The Book: 2002-03 Louisiana Football season

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Advertiser Staff Reports
August 24, 2002
LAFAYETTE - For once, the rain wasn't a factor.

But the humidity might have been for the UL Lafayette football squad, which held a two-hour workout on a Friday during which the relative humidity never dipped below 90 percent.

The Cajuns also ran drills on their very soggy practice field in their final full-tilt workout before beginning game-week preparation on Monday.

"We have not been that fortunate to get outside a lot lately," said defensive line coach Carey Bailey. "When we do get to work on the field, we have to make the most out of it."

With the season opener against Texas A&M exactly one week from today, the team continued full-scale preparations for the Aggies. Many of those preparations involved the Cajun defensive line.

"Successful defensive teams have a good front," Bailey added. "Our biggest task is to close the pocket and make the quarterback do things he does not want to do. The defense has to attack, get around blocks and swarm the ball. We have guys with good foot speed that can do that.

"My guys are on schedule and healthy. It's great to be able to say that, but there is still a lot of preparation to be done before Saturday."

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Daily Advertiser Staff Reports
August 25, 2002
LAFAYETTE - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns put in a long day of practice on Saturday, their final workout before officially beginning game preparation week for Texas A&M on Monday.

The team started at 8 a.m. on its practice field, reviewing what head coach Rickey Bustle refers to as "difference makers."

Around 10 a.m. the team moved to Cajun Field to work on the same situations on the game field, using the game clock and the 25-second clock.

"We worked on many things," said Bustle. "Like when to return fumbles, correct substitutions, handing the ball to the official, avoiding excessive celebration and many of the finer points."

An example of the finer things Bustle pointed to include never trying to pick up the ball and run if the opposing team is kicking a field goal on third down and it's blocked.

Another point Bustle emphasized is blocked punt returns.

"A lot of times players want to run alongside the person returning the blocked kick when they should turn around and block for him," Bustle said.

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LAFAYETTE - Louisiana head coach Rickey Bustle knows that Texas A&M's defensive unit isn't called the "Wrecking Crew" for nothing.

And nobody has to tell him that the Aggie offense, a question mark last year, should be improved with the return of 10 starters.

He knows what kind of challenge faces his Ragin' Cajun squad Saturday when he hits the field for the first time as a collegiate head coach.

"We've been working on Texas A&M all spring and summer, really," Bustle said. "But in the last few days we've really started concentrating and taking a good look at them."

The Cajun squad, which held its final scrimmage on Wednesday, began "game-week" work on Thursday in preparation for the Aug. 31 6 p.m. opener at A&M's Kyle Field.

"Our kids started looking at film Thursday," Bustle said Friday, "and we spent two entire scout periods working against A&M today. We'll do a lot more next week, but we've already spent a lot of time working against their special teams."

Bustle, who took over Louisiana's program in December, said that getting his team ready for the physical tasks of the game may be more important than A&M preparations - considering that the weather has been an albatross for his squad.

Friday's practice wasn't hampered directly by rain, but the practice fields got another soaking prior to practice. Before Friday, the squad had seven straight days of workouts either delayed, postponed or severely hampered by rain.

"We've got to improve in all areas," Bustle said, "and that's hard with as much work as we've missed. You miss a lot in the speed of the game with the weather we've had. You can't show that kind of speed indoors or when the fields are bad.

"I know our defense is quick and our receivers are quick, but you can't work with that indoors. We really need a good week of weather."

Saturday's situational work was held under sunshine and clear skies - an omen, maybe, for the final week of preparation.

Before that final week begins Monday, the Cajun staff will have a long day of film breakdown today, and developing a plan of attack against the A&M defense will take up much of that time.

"They're really excellent on defense," Bustle said. "Coach (R.C.) Slocum has already said he expects them to be even better defensively this year, and they were plenty good last year. The nose guard (Ty Warren) is a heck of a player. People were double and triple teaming him and he was still getting to the ball.

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Daily Advertiser
August 26, 2002

LAFAYETTE - Louisiana embarks on what the Ragin' Cajuns hope will be a successful 2002 football campaign this week, but if history is any indication it may take a while for the Cajuns to find their stride.

The Cajuns blanked Division 1-AA Nicholls State 20-0 in last year's season opener at Cajun Field, but fast starts have not been a trademark of the program over the last decade.

In fact, until the win over Nicholls, Louisiana had not posted a successful season opening since 1990's 48-6 thrashing of Tulane on the road.

The problem runs deeper than that. In the last 20 seasons, the Cajuns are a miserable 3-17 in season openers.

Part of the problem has been the opposition, to be sure.

