The Book: 2003 Football

[NewsCopy]

LOUISIANA La. — Tear up all the old schedules for preseason football practice.

It’s a whole new ball game for collegiate teams checking in for the start of fall drills for the 2003 season, and UL will start experiencing those changes today.

There will be more players on the field when the Ragin’ Cajuns hold their first practice session beginning at 3 p.m., but over the course of the next four weeks that group won’t be logging as many practice hours.

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@lafayette.gannett.com

[NewsCopy]

Cajuns’ Rekieta revived after elbow surgery

LOUISIANA La. — There were times this spring when Eric Rekieta wondered whether life was fair.

The heir-apparent at quarterback for UL Lafayette’s Ragin’ Cajun football squad had a hole in his right elbow and a smaller one in the front of his leg ... the telltale signs of the infamous “Tommy John” surgery.

Only four months earlier, he had completed 25-of-33 passes for 256 yards in his first-ever Division I start, leading the Cajuns to a comeback victory over Arkansas State.

Now he was watching spring drills, and wondering if his arm — his meal ticket, his stock in trade, the appendage whose strength impressed so many in his short time in Acadiana — would ever be the same.

“I’d finally gotten the chance to play,” Rekieta said Sunday, “and the injuries just seemed like they kept coming. It was like, why is all of this happening to me?”

He’s hoping all the injuries – and the agony of rehabilitation — are in the past now, and he’s ready to battle for a starting slot starting today when the Cajuns begin fall drills in preparation for the Aug. 30 opener at South Carolina.

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@lafayette.gannett.com

[Crawfish]

Today at practice, Turbine and I were discussing the transfer rules about D-1A players. Basically, we were lamenting the fact that a player like a Craig Nall had to transfer to a 1AA program, when he probably could have played for a 1A program. The problem is he would have had to sit out for a year. At first I was thinking that a change in this rule could be a big boom for the smaller 1A programs, but then another thought came to mind..
If a smaller school found a diamond in the rough ( like a Stamps) or someone the big schools missed, would he be enticed or tempted to transfer to a BCS school?
:confused: Do you guys think a more liberal transfer rule (like in baseball) would be good or bad for non-BCS football schools?

[BonCajun]

"If a smaller school found a diamond in the rough ( like a Stamps) or someone the big school missed, would he be enticed or temped to transfer to a BCS school?
Do you guys think a more liberal transfer rule (like in baseball) would be good or bad for non-BCS football schools?"

I never thought of that, are there any cases of a player transferring up a level? I am sure there are I just never heard of it. Jerry Rice stayed put I wonder if the BCS schools came calling. I know you can go right away to a 1aa school but can you go right away if you are moving to 1a? Wish I could help but I don't know.

[NewsCopy]

Series: Cajun junior tight end Lawrence Johnson, a mass communications major from New Orleans, will be offering daily insight into Louisiana’s preseason football training camp for the Advertiser.

[NewsCopy]

LOUISIANA La. — It’s a natural assumption to figure that Louisiana’s football program would be further along in Year Two under Rickey Bustle than in last year’s maiden voyage.

Bustle’s not one to overlook anything, though. Not with the opener at South Carolina coming on Aug. 30. So, when the Ragin’ Cajuns hit the field for their first practice of the 2003 season, Bustle kept it basic. “We didn’t assume anything,” Bustle said. “In our meetings we went over and over things. And today, we made the coaches start from square one. We didn’t do a lot of things today.”

Freshmen began drills at 3 p.m., with the varsity joining them at 4 p.m., a structure that will be followed today and Wednesday before the entire squad practices together on Thursday at 4 p.m.

Even detail-conscious Bustle had to admit, though, that the veterans looked like they knew what to expect after a season and a spring under his staff. “We did have carryover from the older guys,” Bustle said. “Our organization was good. They know where to go, got our alignments right.

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Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[RedBug58]

What's going on with the old scoreboard. Is it just there for advertisements, or can it do something???:confused: :confused: :confused:

[The "Scout"]

The South Carolina game will be here in no time and i cant hardly wait. Does anyone know about how the practices are going ? Are we looking good ? Any new guys standing out ? I know our D is going to have to step it up. Im also intested about how Erick is throwing the ball. If anyone can update me I would greatly appretiate it.

[NewsCopy]

Day one finally arrives for Cajuns

Monday August 5th
After a long, hot summer with strength and conditioning coach Brad Ohrt, we all finally made it to the notorious two-a-day training camp. The brutal workouts coach Ohrt put us through this summer made us bigger and stronger. It’s finally time to put the summer school books away and just practice football for two and a half weeks. We all could not wait.

The empty feeling from leaving a desolate Malone Stadium in Monroe for the last game of the season was not very pleasant. The bad taste that left in my mouth is still there. It was not the right way to end the season. I still can’t believe that it happened that way. It just made me appreciate the feeling of victory more and hate losing even more than before. It made all of my teammates and myself hungrier for a winning season than ever before.

The rest of Lawrence Johnson's daily insight

[NewsCopy]

Drills starting to speed up

Tuesday August 5th
Day 2 is in the books. It was yet another long day. Even though it was a long day, the weather was not as much of a factor as it was the other day. There is nothing better for us to be on the field practicing, and look up and see the sun covered by many gray clouds. The hot summers of Louisiana need a few more days like today.

Even though we were only in shorts and helmets, the intensity picked up quite a bit. Teaching and installation quickly turned into game speed non-contact drills. Anyone who was not awake for practice today, quickly woke up when the drills got faster and more intense. Everyone, including myself, is trying to compete for a spot on the varsity and trying to complement the team as much as possible.

The rest of the story

[CDeb]

Originally posted by RedBug58
What's going on with the old scoreboard. Is it just there for advertisements, or can it do something???:confused: :confused: :confused:

I think they are trying to fix it up to run messages across it (which is why they left the scrolling message screen intact).

[Turbine]

	Louisiana has BEST Season      since 1996

Since this picture was taken the SGA has done some painting around the tunnel.
PS do me a favor and hit "F5" on your keyboard.