The Book: 2003 Football

[DrySwamp]

Do definitly need improvement on pass defense.

[NewsCopy]

Louisiana has chance to finish strong in SBC

LOUISIANA La. — UL coach Rickey Bustle kept the routine the same for the Ragin’ Cajuns on Wednesday as they hit the mid-week point in their preparations for the season finale at Middle Tennessee.

“We’ve talked about having a winning conference record, a chance to finish second in the conference, winning four of the last five and having the most wins since 1996,” Bustle said after Wednesday’s drill.

“When it comes down to it, I want the guys to win this game for themselves. I told them at practice that all of those other things are good for program, but when it comes right down to it, I want them to feel victory not for the coaches, but for themselves.”

The Cajuns have not been able to feel victories on the road under Bustle, and Middle Tennessee won’t make it easy to break that string.

“I believe that road win is going to come somewhere,” Bustle said. “It’s going to take a great game to do.

“Middle Tennessee’s offense is going to spread the field to open up room for the quarterback (Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week Andric Hines). I look for them to run some no-huddle offense and make calls at the line, which in turn forces you to make quick calls.

If the Cajuns can approach the 443-yard output (including a season-high 236 rushing) they had in last week’s 43-10 win over Florida International, that might be the best antidote for Hines.

“We have to get a beat on what they are going to bring at us defensively,” Bustle said. “They have changed their front from week to week the past couple of games. I’ve seen them in a 3-3, then move to four down lineman. I expect them to mix it up.”

The rest of the story

[NewsCopy]

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Andy McCollum knows the pain that accompanied Louisiana’s 0-7 football start.

The Middle Tennessee coach also knows the good feelings that now surround a Ragin’ Cajun program that has won three of its last four games.

His Blue Raider team’s in a similar boat, and they’d like nothing better than to match the performance that the Cajuns had in their home finale last weekend when MT hosts UL Lafayette Saturday.

Middle Tennessee started the season 0-5, but has since won three out of five heading into Saturday’s 2 p.m. contest at Floyd Field. The Raiders also started 0-5 last year but won four of their last seven.

“We all get loaded up front on our schedules with tough teams,” said McCollum, whose squad is 3-7 overall but 3-2 in the Sun Belt Conference.

“We’re all playing them well, but most of the time they’re still losses. When we get into conference, we’re 1-4 or 0-5, and it’s tough getting the kids to have confidence in themselves.

“Lafayette goes through the same thing. It’s tough on the kids when they go out and battle and battle and battle and record-wise it still doesn’t look very good.”

The rest of the story

Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@lafayette.gannett.com

[NewsCopy]

Middle Tennessee also struggles to attract fans at home.

LOUISIANA La. — Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns finished their 2003 home schedule on a high note with last Saturday’s 43-10 pasting of Florida International, but they’re still having trouble drawing fans to Cajun Field.

On a clear, mild day with no scheduling conflict from nearby LSU, coach Rickey Bustle’s team attracted just 13,571 backers to the 31,000-seat stadium.

In theory, a better record might have boosted that number — UL entered the game 2-8 on the season and Division 1-AA member FIU was 2-7 — but that’s not necessarily so.

This is a market in which the finest player in school history, Brian Mitchell, played before an average of just 16,089 fans when his Cajuns were 4-1 here in his senior season of 1989, so the answers to attendance woes are unclear.

The 2003 Cajuns averaged 13,995 fans at home for six dates, with a high of 24,211 coming in the home opener against Louisiana Tech a week after UL’s well-played 14-7 loss at SEC member South Carolina to start the campaign.

That represents a drop from Bustle’s first year, when an average of 15,056 watched the Cajuns go 3-2 at home.

In fact, it has been seven years since UL has had Cajun Field even half-filled, averaging 14,560 in 1997 and an all-time low of 8,798 in 1998 in Nelson Stokley’s final two years at the helm, as well as 15,289 in 1999, 14,624 in 2000 and 13,323 in 2001 under Jerry Baldwin.

In 1996, a record 38,783 fans watched the Cajuns stun Texas A&M 29-22, helping that year’s average reach 21,710.

The 1997 (0-6) and 2000 (0-5) teams were winless at home, while this year’s Cajuns were 3-3 at Cajun Field despite low attendance.

The rest of the story

Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

LOUISIANA La. -- Shawn Williams would probably feel comfortable in an earlier era, when college football players went both ways.

That's been the case during most of Williams' career at the University of Louisiana.

Williams came to ULL in 2000 as a defensive lineman, but found himself as a blocker on offense.

When Rickey Bustle became coach in 2002, Williams was moved back to defense, where he played until recently.

Since midseason, Williams has been back at offensive tackle, where he is scheduled to play his final game when ULL (3-8, 3-3) meets Middle Tennessee (3-7, 3-2) at 2 p.m. today at Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tenn. It's the final game of the season for the Cajuns.

Williams, a 6-foot-1, 313-pounder who played at St. Martinville High School, came to ULL as a walk-on, after failing to qualify academically as a freshman.

Under former Cajuns coach Jerry Baldwin, Williams played on the defensive line, a spot where he had his most success at St. Martinville.

"I like playing defense best and when I saw there were two seniors and two juniors in front of me at defensive tackle, I figured that's where I could get the most playing time," Williams said.

The rest of the story

By BOBBY ARDOIN
Special to The Advocate

[CajunCharlie]

Cajuns win 57-51 in four over times.

[BrilesBall]

Way to finish the season off in style with triple OT!!