The need to play "money games" has pitted the Cajuns against such imposing foes as Mississippi State (31-3 in 1987), Tennessee (38-3, 1992), Kansas State (34-6, 1994), Florida (55-21, 1996), Pittsburgh (45-13, 1997), Arkansas (38-17, 1998) and Oklahoma State (24-7, 1999).

That would seem to be trouble again this year, with the Aggies of Big 12 member Texas A&M waiting in College Station for Saturday's first game of 2002. But scheduling is not the only hurdle.

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LAFAYETTE – Louisiana's Athletic Department announced on Saturday (Aug. 24th) that football season ticket holders now have the opportunity to purchase an unlimited numbers of tickets for the Oct. 5 football contest at Louisiana State University.

Season ticket holders had been originally allowed to only purchase up to the amount of season tickets they had.


Sales will continue until the Cajuns allotted number of tickets from LSU runs out.

"It’s important that we have a good show of support," said athletics director Nelson Schexnayder. "The two teams haven’t met in 64 years. It should be a great football game."

Tickets are $36 each, and there is a $2 handling charge for each ticket purchased. All tickets must be purchased in person at the Cajundome Ticket Office.

The office is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

UL students, meanwhile, can also purchase tickets at the Student Union Information Desk. Tickets are $36, as well, but there is no handling charge.

For more information, contact the Cajundome Ticket Office at 265-2100.

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Tickets are now on sale for the Aug. 31 game between Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns and Texas A&M at Kyle Field in College Station.

Tickets can be purchased at the Cajundome Box Office, open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All tickets are $32 which includes a $2 Cajundome handling fee. Questions can be directed to the Cajundome Box Office at (337) 265-2100.

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DAILY WORLD Tom Dodge / Sports Editor
Posted on August 26, 2002

LAFAYETTE - With the theme of "Bustle Up, It's a New Game," Louisiana-Lafayette fans are hoping new coach Rickey Bustle can help lift the Cajuns to a higher level.

A higher level may be hard to reach right way, considering the difficult non Sun-Belt schedule that ULL will undertake this season including Texas A&M, Minnesota, LSU and Arkansas.

Louisiana-Lafayette has won just six games in the last three seasons and Bustle is putting his hopes on quarterback Jon Van Cleave.

Van Cleave shattered many of the school records held by New Orleans Saints quarterback Jake Delhomme. He passed for 2,499 yards and 14 touchdowns. Van Cleave also passed for 200 yards or more in seven games and completed 55 percent of his passes.

In Bustle's first seven seasons as offensive coordinator at Virginia Tech, the Hokies fielded seven of the eight highest-scoring teams in school history. The team posted a 67-17 record and won three Big East Conference championships. The Hokies went to a bowl game every year he served as offensive coordinator, winning the 1993 Independence Bowl, 1995 Sugar Bowl, 1998 Music City Bowl and 2001 Gator Bowl.

Bustle's plan of air attack with Van Cleave include Fred Stamps, B. J. Christ, Andre George and Nick Dugas.

But the ground war is also important to the Cajun success with running backs Jerome Coleman and Dontrell Davis.

Stars of this year's defense include Walter Sampson, Ross Brupbacher, Charles Tillman and former Carencro DB Atiba Dauzart.

Two other former Golden Bear players Ricky Arcenaux and Bill Sampy are expected to contribute this season.

"They ran a lot," Sampy stated about CHS. "They didn't pass the ball a lot, but when it was my time with the ball I did my best."

Although he was recruited by former UL head coach Jerry Baldwin, Sampy is excited about playing for Rickey Bustle and the new offensive game plan.

"I think in two or three years we can be the Sun Belt Conference champs," he said confidently.

Arceneaux (6-1, 199) was a wide receiver for Carencro and was a freshman on the 1992 5-A state championship team. He helped lead the Bears to three playoff appearances. Arceneaux once caught three passes for 137 yards and touchdown for CHS.

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GLENN QUEBEDEAUX-The Advocate

LAFAYETTE -- Rickey Bustle has been so busy performing his duties as the new football coach at the University of Louisiana that he hasn't had time to get nervous about his head-coaching debut on Saturday at Texas A&M.

"I'm sure I'll get there, but right now, I'm too busy for that. I'm having to do room lists, schedules and bus lists. ... I just haven't had a lot of time to get nervous," Bustle said Monday at his first weekly news conference.

Bustle, who replaced Jerry Baldwin as ULL's head coach last December after the Ragin' Cajuns completed a sixth straight losing season (and third under Baldwin), takes his team to College Station, texas, to meet No. 23 Texas A&M. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.

The Aggies, owners of a 3-1 lead in the series, including a 66-0 victory the last time the two teams met (1997), enter the game heavily favored.

