Before UL even reported for August camp, the expectations for redshirt junior defensive tackle Chase Edwards were very high.
Meeting such high hopes isn’t always easy, but the Houston native has been up to the challenge.
“Chase has played really well,” UL coach Michael Desormeaux said. “He’s been one of those guys that, where he’s come from to where he is, has been phenomenal. The physical part (at 6-7, 295 pounds) is nothing compared to the mental maturity … the way he’s grown up.”
Officially, Edwards has been credited with 11 tackles this season, but his impact is much greater than that sounds. He’s been the driving force behind UL’s defense, leading the Sun Belt in run defense at only 100.7 yards per game.
“Coach (Dennis) Thomas sets the bar for us – play physical,” Edwards said. “That’s our mindset.”
Individually, Edwards credits his program to preparation and maturity.
“Mostly just knowing the defense and knowing the scheme,” he said. “That helps you be able to play fast. I feel like that’s helped me and my teammates make plays.”
Listening to the staff’s advice about taking care of non-football issues off the field has paid off in a big way.
“Last year didn’t go as well as I wanted it to,” Edwards said. “I had to look at myself in the mirror and realize I had to do better off the field, if I wanted to do better on the field.
“Coach Thomas is always preaching to us about things like schoolwork and sleep and all the things like that that translate to the football field.”
Injury report
The injury bug continues for UL’s offense, especially at wide receiver.
Just as starter Shelton Sampson is beginning to get back on course, now fellow starter Landon Strother is back on the injury list.
“Landon Strother is going to be out for a while,” Desormeaux said. “He had a core injury. We’re not exactly sure about the timeline.
“That’s certainly a little bit of a gut punch, because he was a spark for us and made some big plays. We’ve got some guys that are playing well that were playing behind him that’ll have to pick it up.”
Technically, KeDarius Wade and Rahji Dennis are the backups on the depth chart at Strother’s specific receiver spot. Wade has nine catches for 213 yards and a touchdown, including a 46-yard score last week.
But Desormeaux said the staff has been preparing receivers in different spots just in case.
“Rahji has practiced really well,” Desormeaux said. “He’s put together a really good body of work. It’s still a little bit thin, though, so we’ve been kind of cross-training some guys — kind of shuffling the deck in case a bomb goes off and you don’t get stuck out there with only one guy who can play a position.”
Fortunately, there was also some good news with right guard Matt Broussard returning from a concussion.
Wide receiver Ja’Corian Norris, however, remains in the final stages of concussion protocol and won’t be available this week.
Don’t forget Jones
If the Cajuns had been able to hold on for a road win over Louisiana Tech last weekend, one of the hero plays would have been turned in by redshirt junior edge Lester Jones.
It was his forced fumble of Bulldogs’ quarterback Blake Barker early in the second quarter – recovered by Priest Ashe – that set up a go-ahead field goal for a 10-7 lead with 6:57 left until halftime.
“They put me in, and I just said, ‘Let’s do it,'” Jones said. “When I saw the guy they had at tackle – he didn’t normally play tackle — I said, ‘I’ve got to do that right here.’ I can’t lie. It was a great feeling; sacks are always good to get.”
On a night where UL’s defense couldn’t slow down Tech’s passing game, turnovers were needed. It was his second sack of the season.
“It didn’t really surprise me,” Jones said. “I was confident. I’ve been doing that in practices. Anybody will tell you that.”
The former walk-on from Liberty Magnet in Baton Rouge, Jones has established a role on the defense, thanks largely to coach Mike Giuliani.
“That’s my dog,” Jones said of Giuliani. “He’s built me through everything. I will say he got the most belief in me — probably more than I have in myself sometimes.”
Jones thinks that big play can lead to more contributions moving forward.
“I just want to be great, so I feel like my ceiling is whatever and however hard I work,” Jones said. “That’s how high my ceiling is going to be.”
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