It's always more fun to step up to the microphone after a win, even if you have a quarterback competition to discuss.

With the Ragin' Cajuns catching stride, Mark Hudspeth met with media to discuss a soggy victory over ULM and a possible shootout with Georgia State. Hud hopes they won't get off to the same slow start against the Panthers. Aside from the rain, the beginning of the ULM game put a real damper on things.

"We moved the ball but bogged down in the redzone," Hudspeth said. He added, "[We] had guys in position, we just didn't make plays in the first half."

With opportunities left on the table and some bickering occurring between teammates, an attitude adjustment was required at halftime. It came from a two-headed source.

Wide Receiver Al Riles and Linebacker Otha Peters grew up together, and both bring a hard-nosed mentality to the football field. According to Coach Hudspeth and the Ragin' Cajun players, the two longtime friends stood up and challenged their brothers in the locker room. The simple message was, "do your job." After their speech, the team came out with the proper mentality and collected a win.

It looks like Coach Hud found himself a little help in the inspiration department.

"Al Riles and Otha Peters have sort of morphed into being our team leaders at this point," Hudspeth said.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If the players are listening to Riles and Peters, let them talk. Sometimes two heads working together can create one strong voice. That's also what Hudspeth hopes he can apply to the quarterback position.

Jalen Nixon and Brooks Haack are used to seeing their names in the papers at this point. Hudspeth started the season with Haack at the helm, then went to Nixon full-time. Against the Warhawks, Haack led the team to victory in the second half, complete with a beautifully thrown deep ball in the pouring rain. Some would classify the current situation as a QB controversy. Hud sees it as a luxury.

Instead of trying to pick one quarterback, he's embracing a two QB system for the first time in his coaching career.

"I'm going to let them both know up front," Hudspeth said. "They're both going to play."

With Nixon's ability to run the ball and Haack's slightly better throwing arm, Hud sees no reason why not to use them both. Some deception will be required to keep the defense from anticipating the playcall, but Offensive Coordinator Jay Johnson will figure out a way to make it work. After all, Haack did score on a read option play against the Warhawks.

Practice will be interesting. How will Hud divide the reps?

"They both have different skill sets," Hudspeth said. "We're not going to ask Brooks to run every play we run for Jalen."

Game flow will determine which QB sees the field at what time, but Hudspeth said he will also be open to riding the hot hand. One thing is for certain: Georgia State has to prepare for two QB's all week long.

In terms of the QB position, the Panthers don't need to worry. Nick Arbuckle leads the Sun Belt in passing by a mile, and Hudspeth described him as "a cool, cool cucumber." He'll need a response to Arbuckle on the defensive side of the ball, and it very well could be Dominique Tovell.

After moving to inside linebacker last week, Tovell will remain starting next to Otha Peters even with the return of Tremaine Lightfoot to good health this week. Why not? He reached double-digits in tackles and was an all around menace against ULM.

"The guy was all over the field," Hudspeth said.

On top of Lightfoot returning to action (Hud said he will get reps but not start), Jevante Watson (ankle) will return to the secondary against a Panther team that absolutely loves to pass the ball. All hands on deck.

Speaking of the secondary, Hudspeth had some high praise to hand out.

Individually, he recognized Dom "Bob" Jones for basically playing every single position in the secondary so far, and said he didn't know where they would be without him. Defensive Coordinator Melvin Smith got some kind words from the head man as well.

"He has held that secondary together with bailing wire and duct tape all season long," Hudspeth said.

To pass along the undertone of the entire press conference, although the season didn't start the way they wanted, Hudspeth's and the Cajuns' goals are still in view. A bowl berth is achievable, and the Sun Belt Conference isn't locked down yet.

Stringing some wins together will require some cohesiveness and consistency, but it looks like they're finding it at the right time.

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