Redshirt senior safety Collin Jacob could make his return to the field this Saturday for the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns after missing the past month with an upper-arm injury. Head coach Michael Desormeaux told reporters Monday that Jacob “has a real chance for this week” to return to action. The safety has been sidelined since suffering what appeared to be an arm injury during the first half of Louisiana’s October 3 matchup against Arkansas State. “For us, [this] is obviously huge news,” Coach Desormeaux said, while acknowledging the defense’s struggles through Jacob's absence. “Since he’s been out, I think defensively we’ve been a little inconsistent.” While Coach Desormeaux also emphasized that Louisiana’s defensive struggles cannot be attributed solely to Jacob’s absence, the statistics on how these last three games unraveled reveal a noticeable decline in performance since his injury. In the three games Jacob has missed, the Cajuns surrendered 401 total yards per game, compared to just 261 yards per game in the four games prior to his injury. The decline has extended beyond total yardage, with Louisiana allowing significantly more rushing and passing yards, along with more first downs, while forcing fewer turnovers. From the sideline perspective, the defense did not seem to be the defense fans saw earlier in the season, and a lot of it could certainly be attributed to his absence. Through the first four games and the first half against Arkansas State before his injury, Jacob recorded 28 total tackles, one interception and a forced fumble. His performance against UAB earlier in the season also earned him Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week honors. Whether Jacob will be available Saturday remains uncertain, with more clarity coming Wednesday evening when the depth chart and availability reports come out, or potentially later in the week. However, his return would provide a much-needed boost to a Louisiana defense looking to regain its early-season consistency. The Cajuns are coming off a bye week following their road loss to Southern Miss and will return home Saturday to host South Alabama in a crucial Sun Belt West Division matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for 4pm. A full preview of Saturday’s matchup will be available later this week. Abdul Abusada of Cajun Sports Talk. Live pregame previews on all Cajun Sports Talk and The Kneaux socials Thursdays at 4pm