The Book: 2002-03 Louisiana Football season

[AsaPW]

He isn't doing good at all. Who's the backup QB? Is he any good? It's the third quarter and he's 9 for 21 with only 74 yards! COME ON CAJUNS!!!

[AsaPW]

THANK YOU! Go Rekeita

[Cajun Mike]

Coach better get a fire lit under the offense, come on guys. And I psyched up for the game and got depressed as the game went on

[Turbine]

Van Cleave finished 10-23-2 85 yards, 3.7 yards attempt

Rekieta 2-4-0 13 yards, 3.25 yards per attempt.

[NewsCopy]

ADVERTISER-Dan McDonald

LAFAYETTE - Even though precipitation never got past a heavy mist, the weather probably played a big factor in limiting UL Lafayette's opening home crowd of the 2002 football season.

The official attendance for Saturday's opener against Minnesota's Golden Gophers was announced at 20,512, but the in-stadium crowd at Cajun Field was considerably smaller.

Still, the announced crowd was just the second home crowd over 20,000 in the last five seasons for the UL Lafayette squad. The other one in that stretch was the 20,113 that saw Tulane escape with a 38-37 win over the Cajuns on Oct. 7, 2000.

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Irony:
Wide receiver Nick Dugas was the first Cajun to touch the football Saturday, returning the opening kickoff 32 yards and coming close to breaking it for much more. Dugas was seeing his first action, after being suspended by Cajun head coach Rickey Bustle for the opener against Texas A&M after an incident in practice.

Later, Dugas made an even bigger mark on returns, going 68 yards with a punt early in the third quarter for a touchdown. It was the first TD punt return for a Cajun since Oct. 14, 2000, when Dugas turned in an 82-yarder at Louisiana Tech.

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They're special:
Bustle was part of a Virginia Tech program that became legendary for special teams play during his 14-year stint in Blacksburg.

Apparently, his first team as a head coach is intent on making a name for itself on special teams.

UL Lafayette recorded a tackle at the Minnesota 5 on their first kickoff after a successful field goal, Grant Autrey averaged 41.0 yards per punt on his first four attempts in the first half, Charles Tillman blocked a punt in the third quarter and Dugas had the punt return touchdown as part of his 100-yard return night.

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Sleeping over:
The Cajun team spent the home-game Friday night at an off-campus facility for the first time since at least 1980.

The squad, along with Bustle, offensive coordinator Rob Christophel and defensive coordinator Brent Pry, spent Friday night and much of the day Saturday at Aranza Outreach located between Cade and St. Martinville.

Aranza Outreach, the old Harry Smith Lodge, donated the use of the lodge and dormitory area to the squad. The team overnighted there and spent much of Saturday in meetings.

The Cajuns had housed at their regular on-campus dormitory each Friday night prior to a home game for the last two decades.

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For entertainment purposes only:
The Sun Belt Conference entered Saturday's games with a combined 0-8 record, but the league was 6-2 against the official betting line.

The conference did get its first win of the season, with Arkansas State downing Tulsa 21-19, and finished 4-2 against the spread on Saturday (North Texas' game against Division I-AA Nicholls State did not have an official point spread).

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Getting his kicks:
Walk-on freshman Sean Comiskey made the first field goal attempt of his career in the first quarter, connecting from 31 yards to give the Cajuns the early 3-0 lead. That was UL Lafayette's first lead in a game since the next-to-last game of the 2001 season, when New Mexico State took a 49-46 win. Comiskey later was just wide right on a 47-yard field goal try early in the third quarter.

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Lagniappe:
Saturday's game was aired by ESPN Regional. Several cable systems around the country picked up the contest, including a live airing on Minneapolis' KSTC-TV. The only way local viewers could see the game was through ESPN's pay-per-view GamePlan satellite package. Middle Tennessee's game at Tennessee was also available through the same plan ... The Cajuns have only won once in a home opener in the last six years, that coming in last season's 20-0 win over Nicholls State. Among the dignitaries on hand Saturday were senator Mary Landrieu and lieutenant governor Kathleen Blanco.

[NewsCopy]

ADVERTISER-Bruce Brown

LAFAYETTE - Junior quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq hit 18-of-27 passes for 246 yards and a career-high four touchdowns to lead the Minnesota Golden Gophers to a 35-11 victory over UL Lafayette's Ragin' Cajuns before 20,512 fans Saturday night at Cajun Field.

The second annual Herbert Heymann Classic marked the home debut of coach Rickey Bustle, and once again his 0-2 Cajuns displayed grit on defense and solid play on special teams, only to be done in by a misfiring offense.

Hopeful fans watched as the Cajuns managed just 133 total yards and seven first downs, and turned the ball over three times to their Big Ten foes.

"I just told the team I'm very proud of them," Bustle said. "They played very hard again. We were doing things in the game to win (punt return touchdown, punt blocked for a safety), but we got fatigued toward the end and had some mental busts.

"We've got to get our offense in a consistent mode. We've got to make good decisions throwing the ball.

"I look in their eyes and I see that they're frustrated, but I don't see anybody with their heads down."

Turnovers plagued the Cajuns in their opening defeat at Texas A&M, and it was another mistake that enabled the visitors to build a double-digit advantage at halftime.

