<blockquote><p align=justify>LOUISIANA La. — Today’s flight to Denton will be like many other road trips for Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns.
Younger players on the squad will take their cue from seniors like Eric Bartel when they decide how to prepare for Saturday’s Sun Belt Conference game at North Texas and how to behave in the hours leading up to that game.
“When you’re a senior, they all look at you and see how you prepare and how serious you take it,” Bartel said.
“You have to be an example. If me and (Fred) Stamps are messing around in the (hotel) lobby on game day, it sets a precedent for them to follow. The day before a game can be a little more free-spirited, but on game day, at breakfast, there’s business to take care of.
“You need to get your mind on the game, even if you’re not playing. If it gets loud and they get carried away, we have to correct that.”
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Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com
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The Cajuns have endured a pair of focus-testing road games in 2003, opening at South Carolina and then playing at Big Ten member Minnesota last Saturday. Both were losses, although the effort was much better at USC.
“We were uncertain at the first game at South Carolina,” Bartel said. “I think some of the players were awestruck playing in front of 80,000 people. But it was just like playing another game.
“Last week, I think the (artificial) turf was on their minds. Aside from that, I think we’ve handled the trips well.”
The return flights also offer barometers of the Cajuns’ mindset.
“They started to cut up on the flight back from Minnesota, and (senior defensive end) Derace James told them to be quiet. There’s nothing to laugh about when you get your butt kicked like we did.
“I think the last road game I won was at Idaho (2001). This is a big game for us. Us and North Texas have had a heavy non-conference schedule.”
Bartel has a special reason to want to beat the Mean Green, aside from the obvious impact on the Sun Belt race.
“My whole family’s in Dallas,” Bartel said. “Last time we played there, we stayed in Dallas and drove 30 miles to Denton the day of the game. It’s kind of a grudge game for me. They’ve shut us out two of the last three times we’ve played, and offensively that’s very frustrating.
“It’s outdoors on turf, and if it rains we’ll be like cows on ice, sliding around out there.”
Head coach Rickey Bustle also wants his Cajuns concentrating for home games, and in both 2002 and this season the team is sequestered away for that purpose.
“We went to St. Martinville last year on Friday nights,” Bartel said. “We called it the Cajun Huddle. It was like a church camp, and you slept in bunks. The offense was in one group, the defense in one, and the snorers were another group. People started to rat people out, and tell who was snoring.
“This year, we’re at the Hotel Acadiana. It’s good, because it gets you away from the everyday things college kids think about like school and relationships. I have five-day weeks for my 15 hours (of class). My professors know Fridays and Saturdays are my dead days.
“We have curfews on Thursday nights. That’s when we get our game rest. We get away from everything together. We have meeting after meeting, and it’s just football.
“But, to actually be ready, the coaches can’t do that. You have to get yourself ready to play. You can tell by the atmosphere before the game how you’re going to play. The offense and defense meet, and then we all meet together with coach Bustle.
“You can feel if the electricity is there, or not.”
If the Cajuns have followed Bartel, Stamps, James and other focused seniors, they’ll be ready to play on Saturday.
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