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	Thursday, September 7 Ragin' Cajuns a little on the mild side this season
	By Scott Brown Special to ESPN.com Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns 1999 record: 2-9 Coach: Jerry Baldwin Returning starters: 12 (7 offense, 5 defense) Outlook The Ragin' Cajuns won't flirt with a winning record, and it's easy to see why. There are serious questions as to whether this team can run the ball and stop the run. The two most telling statistics from last year's lackluster campaign are the 2.7 yards Louisiana-Lafayette averaged per carry and the 5.1 yards per carry it yielded to opponents. Seven starters return offensively, including four on the offensive line. Sophomore tackle Jonathon Raush is the leading returner from a group that yielded 42 sacks in 1999. Tailback Darren Brister led the Ragin' Cajuns in rushing last year (729 yards) but he opened fall practice behind John Bernard on the depth chart. Derek Dyer is back at quarterback, and he must do a better job of making opposing defenses respect the pass. The 6-1, 205-pound junior completed just 44 percent of his throws a year ago. He had 10 interceptions and just four touchdown passes. If the Ragin' Cajuns don't show significant improvement defensively this season, they may be hard-pressed to win games against either of their I-AA opponents. Louisiana-Lafayette couldn't stop the run or the pass last season, as opposing quarterbacks completed 55 percent of their throws against the Ragin' Cajuns. The defensive line is undersized, and it must replace top pass-rusher Danny Scott. Senior Travis Schwartz leads the linebacking corps, and the secondary is anchored by hard-hitting safeties Kyries Hebert and Matt Cieslak. Hebert led the team with 98 tackles in '99. Keep an eye on ... Quarterback Jon Van Cleave. A true freshman, Van Cleave attracted serious interest from Ohio State, Miami (Fla.) and Colorado before signing with the Ragin' Cajuns. If Van Cleave picks up the offense quickly and Dyer continues to struggle with his passing, Baldwin could have a quarterback controversy on his hands It's a good season if ... Louisiana-Lafayette wins four games. The Ragin' Cajuns, who are off to the Sun Belt Conference next season, have too many question marks to expect significant improvement from last season. Scott Brown covers UCF for Florida Today		AROUND THE INDEPENDENTS UCF Connecticut La.-Lafayette La.-Monroe Louisiana Tech Middle Tenn. St. Navy Notre Dame ALSO SEE Irish no longer the king of the independents