Ragin' Cajuns football opens Michael Desormeaux era with rout of SE Louisiana

LAFAYETTE – Michael Desormeaux hoped his first game as the Ragin' Cajuns football coach would feature a bit of everything.

Playing multiple quarterbacks, UL got big plays from special teams, a stingy defensive effort that forced turnovers but still saw some missteps on offensive and defense. It was all there for the Ragin' Cajuns in a 24-7 win over Southeastern Louisiana at Cajun Field on Saturday to open the 2022 season.

It was a proper welcome home for Desormeaux as his alma mater's coach after serving on Bill Napier's staff the last six seasons. Desormeaux, who played quarterback and H-back for UL back in 2005-08, earned a promotion when Napier took the Florida job in the offseason.

Here's what we learned from the Ragin' Cajuns' season-opening victory:

MICHAEL DESORMEAUX, HOMETOWN HEROWhy those who know Michael Desormeaux believe he'll succeed at UL

BOLD PREDICTIONSFour bold predictions for Louisiana entering 2022 season

QB1 DECISIONHow Chandler Fields earned the Cajuns starting quarterback job

Chandler Fields' debut

How would the offense operate with Chandler Fields leading the unit has been a key question since he earned the starting role in the final weeks of training camp.

Desormeaux and offensive coordinator Tim Leger came out firing, and Fields provided the spark. The sophomore went 4-for-4 for 65 yards and capped his first drive as the starter with a 28-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Johnny Lumpkin. On two drives in the first half, Leger was 7-for-10 for 90 yards.

Fields was efficient and rarely put the ball in trouble. He missed one throw to running back Jacob Kibodi in the flat, a miss that resulted in the offense settling for a 26-yard field goal. Other than that, Louisiana didn't ask too much out of Fields and he executed the game plan.

He finished 13-for-20 for 174 yards and two touchdowns to Lumpkin.

Ben Wooldridge gets his time too

Backup quarterback Ben Wooldridge, like Desormeaux said, entered the game on the third drive. The junior came in and guided the offense down the field but stalled inside the 10 when Chris Smith was stuffed on a fourth-and-1 rush attempt.

Wooldridge had a couple of highlights: a checkdown to Smith that went for 17 yards on third down. He ended the game 7-for-11 for 68 yards.

He'll continue to get snaps next week against Eastern Michigan but how his role shifts in the coming weeks will be something to watch.

Ragin' Cajuns still running

UL's historic run under Napier was predicated on a proficient run game. Desormeaux and other coaches have mentioned that the identity of what made UL successful wasn't going to be abandoned.

UL ran the ball more than expected, but that could be attributed to the coaching staff wanting an extended look at the depth behind Smith at running back. And also how the offensive line has come together.

Terrence Williams ended up leading the group with 61 yards rushing, and Smith had 12 carries for 44 yards. Kibodi was the first to spell Smith and the bigger back also looked more than capable, running with a low center of gravity and falling forward when going down.

Kibodi and Williams appear ready to help Smith carry the load.

Defense leaves plenty to be desired

In his first game as defensive coordinator, LaMar Morgan looked more than content dropping back and covering than applying pressure against Lions quarterback Cephus Johnson.

It took him a little more than a quarter, but Johnson caught onto UL's strategy and started carving the secondary up in the second half to raise some eyebrows.

There was little, if any, imagination in Louisiana's defensive blitz packages, as disguises on the backend and execution waned as the game progressed. The Lions finished with 260 total yards.

Next up

Louisiana hosts Eastern Michigan (1-0) next Saturday at Cajun Field. EMU defeated Eastern Kentucky, 42-34.

Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU/UL athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: What we learned from Louisiana football's win vs. SE Louisiana