Best of luck in the future guys...Bustle will get in done

[RaginRash]

Make that 4OT!! 574 total Off for UL.

Is that a first?

[BrockMeaux]

What a game. I was listening to the game on the radio in my truck in the church parking lot. It couldn't have ended any later, though...I had to get to mass!

500-somewhat yards of offense, the defense played pretty well (not including most of OT, and they still played well with all that stuff considered), and Fred Stamps goes out on a HUGE high note. Great stuff!

[NewsCopy]

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns won the most thrilling game under head coach Rickey Bustle by topping Middle Tennessee 57-51 in four overtimes on Saturday in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

The Cajuns entered the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead, but a 24-point quarter by MT in the final stanza forced the Cajuns to come from behind just to force overtime.

In overtime, the teams traded scores until Jerry Babb's one-yard run in the fourth extra session proved to be the difference. Babb's two point conversion pass failed as the Cajuns went on defense trying to preserve their six-point lead.

David Prater, who led the Cajuns with 11 total tackles, intercepted a Josh Harrison pass to seal the win for UL. The Cajuns stormed the field in jubilation, capping their fourth win in the past five outings. Bustle was doused with water by his seniors after earning his first road victory as a head coach.

Fred Stamps finished his Cajuns career with 13 catches for 201 yards. Babb finished his first season with a career-best 435 yards passing and four touchdowns. He also added 39 yards rushing a score to finish with 474 yards of total offense and five touchdowns.

Midway through the final quarter it appeared as though Middle Tennessee was going to rally for the victory. Leading 24-20, MT allowed Stamps to shake loose and collect a 49-yard touchdown pass from Babb.

The Blue Raiders returned the favor 62 seconds later as Kerry Wright beat all Cajuns defenders and raced in for a 60-yard TD pass from Harris.

MT increased their lead to seven, 34-27, with 2:47 left to play following a Brian Kelly 37-yard field goal.

Babb calmly engineered a 10-play, 84-yard drive that culminated in a two-yard TD pass to Bill Sampy with 26 seconds remaining in regulation.

MT took a knee on the final play of the fourth quarter and elected for overtime.

In overtime, Harris scored on a one-yard plunge to put the Raiders in front, but Babb found Stamps on a 12-yard pass play to pull the Cajuns to within one-point 41-40. Bustle sent his offense out onto the field for the two-point conversion, but a delay of game penalty changed his mind and the Cajuns used Sean Comiskey's extra point to tie the game.

Dwight Lindon scored on a one-yard run in the second overtime only to be answered by a three-yard run by Eugene Gross.

The teams traded field goals in the third extra frame leading to Babb's winning run in the fourth overtime.

The Cajuns stopped the Blue Raiders' first drive of the game when Darryl Blappert recovered a Don Calloway fumble to give the Cajuns the ball at the MT 48-yard line.

A combination of runs by Chester Johnson and Lindon and passing of Babb to Stamps carried UL 48 yards in 3:21.

Lindon carried the ball twice for 16 yards and Johnson added six yards on two carries. Babb found Stamps twice for 15 yards, the latter reception an eight-yard touchdown pass to give the Cajuns a 7-0 lead.

After the teams traded two punts apiece, Middle Tennessee moved in for a score. Blue Raiders' starting quarterback Andrico Hines was injured on the second play of the drive. Hines was replaced by Clint Marks, who directed a no-huddle offense featuring several runs by Gross.

MT's drive stalled at the Cajuns 27-yard line. Kelly converted on a 44-yard field goal with 12:43 remaining in the first half.

The Cajuns came back with their own no-huddle offense. Babb hit Bill Sampy with a pair of passes for 28 yards and connected with Eric Bartel for 12 yards. Babb gained 18 yards on the ground and Johnson added 10 yards to help the Cajuns move 72 yards in 11 plays.

UL's drive stalled on the eight-yard line, where Comiskey nailed a 25-yard field goal.

The Cajuns expanded their lead after marching 66 yards on 10 plays. Babb completed four passes for 51 yards and Josh Harrison ran five times for 15 yards including a four-yard touchdown run. The Cajuns led 17-3 with 1:27 left in the first half.

The Blue Raiders would not go quietly at the half. MT moved the ball 76 yards on seven plays in only 1:26, scoring on a seven-yard touchdown pass from Harris to Wardell Alsup with 0.8 seconds left in the half.

A 48-yard reception by Bartel on third-and-eight led way to a 30-yard field goal by Comiskey. The field goal gave UL a 20-10 lead with 2:32 left to play in the third quarter.

The Blue Raiders continued to answer. MT drove 69 yards into the end zone to close within three points, 20-17, with 14:01 left in the game. The Blue Raiders converted all four third downs on the drive, capped by a three-yard touchdown pass from Harris to Alsup.

A pass through the hands of Stamps was intercepted by the Blue Raiders on their own 39-yard line. The hosts needed five plays to travel 61 yards and take their first lead of the game. Harris found a wide open Pedro Holiday for a 35-yard touchdown pass. With 8:07 to play, MT led 24-20.

LOUISIANA SI

[Turbine]

November 15th 2003 marks the most exciting UL win since September 14th 1996.

A nail biter from the fourth quarter on, which makes it a nailbiter for 5 of the 8 quarters.

I tell you the 4OT victory has me frothing for the 04Team.

[RedBug58]

How did Stamps end up as far as his career stats? Number of catches, yardage, etc??