huge to set us up in a range where we felt like we could go and get the first down.
“Then he throws a big block on the next play for Lunch to get the first down.”
Garner made a similarly impressive 16-yard run to overcome a holding flag on the previous possession.
“There’s nothing much to say about it,” Garner said, “I just did my job.”
It was the sixth straight game Garner had a rushing touchdown and with more injuries, he could be in line for a lot more carries.
“It feels good to know that the coaches are trusting me more, so I just go in there and do what I can do, knowing that they trust me,” Garner said. “I’ve been pressing my runs and getting my eyes in the right spot, picking up blocks better.”
Troubling flags
If the Cajuns had lost Saturday’s game, the area many fans would have been pointing at was UL getting a season-high 10 penalties for 60 yards.
When the offense was trying to add to a two-point lead in the fourth quarter, two 5-yard procedure flags forced the Cajuns to settle for a 47-yard field goal that bounced off the left upright.
Then even after Johnson’s huge interception with 1:29 left, the process of evaporating South Alabama’s timeouts and erasing the clock was complicated with two more procedure flags to make it second-and-20.
Still, Desormeaux was pleased with the offensive line’s physical effort in the win, opening the way for UL to rush for 312 yards.
“The false starts at the end, I think were really the only thing that I was a little disappointed with the way that that happened,” Desormeaux said. “I thought that was about as good as we could do it (on offensive line) – the way we tried to be physical and ran the ball. We communicated really well. I told the team the team that ran it better would probably win.”
The Cajuns outrushed the Jags 312-159. It also helped UL’s cause that South Alabama got its fair share of false starts too, finishing with nine flags for 65 yards.
“It was kind of ugly at times,” Desormeaux said. “It was gritty and ugly. When we came out for the second half, it kind of felt like it was going to be a grind-it-out type of finish.”
Kicking game
There was no missing the biggest special teams play in the game with Garner’s 100-yard kickoff return in a two-point victory.
Unfortunately for the Cajuns, not everything else associated with special teams play was that positive.
Even with that 100-yard return giving UL 163 kickoff return yards on the night, the Jaguars didn’t finish far off with 120 yards on five attempts.
UL’s Tony Sterner also missed a field goal for the second straight game – this one from 47 yards out.
Then there’s the punting. UL averaging 36.2 yards a punt – just ahead of South Alabama’s 35.5-yard average.
Something to keep an eye on, though, is Brek Schulz made the last punt for UL, but it was only 34 yards after starter Mason Golding averaged 37 on three punts.
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