Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Kansas State

It’s time to gear up for Week 2 of the Eyeblack Odyssey.  After a few hiccups last week, we think we’re ready for more brilliance this week, but one never can tell.

We’re going to a different college game every weekend.  And you guys get to tag along.  Every Friday I’ll preview the games we’re going to, we’ll be podcasting Saturday and tweeting the experience, then recapping the whole ball of wax with video/photos/what have you on Monday. 

We may even get all that done this week (woohoo!).  But hey, stick around Thundersquee and follow us on Twitter and you’ll see all kinds of fun and goodness.

Anyway, on to the football!

Louisiana-Lafayette (1-0) vs. Kansas State (1-0)
(Saturday, Sept. 12– 6 p.m. ET)

Our unofficial tour of Louisiana kicks off with a trip to Lafayette, which just might boast the second-best game-day atmosphere in the state.  Let’s be honest though.  This particular game was picked because of the opponent, which just so happens to be my alma mater.  Imagine that!  Regardless, this figures to be a battle between two fringe bowl teams and should be competitive as a result.

Quick facts:

Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns
Location:  Lafayette, La. (population 256,494)
Founded:  1900 (enrollment 17,075)
Home Stadium:  Cajun Field (seats 31,000)

Kansas State Wildcats
Location:  Manhattan, Kan. (population 51,707)
Founded:  1863 (enrollment 22,000)
Home Stadium:  Bill Snyder Family Stadium (seats 53,000)

Game day atmosphere:

The Cajuns set an attendance record last week and could well top it this week, as Kansas State’s fan base is known for travelling well.  The tailgating in Lafayette has a very strong reputation and should be stellar.  After a long battle sorting out the legalities of it all, Cajun Field will be serving beer this weekend (score!).  Add in a late start and you’re looking at what should be a pretty wild environment.

Game analysis:

Lafayette loves to run the ball, but early indications are that the team is trying to pass a bit more this year.  They lost two incredible playmakers to graduation in quarterback Michael Desormeaux and running back Tyrell Fenroy, so a more balanced attack (with new quarterback Chris Masson pulling the trigger) makes some sense.  The shotgun will figure prominently regardless, as the Cajuns have had great success in the past (including last year vs. K-State) running a variation of the spread option, and their offensive line is strong and experienced.

Kansas State is a team in transition under the return of legendary head coach Bill Snyder.  His challenge lies in trying to mold a finesse team into one that prides itself on toughness.  JUCO running back Daniel Thomas has helped the transition some, but the true playmakers on offense (Brandon Banks, Attrail  Snipes, Lamark Brown) are at receiver.  That is problematic, since quarterback Carson Coffman, who was off-target in his debut, could have a couple picked off by a secondary that nabbed three interceptions last week.  He will likely be spelled by Grant Gregory, a more mobile player.  The defense appears to be improved, with some decent talent in the secondary, but injuries along the defensive line could play a factor.

Both of these teams are stuck in transition (Kansas State because of a coaching switch and Lafayette because of who graduated).  Normally, a BCS team is going to have too much for a Sun Belt team.  What is interesting in this game, however, is the situation along the lines of scrimmage.   Kansas State is attempting a fairly radical transition on offense and is suffering some rough losses on defense.  Meanwhile, Lafayette is strong in both cases (though surrendering 115 yards on the ground to Southern last week is troubling).  Kansas State had a couple of major breakdowns on special teams last week, and if that occurs this week (or if the Wildcats turn the ball over a ton), this game will be a loss for them.  I’ll call for the Wildcats to come out less sloppy and for the Cajuns to get a little too pass happy … which will play to K-State’s advantage.  Whoever wins the turnover battle almost certainly wins this game, and seeing as I am a ridiculous homer, I think that will end up being the Wildcats:  K-State 26, Louisiana-Lafayette 20.

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Tags: college football, Eyeblack Odyssey, Kansas State Wildcats, Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, NCAA, NFL Guy

This entry was posted on Friday, September 11th, 2009 at 10:39 AM and is filed under Girl with Eyeblack, Guy with Eyeblack. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.