The Book: 2003 Football

Very disappointed. The play calling needs improvement. We need to get Babb throwing intermediate routes. All we throw is screen passes or deep routes. Babb never looks for intermediate receivers. If we start throwing shorter passes like outs or slants it will open the run game some more. Defensively we need to get the plays in quicker. It does no good to get the right play in when the offense is ready to snap the ball if we are not set. The officials were terrible. The last touchdown UH scored was after they called a time out after they broke the huddle with 12 men on the field and the penalty was not called. That is why Bustle went off on the officials on the sidelines before they scored. We were a better team than Houston tonight and should have won the game.

Babb had a poor outing but he still did nothing like freshmen usually do and did nothing to make us lose. UL still could have won the game, that is frustration for me.

"We were a better team than Houston tonight and should have won the game."


So...we have more than 400 yards total offense...to your 190 or so...give you 18 penalties and 4 fumbles...

AND YOU'RE the better team?? Give me a break....

We played a horrible game and once the storm hit that leveled the playing field...

Have fun this year guys:D

Your right Brilesball, Sorry, I should not have said we were a better team. I should have said we would be a better team and would have won the game if we would do the different things I mentioned. Also when I talk about the officials I mean both ways. I know one pass interference that was called against UH that was not pass interference, and it set up a score for us. I do not want anyone to think I'm blaming a loss on officials.

I left the game, sorry I don't like getting wet in blue jeans. I think Babb was thinking way to much. The coaching staff was thinking way to much. I'm thinking way to much.

News not good on Hodges, MCL for sure-MRI on ACL tomorrow. Hoping for MCL only,Doc says 50-50.

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Originally posted by rwcajun
News not good on Hodges, MCL for sure-MRI on ACL tomorrow. Hoping for MCL only,Doc says 50-50.

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Greg will be in my prayers. :(

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A win at Oklahoma State, or Minnisota, HELL, even a win over UNT at UNT would get a great amount of fans to the game. Those fair-weather fans that left after La Tech, would certainly be back.

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As long as the weather is fair, of course.

Mabye so, Ill take you for your word since I've always been told to respect the wisdom of an oldman.

Hello!
My name is Alexis and I am from Minnesota! I own four suites (that can be combined if needed) at the Metrodome ranging in size from 12-18 people. We are not able to use our suites for the September 20th game against Lafayette and are looking to liquidate them!! If anyone is interested please email me at AlexisLomen@aol.com. Thanks and have a wonderful day!
Alexis

<blockquote><p align=justify><b>Houston makes Cajuns regret missed opportunities early.</b>

LOUISIANA La. — Louisiana head football coach Rickey Bustle would like nothing better than to have one of his team's first-quarter chances back again.

The Ragin’ Cajuns got inside the Houston five-yard-line twice in the first 13 minutes of Saturday’s home contest with the Cougars, only to be turned away both times.

Those shortages came up big at the end when the Cajuns ran out of chances and out of time in a 21-14 loss.

“That’s what I told our squad,’’ Bustle said after the contest. “In a game like this, three or four plays are going to make the difference. We had our chances early to score, and those would have been big at the end.’’

Instead, the Cajuns came up one score short, just like in the season opener against South Carolina.

“We had the chances,’’ said quarterback Jerry Babb, who led the Cajuns to their first two offensive touchdowns of the season in the loss. “We had the ball right down there and just came up short.’’


<center><p><a href="http://www.theadvertiser.com/sports/html/5A39D4C2-737F-40D3-8CA7-A1A11DA4CEE1.shtml">The rest of the story</a>

Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@lafayette.gannett.com <!--

The Cajuns marched 70 yards on 14 plays, their best drive of the young season, with the opening kickoff, but in a driving rain Houston linebacker Bryant Brown came up with a stop of Cajun running back Travis Smothers on fourth-and-goal from the UH 2.

Two exchanges later, UL got possession when fullback Jackie Battle’s fumble was recovered by Terryl Fenton at the Cougar 16. Babb’s bootleg took it 12 yards on the first play, but Smothers was hit while struggling for extra yardage at the one on the next play and fumbled into the end zone. Matt Stanley made the saving recovery for the Cougars.

“We went for it early on fourth down because we kept them pinned back,’’ said Bustle. “We played on their end of the field the whole first quarter, and that was what we wanted to do.

“The conditions were as bas as they were all night, so we wanted to make sure to keep them bottled up.’’

After a 37-minute lightning delay, the Cougars finally cracked the shutout with a 73-yard march midway through the second quarter that Battle capped with a four-yard burst. However, the Cajuns came right back one exchange later, and Babb capped a 41-yard march after another fumble recovery with his one-yard scoring burst.

That tally made it 7-7 at halftime, and more importantly sent the Cajuns into the locker room with monentum.

“That was a big score before the half,’’ Bustle said. “I thought we moved it well at times.’’

The Cajuns wound up with 196 yards to the 413 of Houston, but the Cougars hurt themselves with 18 penalties for 144 yards. They also hurt themselves with five turnovers.

But it was those early Cajun turnovers that ended up being the most costly -- especially when the Cajuns punted the ball away on fourth-and-two with 5:21 left and never saw the ball again. Houston started form its own five but picked up the three first downs the Cougars needed to run out the clock.