But that doesn't faze Bustle, who's seen his share of major powers as offensive coordinator at Virginia Tech for six seasons.

"I look forward to this. This is what it's all about," he said. "At some point and time, you've got to roll it out and play. I've been in a lot of big stadiums and I know what we're going into. Some of these young men have been in some of those situations, too, and a lot of them haven't. I just hope I can help them with that."

The Cajuns will arguably need all the help they can get based on past performances.

Not only have they not won at A&M's Kyle Field, they've been outscored there 163-21 in three games -- an average of 54-7. In addition, the Cajuns have not won a season-opening game on the road since 1990 (48-6 vs. Tulane) and are 1-13 all-time against Big 12 Conference teams.

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LAFAYETTE - Walter Sampson is aware that few believe Louisiana can succeed in its first five games of the season.

From this week's opener at Texas A&M to an Oct. 5 meeting with LSU in Baton Rouge, there are those who figure the Ragin' Cajuns are a good bet to go 0-5.

Yet for Sampson, it doesn't matter.

"Nobody gives us a chance in those games," Sampson said, "so we've just got to go out and prove yourselves."

Sampson, an Outland Trophy candidate who has 13.5 career quarterback sacks, is well-schooled in the A&M offense.

"We'll see a lot of one-back sets with no tight end and three wide receivers," he said. "We know what to expect. Our defense is geared to make them pass, to get them away from their running game."

The Aggies' season opener should draw a huge crowd, similar to the throng of 80,017 that watched Texas beat the Cajuns 52-10 in 2000, so veterans like Sampson know about the crowd noise they'll encounter.

For junior wide receiver Eric Bartel, the game offers an even more familiar setting. The Friendswood, Texas product knows several members of the Aggies squad.

"I know (Humble's) Sammy Davis," Bartel said. "He's a good cornerback. Their safety, Jaxson Appel, is from Friendswood. And I know (receiver) Bethel Johnson from Corsicana. I'm looking forward to seeing them again."

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Bruce Brown-Advertiser

LAFAYETTE - Any time there is a change in coaching staffs, a football team has to decide how it will deal with the inevitable differences in style from the former coaches.

The players can get on board and be part of something new, or can be a hinderance to progress.

Coach Rickey Bustle will take the field as a head coach for the first time this Saturday when Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns meet Texas A&M on the road, and he has been reassured by the leadership shown by key members of the squad.

"Justin Venable and Charley Smith," Bustle said, listing a pair of Cajun defensive linemen who have made their presence known. "They've been good players, but now you're starting to hear from them.

"And Peanut - Charles Tillman - is a leader. Ike (Ivan) Taylor, too."

Tillman and Taylor are the Cajuns' starting cornerbacks, Tillman the established veteran and Taylor a spring conversion to defense from tailback.

"Last spring, Ike didn't say a lot," Bustle said. "He was learning a new position, and didn't want to make mistakes."

Leadership isn't limited to the defense, as running back Jerome Coleman and quarterback Jon Van Cleave have also drawn Bustle's praise.

"Jerome is a leader by example," Bustle said. "He doesn't say 'boo' out there. Jon takes charge of the huddle, and that's the person you want to take charge in the huddle."

Bustle's staff made progress last spring, getting players to spots that fit their talents and the new schemes, but there was still work to be done when the squad reported back to school earlier this month.

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Preseason Recruiting

3-9

Welcome to a review of the 2002 season, Post by Post.

Even with a 3-9 record-thanks to the tough schedule-Louisiana finished the season with its highest RPI in 4 years.

ROSTER

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2002-03 Football Season

Date		Opponent	Site	Time
A.31	pre game	Texas A&M	College Station, Texas	7-31	L
S.07	pre game	MINNESOTA (Herbert Heymann Football Classic)	Swamp	11-35	L
S.14	pre game	Houston	Houston, Texas	17-36	L
S.21		ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM	Swamp	34-0	W	post game
S.28		Open
O.05	pre game	Louisiana State	Baton Rouge, La.	0-48	L
O.12	pre game	New Mexico State	Las Cruces, N.M.	28-31	L
O.19	pre game	Middle Tennessee	Murfreesboro, Tenn.	35-48	L
O.26	pre game	NORTH TEXAS	Swamp	0-27	L
N.02	pre game	IDAHO (Homecoming)	Swamp	31-28	W
N.09	pre game	ARKANSAS STATE (Senior Day)	Swamp	13-10	W
N.16	pre game	Arkansas	Fayetteville, Ark.	17-24	L
N.23	pre game	Louisiana-Monroe	Monroe, La.	10-34	L