LAFAYETTE -- Forgive Mark Hudspeth if he’s fielded this query before. The sixth-year UL-Lafayette coach got them prior to last season’s opener against Kentucky and is sure to receive more in November prior to a trip to Athens, Ga. when split conferences align, if only for 60 minutes.
“Teams look at us as a Group of 5 team and not a Power 5 team,” Hudspeth said. “We get the same misconceptions from when we play an SEC school, they ask us the same questions I get asked when we’re playing McNeese.”
Before that Nov. 19 date between the hedges comes McNeese State, a rekindled Interstate-10 rivalry of which neither Hudspeth nor his players have much firsthand knowledge. What these players are cognizant of is three letters — FCS — that sometimes lead to complacency or arrogance from opposing FBS teams.
"They've got a lot of talented kids. And that's the misconception about FCS teams,” Hudspeth said Tuesday. “They've got Division I players all over that team. They're an outstanding team.”
McNeese is, of course, already a Division I institution. Hudspeth meant FBS talent — talent he’s also recruited.
Hudspeth said UL-Lafayette recruited Cowboys quarterback James Tabary “some” out of Holy Cross before he eventually landed at conference rival Arkansas State. Tabary did not play in the Red Wolves’ 37-27 win against the Cajuns last season.
"Outstanding passer who throws a very good football,” Hudspeth said. “Very heady kid. He's going to be a heck of a player for those guys, there's no question about it."
Tabary threw for two touchdowns in McNeese’s 33-3, season-opening win against Tarleton State. He and two other quarterbacks hit 14 different receivers to throw for 358 yards — tied for the fourth-most in school history.
Given the lopsidedness and early bench-emptying, Hudspeth admitted gleaning anything of substance from the Cowboys season-opener was difficult.
He noted Tarleton State’s center, though, a man who he hypothesized still had Isaiah Golden’s forehead “tattooed to his.”
“The best (defensive) lineman we'll face this year, period, including some of the other schools we'll play,” Hudspeth said of the Cowboys’ All-American tackle. “He can change the game just by himself … This guy is physical, he's tough and he's a difference maker in the trenches. We'll have our hands full.”
Therein lies Hudspeth’s dilemma, trying to attack Lance Guidry and defensive coordinator Tommy Restivo’s scheme that’s been “awfully hard to prepare for” since Guidry’s days at Western Kentucky, where Hudspeth faced him twice.
“(Guidry's) sort of put his stamp on what he does because you don't see it everyday and that makes it tough to prepare for,” Hudspeth said. “If you single block (Golden), you're in trouble. If you double him, you're leaving other people unblocked. So it's sort of pick your poison. They lock you down, they come get you and they run to the football extremely well."
Hudspeth’s defense has a new coordinator, Mike Lucas. The Southland Conference veteran takes over for Melvin Smith, whom Hudspeth fired following a 45-10, season-opening, home loss to Boise State where the Broncos amassed 584 yards and averaged eight yards per play.
Terminology won’t change, Hudspeth said, just maybe the way it’s presented and taught. The coach will experiment with personnel changes, though he declined to specify at what positions.
Hudspeth will start redshirt freshman Kevin Dotson at right guard, pairing him with classmate Robert Hunt at left guard, in an attempt to rectify a unit that allowed five sacks and permitted just two yards per rush on 40 carries.
The modifications will come in a stadium Hudspeth pleaded with fans to pack — wearing red — in a rivalry game he, too, is just learning about.
“We’re more worried right now about ourselves, because we have to fix ourselves regardless if we’re playing McNeese, a conference game, or the Georgia Bulldogs,” Hudspeth said. “Coming off last week, it’s all about us trying to circle the wagons and sort of regroup. But our players know the importance of this game.”
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