Rickey Bustle’s Post FIU Press Conference
<blockquote><p align=justify><i>HIGHLIGHTS FROM LOUISIANA'S RAGIN' CAJUNS FOOTBALL HEAD COACH RICKEY BUSTLE’S PRESS CONFERENCE FOLLOWING SATURDAY’S GAME AGAINST FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL </i>
<b> On last week’s game… </b>
“My concern all week was handling our victory from last week. I think 90
percent handled it well.”
“We didn’t have our best game. We just have to make sure we are focused.”
“We played pretty consistently and threw the long ball well.”
“We don’t really have any superstars, just guys that are all working together to score points.”
“I thought we played really well up front. We have to find a way to get more pressure on the quarterback.”
<b> On this week’s game against New Mexico State… </b>
“There’s no doubt that we have to be more focused for our next game.”
“Defensively they look pretty good.”
“I think it’s going to be a typical Sun Belt New Mexico State-UL game. “
“They’ve played good teams. It’s hard to find out about your team until you play in your conference.”
<b> On Babb… </b>
“I think his performance was good. He always gives you an opportunity to be successful.”
“He made some good throws, one of which was the touchdown before half.”
“He’s playing smart and patient. It’s hard to be patient when we are in a spread out offense.”
<b> On New Mexico State’s two QB system… </b>
“It makes you prepare differently for the two quarterbacks.”
“The thing they do now is they keep them both on the field. They’ll line one up as a wide receiver.”
“If it’s just a matter of substitution, we have a game plan and can go to our chart. But when you keep them both in the game you don’t know which one is coming to the line of scrimmage and I think that is more effective.”
<b> On teams early success… </b>
“I think they are very appreciative of where they are. We can’t lose sight of our goal, which is competing for the conference championship. As you win, each game gets bigger.”
“I just told them don’t start getting caught up in the talk. Just think about the small things that got you where you are.”
“We will practice hard today, hard tomorrow and hard on Wednesday.“
<b> On the running game… </b>
“It’s coming along and that’s a credit to our offensive line. We had a couple of drives that ate up the clock.”
“I think it’s been very effective.”
<b> On development of BJ Crist…</b>
“He’s been a guy that has never lost hope or faith in himself. He’s hung in there and now he’s reaping the benefits of his hard work.”
<center><b><i>LOUISIANA SI
Bustle: Cajuns must stay focused to build on 3-2
<blockquote><p align=justify>LOUISIANA La. — This could become a special season for UL Lafayette’s Ragin’ Cajuns, but only if they keep the same focused approach they’ve had en route to a 3-2 start.
Coach Rickey Bustle’s squad held off Florida International 43-34 last Saturday and jumps back into Sun Belt Conference action this week at New Mexico State.
It’s the second leg on an 8,800-mile road swing that concludes next week at Idaho, and the Cajuns figure to be favored over both NMSU and Idaho (both 1-4). The only way to assure a pair of victories is to maintain a high level of play.
“Winning at Florida International was very important for us, and for the program,” defensive end Travis Bass said on Monday. “It started a three-game road trip, and we hope we’re on the way to a Sun Belt championship.
“When we win, we take all the congratulations and then put it behind us so we can start preparing for the next week. We’re always looking to our next game, because that’s our most important one.”
“We’re very appreciative of where we are,” Bustle said. “We can’t lose sight of our goal, and that’s still a long way off. I’ve said before, as you win, each game gets bigger. Then you have to focus on doing the little things.”
It’s easier to keep that focus when you win, of course, and the Cajuns know how much better 3-2 feels than last year’s 0-5 (en route to 0-7) start.
<center><p><a href="http://www.theadvertiser.com/sports/html/76E9666B-BC5D-4307-9CB8-E08E7307F10D.shtml">The rest of the story</a>
Bruce Brown
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“It’s a big difference,” Bass said. “Last year we got off to a bad start. It wasn’t fun to go to practice. It was kind of miserable. Now we’re in the running for a championship, and it feels good.
“We’re more dedicated as a team. We’re a family now.”
New Mexico State appears to be in trouble at 1-4, with one-sided losses to neighborhood rivals New Mexico (38-3) and UTEP (45-0) the last two weeks.
On the other hand, the Aggies’ lone victory was a 22-18 upset of Troy, which had been anointed the Sun Belt favorite after early victories over Marshall and Missouri. And the first two losses (63-13 at Arkansas and 41-14 at California) would have challenged any Sun Belt squad.
The Aggies’ plight reminded Bustle of 2003, when the Cajuns faced a brutal salvo of South Carolina, Louisiana Tech, Houston, Minnesota, Sun Belt champion North Texas and Oklahoma State before things evened out.
“I’m sure they feel they’re better than their record shows,” Bustle said of NMSU. “We felt like we were better last year, too, even though we started 0-7. It’s hard to find out about your team until you get into conference play.”
The 2003 Cajuns lost to the above lineup and then to UL Monroe before hitting their stride in a 26-24 home win over New Mexico State. Sean Comiskey, this week’s Sun Belt Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for his three field goals at FIU, hit a 21-yard field goal with 8 seconds remaining to send the Aggies packing.
NMSU won the two previous games in the series, 49-46 in 2001 and 31-28 in 2002 in Las Cruces, both on last-minute field goals.
“It’s always a close game when we play them,” Bass said. “And it’s a big conference game for us.
“Last year we had a great win against them. That’s where we started to build our (four of the last five) winning streak.”
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