The Monroe News-Star, a Gannett publication
BATON ROUGE - Just as University of Louisiana at Lafayette officials want their school to be known as UL, while others continue to refer to it as ULL or even USL, there are a number of ways No. 21 LSU is looking at its homecoming football game with the Ragin' Cajuns at 7 o'clock Saturday.
"I probably couldn't go back to Lafayette if we lost this game," said LSU senior place-kicker and Lafayette native John Corbello. "I definitely want to win this game."
A graduate of St. Thomas More High School with several friends at ULL, Corbello said he'll have plenty of family at the game, as well.
"I want to be very busy Saturday," he said. Corbello said he always wanted to attend LSU but is still hurt by the fact that ULL never sent him a recruiting letter.
While he referred to his hometown university as UL, as opposed to LSU coach
Nick Saban, who said ULL, Corbello said he "always wants to call them USL. That's what they were my whole life."
ULL of the Sun Belt Conference went by the University of Southwestern Louisiana before its name change. The teams last met in 1938, with LSU claiming a 32-0 victory.
Growing up in nearby Breaux Bridge, LSU senior tailback Domanick Davis said he developed a fondness for ULL.
Davis said, as a high school sophomore, he even considered attending ULL before he began going to LSU games.
"I kind of liked it (ULL)," he said after practice Tuesday, "but then I started coming to LSU games. Hey, there's a big difference."
LSU sophomore defensive end Marcus Spears spent some time in Lafayette, but it was for another reason.
"They've got a nice place to play basketball," said Spears, who guided Baton Rouge Southern Lab to the Class 1A state basketball inside the Cajun Dome.
When Corbello and Davis look at ULL (1-3), they may see numerous friends, but for LSU (3-1) junior defensive tackle Chad Lavalais to see even one is a surprise in itself. Marksville doesn't put out many Division I-A football players, let alone two that will face each other in the same game.
That's what will happen, though, when Lavalais lines up across from ULL junior left offensive guard D'Anthony Batiste. Both played at Marksville High, and both considered taking a recruiting visit together to Louisiana Tech before signing with their respective schools.
"I'm excited to play against a high school teammate," Lavalais. Beyond that, he said, "It's just another oppnent to me."
LSU and ULL will play football again on the heels of the Tigers' decision to discontinue their baseball and softball series with the Ragin' Cajuns for the time being. LSU, the defending Southeastern Conference football champion, made the move after some emotionally charged incidents between the teams in regional play.
Saban said what happened last spring in other sports should have no bearing on his players Saturday.
"I'm concerned about our team," he said. "I couldn't care less about that. I would hope our players would compete in the game the way they're supposed to."
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Bus trip to Baton Rouge
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TURB!! Is that YOU!?!