“I would have bet anything that, with them starting at the five, we would have stopped them and gotten the ball back,’’ Bustle said. “They just made the plays at the end. I thought we were in great shape with five minutes left.’’
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<blockquote><p align=justify>LOUISIANA La. — Last season, when Cajun Field was deluged by rain and threatened by lightning, the football game between UL and Alabama-Birmingham was halted for 33 minutes until conditions improved.

When the action resumed, water-logged fans were rewarded for staying as the Ragin’ Cajuns rolled to a 34-0 victory — the first at the school for Rickey Bustle.

This time around, that formula didn’t click.

Once again last weekend, a Saturday night at Cajun Field became an evening at the swimming hole when the Houston Cougars came to town.

The two teams were just about to switch ends to start the second quarter, tied 7-7, when a bolt of nearby lightning sent the two teams back to their locker rooms for a delay that lasted 37 minutes.

Drenching rains had plagued both teams in the first period, turning the field into a swamp. But underground pumps worked well and the second half was relatively free of both rain and standing water.

It was the visitors who prospered after the break this time as Houston improved to 2-1 with a 21-14 win that dropped UL to 0-3 on the season.

<center><p><a href="http://www.theadvertiser.com/sports/html/37D485B1-F519-40BC-B93A-0117E95C65F9.shtml">The rest of the story</a>

Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com <!--

“I knew that in a game like this that everything would come down to three or four plays that would make the difference,” Bustle said.

The Cajuns, who are bracing for three weeks of road games at Minnesota, North Texas and Oklahoma State, were their own worst enemy early in the contest.

Their first march ended with a failed fourth-and-goal from the UH two-yard line, as Travis Smothers was dropped for a two-yard loss. Then Smothers fumbled while crossing the goal line and the Cougars claimed it for a touchback.

Still later, a 43-yard Sean Comiskey field goal attempt was blocked.

“I was really proud of our offense for going down the field on the opening drive,” Bustle said. “We would have liked to have converted on fourth down. We also gave up a big play when we fumbled on the goal line.”

Despite those two plays, Smothers was the lone consistent weapon for a Cajun team that was out-gained 413-196 on the night. He netted 88 yards on 23 carries.

Senior receiver Fred Stamps had two catches for 27 yards in the driving rain during the first period, but was shut out after that.

And Jerry Babb, making just his third career start, regressed in the slop with a 5-of-22 passing night.

The Cajun defense, which surrendered a pivotal 62-yard touchdown because of a missed tackle, did have some standouts.

Safety Patrick Lamy led the team with 13 tackles and pounced on two fumbles, while fellow defensive back C.C. Brown had 10 stops.

But UH freshman Kevin Kolb hit 8-of-18 passes for 157 yards (4-for-120 to Brandon Middleton) and ran for 92 yards on 14 tries. Also effective on the ground were Jackie Battle (15-84-2) and Anthony Evans (15-71-0).

The end result was a deflating loss that robbed the Cajuns of momentum heading out on the road.

“We have to build on, and count on our character,” Bustle said. “We are out there playing our hearts out. I told the team that I feel the pain for them, because it’s hard to go out there and fight your heart out.

“Some of the players were just talking about not giving up. They know that we’re doing some things right and that things just aren’t going our way right now. The players know that if they keep plugging, we are going to turn this thing around.”

CAJUN CLIPPINGS — Minnesota is ranked No. 24 this week in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll, 27th in the Associated Press ... UM’s Marion Barber III is tied for first in the nation in scoring (16.0 points per game), 18th in all-purpose yards (157.0 per game) and 26th in punt returns (13.69 average) ... the Gophers’ Asad Abdul Khaliq is third in pass efficiency at 180.8.

QUARTERBACK CLUB — Rickey Bustle meets with the Quarterback Club at noon today at the Cajundome Convention Center. Lunch is $10. For further information, call 233-0390.

OPPONENTS REPORT — How UL opponents fared this weekend:

SOUTH CAROLINA (2-1) lost to Georgia, 31-7. Next: vs. UAB. LA. TECH (2-1) defeated Michigan State, 20-19. Next: at Fresno State. HOUSTON (2-1) defeated UL Lafayette, 21-14. Next: vs. Mississippi State.

MINNESOTA (3-0) defeated Ohio, 42-20. Next: vs. UL Lafayette. NORTH TEXAS (1-2) lost to Air Force, 34-21. Next: at Arkansas. OKLAHOMA STATE (2-1) defeated Southwest Missouri, 42-3. Next: at SMU.

UL MONROE (0-3) lost to Mississippi, 59-14. Next: vs. Northwestern State. NEW MEXICO STATE (1-2) lost to Oregon State, 28-16. Next: Open.

IDAHO (0-3) lost to Boise State, 24-10. Next: at Washington. SOUTHERN MISS (2-1) defeated Memphis, 23-6. Next: vs. Nebraska. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL (0-2) lost to Maine, 24-14. Next: vs. Bethune-Cookman. MIDDLE TENNESSEE (0-3) lost to Clemson, 37-14. Next: at Missouri.

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