Louisiana Ragin' Cajun Defensive Players To Watch vs. Texas Longhorns

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns come to Austin with an experienced defense, filled with veterans

Matt Galatzan | Sep 1, 2021

The Texas Longhorns will open their season this weekend against one of the toughest Group of 5 opponents in the country, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns.

The Ragin' Cajuns, who are coming off of a 10-1 record and a second-place finish in the Sun Belt Conference (Coastal Carolina) under third-year head coach Billy Napier, will be a dark horse to challenge for a college football playoff spot in 2021.

Lousiana will field an experienced defense that returns nine starters, and finished fourth in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring defense at 22 points per game. The Ragin' Cajuns also finished eighth in rush defense (174.45 YPG), first in pass defense (170.6 YPG), and eighth in total defense, giving up an average of 464.6 yards per game.

On Monday, LonghornsCountry.com began its started its preview of Louisiana with an overview of the program, before previewing some of the Ragin' Cajuns' top offensive players. Now it's time to take a look at some defensive players to watch when Texas takes on Louisiana on September 4 at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

Now, on to the Ragin' Cajuns:

LB Ferrod Gardner

Perhaps the biggest playmaker on the Ragin' Cajuns defense, Ferrod Gardner finished second on the team in tackles with 74, first in tackles for loss with seven, and first in sacks with 4.5.

DE Zi'Yon Hill

The team's second-leading sack artist in 2020, Zi'Yon hill finished the year with 49 tackles, five tackles for loss, and four sacks, on his way to earning second-team All-Sun Belt Conference honors.

LB Lorenzo McCaskill

As Lousiana's leading returning tackler from the 2020 roster with 83 stops, Lorenzo McCaskill was awarded a spot on the third-team All-Sun Belt team. McCaskill also had 2.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble.

S Bralen Trahan

Occupying one safety spot for the Ragin' Cajuns, Trahan will look to improve on a solid 2020 campaign, after finishing last year with 48 total tackles, four interceptions, 2.5 tackles for loss, and nine pass breakups.

CB Mekhi Garner

Mekhi Garner finished last season tied for second in interceptions with three, while also managing 27 tackles, seven pass breakups, and a forced fumble. Garner's 6-foot-2, 212-pound frame will make him the ideal fit to line up against Longhorns wideout Troy Omeire

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Longhorns? Click Here

Want to join in on the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Longhorns Country message board community today!

Follow Longhorns Country on Twitter and Facebook.k

Published Sep 1, 2021

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.