With the Gophers (now 2-0) leading 7-3 late in the second quarter, the Cajun defense forced a punt that was downed on the UL Lafayette 7-yard line with 3:28 to play before the break.

Jerome Coleman's 13-yard run gave the Cajuns breathing room at the 23, but two plays later quarterback Jon Van Cleave was flushed from the pocket and fumbled at his 27 when hit by the Gophers' Charlton Keith.

The resultant fumble was claimed by Paul Nixon, and Asad Abdul-Khaliq knew what to do with the opportunity.

The rest of the Story

[Turner]

Originally posted by Cajun Mike
Coach better get a fire lit under the offense, come on guys. And I psyched up for the game and got depressed as the game went on

I feel better after 2 losses than I did after last years win over Nichols.

[Turbine]

Defense finally gets tough
Mark Craig
Star Tribune

Published Sep 8, 2002

LOUISIANA, La. -- Brandon Hall wouldn't have been happy with his defensive teammates on the opening drive of Saturday night's game at Louisiana.

But after that, he would have flashed that smile everyone has been talking about since Hall, a redshirt defensive tackle, was shot and killed early last Sunday morning.

Louisiana pushed the grieving Gophers 50 yards in 11 plays. It had three first downs, held the ball for 5 minutes, 20 seconds and took a 3-0 lead on a 31-yard field goal by Sean Comiskey.

That would be the last time Louisiana's offense would produce points as the Gophers went on to win 35-11 in front of 20,512 at Cajun Field. The Ragin' Cajuns would muster only 83 yards and four first downs in their final 13 series.

"I think, mentally, we were drained," linebacker Bradley Vance said. "And where the mind goes, the body follows. But we were able to get focused after that."

The Gophers defense had a fumble that led to a touchdown in the second quarter and two interceptions by Eli Ward that led to a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

It was the first time a Gophers player had two interceptions in one game since Rodney Heath did it in 1995.

"It was the most emotional game I've ever been a part of," said cornerback Mike Lehan.

Quarterback trickery

On the first play of their third offensive series, the Gophers lined up quarterback Benji Kamrath wide left. Kamrath came in motion and got the ball on a handoff from Asad Abdul-Khaliq.

Kamrath turned and threw back to Abdul-Khaliq. The pass was incomplete, but Kamrath drew a roughing-the-passer penalty.

The 15-yard penalty moved the Gophers into Ragin' Cajuns territory for the first time. Tight end Ben Utecht capped the drive by catching a 3-yard touchdown pass from Abdul-Khaliq to put the Gophers ahead 7-3 with 14:54 left in the first half.

No serious injuries

Gophers coach Glen Mason reported no serious injuries. Mostly, the Gophers sustained only bumps, bruises and cramps in the humidity.

Abdul-Khaliq limped to the sideline with 14:16 left in the game because he had tweaked his knee. After returning, he cramped up and left the game again.

Moment of silence

A moment of silence was held before the game for Hall and two former members of the Louisiana athletic department. Former Ragin' Cajuns track coach Charles Lancon, who died of a heart attack, and athletic director secretary Becky Kidd, who died of cancer, also were remembered.

The Gophers wore a patch with Hall's number (71) Saturday. They will unveil it again at next week's home game against Toledo.

Quick hits

• Thomas Tapeh started again at tailback, but Marion Barber saw his first action of the season coming off a hamstring injury. He rushed for 21 yards on nine carries, including a 13-yard burst through a big hole.

• Utecht has a touchdown reception in four consecutive games. He had his first three-touchdown game Saturday.

The source

[Turbine]

In football it's too bad the game isn't scored by earning 1 point for winning each quarter. If you did then Louisiana would have tied the game on Saturday and we would have gone into overtime.

The Cajuns won the first quarter 3-0 and the third quarter 8-7. The Gophers of course won the second and fourth quarters. In my little dream world that would have been a tie.

A 2-2 tie and overtime would have been nice, because in overtime anything can happen. Just ask the Saints.

[CajunGrad94]

Van Cleave is the starter and should be! He will be the starter unless he continues to struggle AFTER conference play begins. Remember this is a totally new offensive system. Defense is always ahead of the offense at the beginning of the season. I have full faith in Coach Bustle. He gets to see these QB's practice everyday, unlike most of us!!

[NewsCopy]

Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns hosted a school from the Big Ten Conference for the first time in school history on Saturday and the number of fans at Cajun Field also made history. More than 20,500 fans went to Cajun Field to watch the Ragin' Cajuns take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The crowd was the largest for the Cajuns at home in the last five seasons.

Despite some great plays, the Ragin' Cajuns fell to the Golden Gophers by a score of 35-11. The Ragin' Cajuns return home on Sept. 21 against the University of Alabama-Birmingham. Kick off will be at 7 p.m.

Get your tickets now by visiting the Cajundome Box Office or by calling 265-2100.

[Turbine]

Originally posted by NewsCopy
The official attendance for Saturday's opener against Minnesota's Golden Gophers was announced at 20,512, but the in-stadium crowd at Cajun Field was considerably smaller.

I am not saying everyone stayed for the whole game, or that everyone stayed seated, or that the upper deck was indicative of the busting at the seems overflow crowd witnessed on the lower level.

But since all tickets were electronically scanned, the official attendance is accurate.